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Crews in Northern California have rescued six backcountry skiers. They are searching for nine others after an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada. People from a company called Blackbird Mountain Guides led their clients into the wilderness near Lake Tahoe. CapRadio's Greg Micek reports on what happened next.
GREG MICEK, BYLINE: The skiers have been staying at backcountry huts in the Castle Peak area since Sunday and were heading back when the avalanche struck at around 11:30 a.m. local time. The survivors sheltered under a tarp until rescue teams reached them Tuesday night after about 11 hours, according to local authorities. Two of those rescued were receiving treatment at a local hospital. The Truckee-based Blackbird Mountain Guides released a statement saying it is responding to the incident and has reached out to the families of those affected. Nine are still missing. The Sierra Avalanche Center had issued a warning for the Greater Lake Tahoe backcountry hours before the avalanche. Lead forecaster Brandon Schwartz says a major winter storm created dangerous conditions in the area, a popular destination among skiers.
BRANDON SCHWARTZ: We came out of a big dry spell through January into February, and we had some weak snow in the old snowpack, so that's also another contributing factor when we put a giant new snow load on top of it.
MICEK: The area received up to three feet of snow in 48 hours. Schwartz says that the ongoing storm would complicate rescue efforts.
SCHWARTZ: The storm is ongoing. You know, it's still snowing anywhere two to four inches an hour right now, and that avalanche path is reloading with new snow very rapidly.
MICEK: Schwartz urged backcountry skiers to check daily avalanche forecasts at avalanche.org and avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
SCHWARTZ: If you're traveling entirely in non-avalanche terrain, it's just impossible to get caught in an avalanche, just as I can't get in a car crash right now sitting inside my office and just not in a vehicle on the roadways.
MICEK: On average, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S. each year, according to the National Avalanche Center. Last season saw 22 deaths. The deadliest avalanche in California's modern history was the 1982 Alpine Meadows Disaster, which killed seven people.
For NPR News, I'm Greg Micek in Placer County. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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