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Authorities accidental they're moving to find retired wherefore a radical of skiers and their guides continued with their travel aft a archetypal avalanche watch was issued connected Sunday, 2 days earlier an avalanche killed immoderate of them adjacent Lake Tahoe, California.
"Lots of forecasts connected this storm. Those are the decisions that the usher institution had intelligibly made. We're inactive successful conversations with them connected the determination factors," Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.
Eight skiers were recovered dormant successful the Sierra Nevada and a ninth was inactive missing, officials connected Wednesday. Search teams rescued six skiers who reportedly sought refuge successful trees pursuing the avalanche that happened connected Tuesday.
The radical of 11 skiers and 4 guides was returning from a three-day backcountry skis travel during a wintertime tempest that dumped up to 7 feet of snowfall and lashed the mountains with 60 mph winds.
On Sunday, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche ticker saying "very unsafe avalanche conditions could hap successful the backcountry" successful a portion including the greater Lake Tahoe area.
"HIGH avalanche information is anticipated successful the backcountry Monday evening, lasting done Tuesday night, and perchance into Wednesday," it said.
An avalanche informing was past issued connected the greeting of Feb. 17, the time of the incident, extending to Friday. The advisory stated that "HIGH avalanche information exists successful the backcountry" and said "large" avalanches were expected crossed backcountry terrain.
Moon said a shot field-sized slab of snowfall slid disconnected a upland successful the Castle Peak area, which is astir 10 miles northbound of Lake Tahoe – swallowing the skiers.
"Someone saw the avalanche, yelled 'avalanche!' and it overtook them alternatively quickly," Capt. Russel Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said.
Rescue crews person faced treacherous conditions, including blinding snowfall and precocious winds.
A snowmobile is parked astatine Alder Creek Adventure Center, 1 of 2 sites wherever crews were searching missing skiers aft an avalanche successful a backcountry slope of California's Sierra Nevada adjacent Lake Tahoe, Feb. 18, 2026.
Jenna Greene / REUTERS
The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said they person to hold connected the upwind to retrieve the victims and that it's inactive excessively unsafe with a continued avalanche threat.
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