Crews recover bodies of all 9 victims in deadly Lake Tahoe avalanche

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Officials on Saturday afternoon announced crews have recovered the bodies of nine skiers who were killed in an avalanche near Castle Peak.

The backstory:

A group of 15 skiers – four guides and 11 clients – were on the final leg Tuesday of a three-day backcountry trip to Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada when they were caught in the avalanche.

Six survived, while eight were killed and an additional member of the group was missing, presumed dead until Saturday when their body was recovered.

The victims:

Six of the people who died have been identified as close friends and mothers who live in the Bay Area, Tahoe and Idaho. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday identified the victims as:

• Carrie Atkin, 42, from South Lake Tahoe
• Katherine Vitt, 43, from Marin County
• Danielle Keatley, 44, from Marin County
• Kate Morse, 45, from Marin County
• Caroline Sekar, 45, from San Francisco
• Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, Idaho

The other three victims were guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office identified them as 30-year-old Michael Henry, 34-year-old Andrew Alissandratos, and 42-year-old Nicole Choo.

Andrew Alissandratos (left) and Michael Henry (right) were part of Blackbird Mountain Guides, and both died in the avalanche.

“There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon. “The weight of this event is felt across many families, friends, and colleagues, and we stand together with them during this difficult time.”

Officials checked the area of the avalanche, which they described as roughly the size of a football field, and late Thursday decided to use controlled explosions to make it safer for rescuers to enter the site to recover the nine dead.

What’s next:

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that they are opening an investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides regarding whether there was criminal negligence involved in the decision to go through with the Tuesday outing. 

Cal-OSHA already announced Thursday that they are investigating the company.

One question is why the group left the shelter of the Frog Lake Huts and attempted a descent when the Sierra Avalanche Center had issued avalanche warnings for that day, and avalanche watches several days before.