A backcountry ski trip in California’s Sierra Nevada turned tragic Tuesday when an avalanche near Lake Tahoe killed eight people and left a ninth missing and presumed dead. Several of the victims were parents connected to Sugar Bowl Academy, a competitive ski school near Donner Summit. The group of skiers involved included parents, mostly mothers, of students at a local school and the ski academy, according to sources involved in the search-and-rescue effort and a statement from the school.
The Sugar Bowl Academy said in a statement, “Multiple members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died in an avalanche on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.” The academy emphasized it would not release the names of the victims out of respect for their families.
An avalanche watch had been issued Sunday by the Sierra Avalanche Center, escalating to a warning Tuesday that stated “HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry” and that “large” avalanches were likely. Officials are reviewing the decision to leave the huts during the storm.
The group—11 skiers and four guides—was returning from a three-day trip near the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts in the Castle Peak area when a massive slab of snow broke loose around 11:30 a.m. The avalanche, about the length of a football field, struck during a powerful winter storm that brought heavy snowfall and winds up to 60 mph. Capt. Russel Greene said, “Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘avalanche!’ and it overtook them rather quickly.”
Six people survived—four men and two women, ages 30 to 55—after sheltering in trees and communicating with rescuers via satellite device. Two were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Sheriff Shannan Moon said authorities had to inform families that “our mission went from a rescue to a recovery,” calling it “a difficult conversation to have with loved ones.”
Three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, who were leading the group back from a three-day backcountry skiing expedition, were among those killed. Founder Zeb Blais described them as “highly experienced members of our guide team,” noting they were certified through the American Mountain Guides Association and worked with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, which he called “the industry standard for avalanche education.” He added, “There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway,” and urged the public: “We asked that people following this tragedy refrain from speculating.”
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a news conference that the bodies of seven women and a man killed in the avalanche were recovered, but ongoing inclement weather has prevented search crews from transporting the victims from the backcountry to a morgue in the nearby town of Truckee, with continued avalanche risk and severe weather further delaying recovery efforts. “The risk is still as high with the mission moving to a recovery,” Moon said, stressing responder safety. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo vowed to remain committed “until the end.” The search will continue for a second man who was with the group and is presumed dead, Moon said.
The tragedy is the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in 1981. California Gov. Gavin Newsom offered condolences and praised rescue crews working in dangerous conditions: “Our hearts are with the victims and their families of this horrific tragedy. Local and state officials quickly mobilized a robust search-and-rescue mission, with nearly 100 first responders working in daunting conditions throughout the night, to search for these missing backcountry skiers. We mourn this profound loss.”
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