Deadliest avalanche in modern California history: What we know about the disaster in Tahoe

[mahatmakanejeeves]

California

Deadliest avalanche in modern California history: What we know about the disaster in Tahoe


Members of a rescue team make their way through the snow in Soda Springs, Calif., where a backcountry skier remains missing. (Nevada County Sheriff’s Office)

By Jack Dolan and Andrea Flores
Feb. 18, 2026 Updated 4:23 PM PT

• A group of 15 skiers, including four guides, attempted a perilous escape from the remote Frog Lake huts in a blinding blizzard beneath towering, avalanche-prone slopes.
• Six survived. One remains unaccounted for. The dead were still on the mountain as of Wednesday morning because the continuing storm made removing them too risky, officials said.
• Continuing with the trip, despite ominous weather forecasts, brought down a torrent of social media criticism on the guide company that arranged the trip.

On Sunday, as forecasters warned that the biggest winter storm of the season was headed for California’s High Sierra, a mountain guide company sent 15 people out for a risky backcountry skiing adventure on the slopes above Donner Pass.

The storm arrived as predicted and by Tuesday morning had dumped several feet of fresh, unstable snow. That’s when the group attempted a perilous escape from the remote Frog Lake huts in a blinding blizzard beneath towering, avalanche-prone slopes.

A couple of miles from safety, someone in the group — which included four guides — saw a wall of snow barreling down from above and yelled, “Avalanche!” according to Rusty Greene, operations captain for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. ... In the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, eight of the skiers were killed. One remains unaccounted for and is presumed dead.

After receiving the initial distress call at 11:30 a.m., dozens of first responders battled through the blizzard on snowcats and skis — there are no roads into the remote site — to reach the six survivors at around 5:30 Tuesday evening.

{snip}

[wolfie001]

1. With all this technology on hand, how in the actual F* did this happen?

"The storm arrived as predicted....." Oh, there it is.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Like my grandparents

'Retired' early in Lake Tahoe. My mom was a beach girl in La Jolla until the end of Junior High - then did HS in Lake Tahoe. Going out to visit them Easter of 1981 when they had just returned for the 'Spring'?

We were allowed to go outside and play in the snow one morning for 15 minutes until Grampa saw a certain light in the snow clouds. He hauled our asses back in.

The snow in the Sierras is fickle, dangerous, and deadly.

[wolfie001]

3. Great memories though!

Such beautiful country! 🙌 I've been through the Sierra Nevada's before. Loved the movie with Reese Witherspoon. Cheers

[JustAnotherGen]

4. That time it was still wintry

And I saw a baby bear on the first level deck - and my Grampa (6'6 or 6'7) took 4 steps from the third deck to the first deck because even though the baby bear was cute . . . his mother isn't.

All he was doing was telling me to come back inside and put my shoes and coat on and it ended up being a rescue mission.

If ever I die an untimely and bizarre death, rest assured right before I died I said:

But look at its ears! They are so cute!

[wolfie001]

5. The damn baby bears do look so snuggly though