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

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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.

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