Anatomy of the avalanche tragedy: how a ski trip turned into a deadly descent

They geared up for a thrilling California mountain adventure – three days of backcountry skiing through untouched snow, with chilly nights shacked up in remote lodges for $1,300 a pop. 

But ominous clouds gathered over the horizon Sunday for the 16 skiers soon to trek near the Donner Pass, where nearly two centuries before another once-hopeful expedition infamously descended into starvation, death and cannibalism. 

One skier pulled out of the excursion last-minute, experienced mountain guides saw tell-tale warning signs of potential avalanche and the weather forecast predicted unrelenting snow over the Sierra Nevada.

The remaining 15 skiers trekked on seemingly undaunted – and into the deadliest avalanche in California’s recent history.

At least eight skiers with the Blackbird Mountain Guides excursion died in the devastating snowslide Tuesday north of Lake Tahoe, with a ninth still missing and “presumed deceased,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon revealed during a news conference 24 hours after the disaster.

Another six skiers hit by the avalanche were rescued after a nightmarish bivouac in makeshift shelters on the mountain, authorities said. 

The events leading to the tragedy – including the guide company’s decisions – are still being probed, Moon said.

“Those are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made,” she said.

“We’re still in conversations with them on the decision factors.”

Blackbird Mountain Guides, a Truckee-based company, was founded in 2020 and catered to a rugged, if somewhat well-heeled clientele willing to pay up to $625 for private tours in the backcountry.

The group was staying at the Frog Lake huts near Castle Peak – which could cost roughly $1,300 a night according to the company’s website.

The four guides and 11 skiers bounded around the trails starting Sunday, a statement from the company confirmed.

While the group gallivanted, Blackbird’s guides appeared aware of potentially dangerous conditions brewing – as seen in an eerily prophetic video posted Monday on the company’s Instagram.

The post warned of an incoming “BIG storm” and featured a guide sifting through the snow.

“This weak layer could lead to some unpredictable avalanches!” the captain read.

One day later, the 15 skiers tramped near the Castle Peak trailhead at roughly 8,200 feet when a huge avalanche roughly the size of a football swept down the mountain around 11:30 a.m., officials said.

The horrific snow slip slammed into the party, consisting of nine women and six men, Moon said.

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Avalanches are measured by destructive size on a scale of 1 to 5.

Tuesday’s avalanche stood at 2.5 on that scale, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.

Amid the chilly chaos, five skiers and one guide managed to survive – all between 30 and 55 years old. They huddled under tarps as makeshift shelters as they set off emergency beacons and corresponded with first responders using the iPhone’s SOS feature, Moon said.

Rescuers scrambled to reach the group, but were hindered by white-out conditions and nearly 2 feet of falling snow, the sheriff said. It took until 5:30 p.m. before rescuers finally found them, she said.

“Two of the six were not mobile,” Moon said. “They could not walk because of the injuries they sustained during the avalanche, and we were able to safely get them the 2 miles from that location to the snowcat and four others were able to get to the snowcat themselves.”

One of the injured skiers remained at a hospital Wednesday, while the other has been released, Moon said.

Eight skiers were found dead, with another presumed deceased, but rescuers had been unable to get their bodies off the mountain.

“The weather is a factor, it’s not a resource issue as we speak,” Moon said, pointing to the ongoing avalanche conditions.

Blackbird quickly found itself under widespread scrutiny as it led the historically deadly expedition, especially after the Instagram video indicated the company’s guides were aware of dangerous conditions.

“Leading people to their deaths,” one commenter posted under the video after the tragedy.

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“It is irresponsible to take people into the backcountry knowing the biggest storm set of the year is coming in hot and heavy,” another user posted. 

One comment even arrived before a day before the avalanche struck — and warned of snowy peril.

“Big danger with the big storm,” a user posted on Monday.

Representatives for Blackbird Mountain Guides didn’t return requests for comment.

“We are currently focused on dealing with an incident in the Lake Tahoe area,” an automated text message from the company stated.

“The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has informed Blackbird Mountain Guides they will be taking the lead on all direct communications and status updates from this point to ensure families rapidly receive the most current details,” a previous statement from the company read.