Rescuers race to save 6 skiers trapped in California avalanche that's left 10 more missing

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rescue crews connected skis and snowcats battled blizzard conditions successful an effort to scope six backcountry skiers inactive live but trapped Tuesday aft an avalanche precocious successful the rugged Northern California mountains that near 10 different skiers missing arsenic the information of much slides remained high.

The hunt and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake successful the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, aft idiosyncratic called 911 astatine astir 11:30 a.m. to study an avalanche with radical buried arsenic a almighty wintertime tempest moved done the state.

Hours later, Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, said six skiers had been located and were asked to structure successful spot “as champion they can” until they tin beryllium reached.

The radical was connected the past time of a three-day backcountry skiing trip, said Steve Reynaud, a Tahoe National Forest avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center. Reynaud said his radical has had interaction with radical connected the crushed successful the area. He said the skiers had spent 2 nights astatine huts connected a travel that required navigating “rugged mountainous terrain” connected backcountry skis for up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) and bringing on each nutrient and supplies.

Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified astir the avalanche by the skis circuit institution that took the radical to Castle Peak and by exigency beacons the skiers were carrying.

The skiers are successful connection with officials done their exigency beacons, which tin nonstop texts, Greene told KCRA-TV.

“They are doing the champion they can. They person taken refuge successful an area, they person made up a makeshift structure with a tarp and are doing everything they tin to past and hold for rescue,” Greene told the tv station.

He said rescue teams are making their mode to the radical cautiously due to the fact that the information of triggering much avalanches remains high.

“We person brought successful snowcats. We person snowmobiles connected standby. We person individuals connected skis. We person respective antithetic ways that radical are attempting to get there,” helium said. “It’s conscionable going to beryllium a slow, tedious process."

Backcountry conditions are dangerous

The institution starring the trip, Blackbird Mountain Guides, said successful a connection connected its website that it was coordinating with authorities connected the rescue operation. It said 12 clients and 4 guides were successful the group.

California is being walloped this week by a almighty wintertime tempest bringing treacherous thunderstorms, precocious winds and dense snowfall successful upland areas.

“It’s peculiarly unsafe successful the backcountry close present conscionable due to the fact that we’re astatine the tallness of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest pb avalanche forecaster astatine the Sierra Avalanche Center based successful Truckee.

The halfway issued an avalanche informing for the country successful the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting astatine 5 a.m. Tuesday with ample slides expected into Wednesday.

The unsafe conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall piling connected fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.

Several skis resorts astir Lake Tahoe were afloat oregon partially closed owed to the utmost weather. The resorts on highways person avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to beryllium astatine arsenic precocious of a hazard arsenic the backcountry wherever question in, adjacent oregon beneath the avalanche terrain was powerfully discouraged, the halfway said.

Area has acheronian history

Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot (2,777-meter) highest successful the Donner Summit country of the Sierra Nevada, is simply a fashionable backcountry skiing destination. Donner Summit, which tin beryllium perilous successful snow, is named for the infamous Donner Party, a radical of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism aft getting trapped determination successful the wintertime of 1846-1847.

Training successful avalanche appraisal and rescue and information instrumentality is highly recommended for backcountry skiing, besides known arsenic off-piste skiing, which draws radical wanting to glide heavy into the wilderness acold extracurricular the confines of a resort's boundaries. Backcountry skis are wider, heavier and person different features to grip going up and down ungroomed terrain, dissimilar cross-country skis, which are narrower and designed for flat, much groomed trails.

In the adjacent municipality of Soda Springs, astatine slightest 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snowfall had fallen successful the past 24 hours, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

Forecasters said the occidental slope of the Sierra Nevada successful bluish Shasta County — including portions of Interstate 5 — and parts of the state’s Pacific Coast Range could spot up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snowfall earlier the tempest moves done precocious Wednesday.

The tempest wreaked havoc connected roadways spanning from Sonoma County to the Sierra Nevada. Traffic was halted temporarily successful some directions connected I-80 adjacent the Nevada authorities enactment owed to spinouts and crashes, the California Department of Transportation reported.

In January, an avalanche successful the portion buried a snowmobiler successful snowfall and killed him, authorities said. Each winter, 25 to 30 radical dice successful avalanches successful the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.

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Watson reported from San Diego.

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