Authorities are working to rescue six skiers who survived a backcountry avalanche Tuesday morning in Northern California, while 10 others remain unaccounted for.
The group of 16 total skiers included four ski guides and 12 clients, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in an afternoon news release. The avalanche happened around 11:30 a.m.
“Highly skilled rescue ski teams have departed from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center to make their way to the six known survivors, who have been directed to shelter in place as best they can in the conditions,” Nevada County sheriff’s officials wrote. “SnoCat team was also launched from Alder Creek Adventure Center.”
The Sheriff’s Office said 46 first responders are working on the rescue effort, adding that high avalanche danger remains present Tuesday and is expected to continue through at least Wednesday.
“Weather conditions remain highly dangerous,” sheriff’s officials wrote.
Rescue workers respond to an avalanche near Castle Peak in Nevada County involving 16 backcountry skiers Tuesday. Ten skiers were missing and six others survived and have been located, with a rescue underway, sheriff’s officials said that afternoon. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office
Nevada County sheriff’s officials initially said “several” skiers were reported missing after the avalanche Tuesday morning in the Sierra Nevada’s Castle Peak area, north of Soda Springs and northwest of Truckee. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, the sheriff’s search and rescue team and other agencies responded around 11:30 a.m.
The reported avalanche came amid a powerful winter storm that has dumped multiple feet of snow in the mountains and prompted warnings of high avalanche danger in the Lake Tahoe backcountry into Wednesday. A backcountry avalanche warning for the greater Lake Tahoe area is in place until at least 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.
The National Weather Service has a winter storm warning in place through 10 p.m. Thursday for the entire Sierra Nevada range, warning that elevations above 3,500 feet could get 4 to 8 feet of snow by the end of the storm.
Authorities in Placer County on Tuesday also reported the death of a 53-year-old skier involved in an accident Sunday morning on an advanced run at Northstar California Resort in Truckee. That incident involved two skiers and came before the brunt of this week’s winter storm.
Castle Peak is just north of Soda Springs on the north side of Lake Tahoe.
Backcountry skiing popular near avalanche site
The terrain around Castle Peak is one of the Tahoe area’s more popular zones for backcountry skiers of varying abilities and experience. Skiers can access both low-angled terrain that is considered safer during increased avalanche risks, and also steep slopes.
But under the avalanche conditions highlighted by the Sierra Avalanche Center on Tuesday, skiing or traveling across any backcountry terrain carried significant risk. Even if a skier is on a slope that is not steep enough to give way to an avalanche itself, avalanches can start on higher, steeper terrain and come down onto the skier.
The Castle Peak area is home to several backcountry cabins used by guide companies and private parties for overnight trips where people ski multiple days and stay in the huts. One grouping, the Frog Lake huts, includes huts with sleeping quarters and a communal hut with a kitchen, fireplace and gathering area, according to the website for the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which runs the facilities. The Castle Peak area is also home to the Peter Grubb Hut, a historic hut built in the late 1930s. It was not immediately clear whether the group caught in the avalanche Tuesday was using one of the huts.
This is a developing story; check back with sacbee.com for updates.
This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 12:44 PM.
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Michael McGough
The Sacramento Bee
Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State.
