Six skiers out of a group of fifteen survived. While one is still missing, it is not possible he would have survived because of the cold. Avalanche warnings were issued–but apparently ignored?
One of the worst avalanche disasters in U.S. history:
What is it about Tahoe? Every avalanche with multiple fatalities I have heard about since I started skiing in the 1970s seems to be in the Tahoe area.
Terrible story.
There is a decent number of people who live around Tahoe and it is relatively easy to access via I-80 and US-50 from major metros in northern California (and Nevada). As a result, you have a lot of people regularly in harm’s way when storms come thru.
When this storm was approaching, CalTrans was advising (begging) drivers to stay away - stay out of the mountains, due to the expected blizzard conditions. Anyone who was already up in the mountains was advised to stay-put. An avalanche warning was issued Sunday, yet this group proceeded to commence their back country ski trip anyway that day. I am not ready to judge anyone at this point, but the company that organized this trip has some explaining to do.
It’s near Donner Summit. You might recognize where that name came from. The eastern part of the country got hit by a lot of snow earlier, out west we got a very late winter and now it’s coming all at once. It’s heavy and I’ve seen it crush steel bear boxes. This isn’t even the heaviest event, but has been rather time-constrained.
But the real winter hazards are not skiing and avalanches so much as the people who must get home today and decide to drive 80 or 50 or even 431 or even try to trust Google Maps to take them down some dirt road.
You may hear about it more if you’re nearby, but there are many backcountry avy deaths in the Wasatch and the Canadian Rockies. In fact, I’d say I rarely hear about Tahoe avy fatalities.
It appears that the fatalities took place near a cabin that I used to stay at near the top of Donner Pass. I’ve encountered a few sluff avys near there and had a cornice colapse right next to me.
I’m a Californian and have been skiing the Sierras since I was 12. I just don’t hear about mass casualties at Mammoth and points further south or in the Cascades, for that matter. It always seems to be Tahoe.
Mammoth does have a number of deaths every year, including from avalanches, but you’re right that it’s rarely a large number at once. I’d guess it’s because Tahoe is easier to get to, which means more people there. And also it’s better known, so the media picks up stories from there quicker.
I can’t wrap my brain around why this excursion went ahead…
It can’t happen to me"". Nothing deeper than that.
I realize they were doing backcountry, but note Tahoe has 15 ski resorts according to Wikipedia (maybe more charitably 13 or so as I’m not sure I’d count Bear Valley as Tahoe, and Sky Tavern is basically just Mt. Rose). Mammoth has what, 2 in the vicinity? A couple more semi-close but on the other side of the Sierras. Mammoth itself is very popular, but ultimately it means a less crowded general area.
I’m not sure I hear about mass casualties that often though. There was the large drowning this summer, and an occasional avalanche or winter ski crash. But I don’t think road accidents make the news, nor drunk people drowning in the Truckee.
Also, I paid good money for this, so we gotta go dammit!
A fair amount of Everest disasters occur because the “go no-go” too dangerous to continue time deadline passes, yet the clients insist it goes ahead.
I think the costs and crowds driven by the Epic and Ikon passes at the major resorts, as well as high costs for day passes at other resorts, has spurred interest in back-country skiing around Tahoe. It’s known for non-resort skiing by the adventure/adrenaline crowd, and now those areas are accessible to less experienced folks who can hire a guide to spend a day away from the resorts. It can be risky even under ideal conditions, so I wonder who green-lighted the guided trip this group did when the storm was forecasted to dump feet of snow over the next several days. I guess they were just thinking it would be a couple days of epic powder.
I’m a bit of a weather nerd, here at Santa Barbara coast, and have been following this storm system pretty closely, for work reasons.
Almost every one involved in the “snow business”, especially the various avalanche warning and safety orgs was warning about the avalache danger that was forming. After a month or so, of very minimal snow, with early spring warming sun forming crust s of ice, then this huge snow dump on top?
Been over to Reddit, but its hard to sort through so many comments and threads there. Interesting to read descriptions of the area from a few years back, many of the things snowthx mentions are in play.
My only experience with an avalanche is from hiking through an area in the John Muir wilderness, in the summer, and seeing the aftermath of one that happened the previous winter in a heavily forested area. Massive trees, hundreds all laid down like matchsticks, avalanche came down one side of a valley, swept across the drainage, and went up the other side as well. I understand those types are rarer, and its the big open faced areas, (where skiers and boarders abound) are where most happen. edit: learned about split boards, used to hike in like snowskis, then ski down like a snowboard.
this link is from 2 years ago, but good discussion of castle peak area
The media is also quick to pick up large # events. Do you have any idea how many people die each day in car crashes? They don’t make anything other than (maybe) local news unless 1) someone famous was involved or b) lots of fatalities in the crash.
Unfortunately, the snow was deeper than that.
The National Forest Service closed the area involved until March 15:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/tahoe/alerts/castle-peak-avalanche-closure
I’m not defending anybody certainly, but I can understand why they simply didn’t believe the incoming storm wasn’t being exaggerated. The weather about the time they probably left for the “3 Day Tour” was pretty unbelievably nice for February. I texted a picture to a friend and remarked how nice it was considering a huge storm was on the way. I was out with no jacket collecting Ladybugs. It came in quick and nasty that night.
I can absolutely understand the mindset that leads people to think it’s not dire, but know better than to doubt it via experience. Basically I don’t think people are being stupid so much as ignorant.
Local subreddits, Facebook, possibly NextDoor are full of people asking if they can make it back to the Bay Area every storm. No, there is a good possibility that the entire interstate is closed, and if not a 4 hour trip will take 12+. Or they try to find a workaround as I mentioned… this is among the more famous attempts. They survived but got in way over their head.
The study of avalance forecasting and heuristic traps is long and involved. Knowledge != wisdom.
Apparently, there is a “Unmaintained” road that Google maps shows as an alternative when I-80 gets shut down. I guess it heads out north into the hills and then heads west into California (I’ve never been there. No reason.) Every year, the local news people tell people to NOT DO IT!!
Of course they are talking to the wrong people.