Criminal probe into deadly Tahoe avalanche moves forward as redacted reports leave questions unanswered

The avalanche that killed nine Tahoe skiers is raising more questions than answers — and now prosecutors have the case.

Months after the group ventured into a treacherous backcountry slope despite warnings of extreme avalanche danger, investigators have completed their probe and turned their findings over to Nevada County prosecutors.

But a heavily redacted report leaves critical details unseen — including whether the victims suffered other injuries or had drugs or alcohol in their systems — as prosecutors weigh whether to bring criminal charges against the guide company that led the doomed expedition.

The skiers were led by Blackbird Mountain Guides. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office announced a negligence investigation into the company soon after the February avalanche.

The review doesn’t mean that prosecutors will file charges, and it’s unclear how long the investigation will last.

The report, released Thursday, revealed the cause of death for the nine skiers was asphyxiation after several feet of snow buried them. Asphyxiation is a common cause of death for avalanche victims, as is blunt force trauma from the slabs of snow hitting them.

The report did not reveal whether the nine dead suffered any additional injuries or whether they were under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of their deaths.

Skiers with the 15-person group trekked out on Feb. 17 to hit the slopes near Castle Peak despite a dire warning from snow forecasters telling people to stay out of the backcountry because of the extreme avalanche danger.

The Blackbird group traveled too close to Perry’s Peak, a slope loaded with rapidly falling snow.

A roughly 100-foot-wide wall of snow broke loose and raced about 400 feet down the mountain, burying all but two members of the group.

The survivors scrambled to dig through the debris and managed to rescue four companions before deciding they could no longer reach the others. The group then focused on their own survival while rescuers made their way to them.

The first search-and-rescue crews reached the scene around 5:36 p.m., after authorities received word of the avalanche at about 11:30 a.m. Rescuers managed to dig out eight of the nine victims that day, but needed to postpone efforts due to poor weather.

The final victim was found a few days later.

All those who perished included: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nevada; Michael Henry, 30, from Tampa Bay, Florida; Nicole “Niki” Choo, 42, from South Lake Tahoe; Carrie Atkin, 42, from South Lake Tahoe; Liz Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, from Marin County; Kate Morse, 45, from Marin County; Caroline Sekar, 45, from San Francisco; and Kate Vitt, 43, from Marin County.

An incident report published by the Sierra Avalanche Center, which had issued the avalanche warning, found that the group violated avalanche protocols during its attempt to leave the backcountry.

Blackbird Mountain Guides warned only a day prior of the avalanche of a “BIG storm” in a social media post that featured one of its guides sifting through a weak layer of snow that “could lead to some unpredictable avalanches!”

“Those are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made,” Moon said after the tragedy. “We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made.”

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