Lake Tahoe avalanche survivors built ‘makeshift tarp shelter’ after snow horror as California gov vows search for missing nine: Live updates

Crews rescued six backcountry skiers who survived an avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice. Nine others from their tour group remained missing.

Nevada County Sheriff’s Captain Russell Green told KCRA the survivors were awaiting rescue under a makeshift shelter they created with a tarp.

‘They are doing the best they can. They have taken refuge in an area, they have made up a makeshift shelter with a tarp and are doing everything they can to survive and wait for rescue,’ Greene said.

The group of six was rescued ‘with varying injuries’ Tuesday evening, and two of them were taken to the hospital for treatment.

An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a hill or mountainside caused by an unstable mass of snow breaking away from the slope.

Snow, rock, ice, soil and other materials slide down during an avalanche and can reach speeds of up to 100mph.

In 90 percent of avalanche incidents, the snow slides are triggered by the victim or someone in the victim’s party, according to the National Weather Service.

Pictured: Stock image of an avalanche

The Sierra Avalanche Center has warned of a continued risk of avalanches on Wednesday.

‘A large avalanche occurred yesterday in the Frog Lake/Castle Peak area involving a group of backcountry travelers,’ the group wrote,

‘Increased uncertainty exists with the ongoing reactivity of these buried weak layers under this large storm snow load.

‘The potential continues for large to very large avalanches occurring in the backcountry today. HIGH avalanche danger continues with travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain not recommended.’

Castle Peak, the area where the backcountry skiers got swept away by an avalanche on Tuesday, has a dark history.

The 9,110-foot mountain north of Donner Summit, is a popular backcountry skiing destination.

The summit, which can be perilous in snow, is named for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.

Pictured: An illustration depicting the Donner Party

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of the northern and central Sierra Nevada, forecasting heavy snow and wind gusts up to 55mph.

‘Lull in activity will continue through a majority of the day, with isolated to scattered snow in the mountains and foothills,’ NWS wrote on X.

‘Increasing precipitation late this afternoon and evening with heavy snow tonight and into tomorrow. Travel in the mountains is HIGHLY discouraged.’

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5am PT Tuesday with large slides expected into Wednesday.

The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches of snow during a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.

The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 over and around Donner Summit due to spinouts and crashes, the authorities reported.

A large avalanche occurred near Perry Peak at approximately 8,200 feet on a north-facing slope, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.

The avalanche was classified as a D2.5, meaning it was large enough to be fatal.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the group leading the backcountry skiers, release a statement saying the are cooperating with search and rescue officials.

‘The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides remains fully engaged in assisting the Search and Rescue efforts on the ground as we navigate this incredibly difficult situation alongside those involved,’ the group said.

‘Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available.’

According to Blackbird Mountain Guides, the skiers had been in the process of returning to the trailhead at the end of a three-day trip when the avalanche struck.

The group of backcountry skiers had been staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts, a collection of remote cabins near the Castle Peak.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to find the remaining skiers as mountain rescue teams battle treacherous conditions.

‘The state is coordinating an all-hands search and rescue effort with local partners and deploying resources to support the active response,’ Newsom’s office wrote on X.

Video posted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) showed the whiteout conditions on Tuesday during the avalanche that trapped a group of skiers.

The group of skiers was on Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot mountain north of Donner Summit.

‘This isn’t inconvenient weather. This is unsafe travel. If you don’t absolutely need to be out, don’t be,’ CHP wrote on X.

‘Donner doesn’t care about your schedule. We’ll reopen when it’s safe, not before.’

The tour company that organized the group of backcountry skiers who were swept away an avalanche in California warned of incoming inclement weather just two days before the storm hit.

A Blackbird Mountain Guides ski guide stationed in Mt Rose, the Tahoe’s highest elevation, on Sunday revealed that there was ‘atypical layering’ in the snow pack.

The guide, in a post on the company’s Facebook page, warned that the extended dry season impacting the area has caused faceting, a process in which snow becomes weak.

‘As we move into a large storm cycle this week, pay close attention to places where faceting has been particularly strong – avalanches could behave abnormally, and the hazard could last longer than normal,’ the guide said, urging snow sportsmen to ‘use extra caution this week.’

But 15 skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak, about 40 miles from Mt Rose, late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow.