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Eight Skiers Deceased After Avalanche Near Castle Peak

Rescuers detail conditions and response after a deadly guided backcountry ski trip near Castle Peak.

February 18, 2026

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A ski team prepares for rescue operations near Castle Peak. Credit: Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

A ski team prepares for rescue operations near Castle Peak. Credit: Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

CASTLE PEAK — Rescue teams located eight deceased skiers and continue searching for one missing person after an avalanche struck a guided backcountry group in Nevada County on February 17. Six other members of the party survived and reached safety with assistance from responders.

The incident occurred near the Frog Lake huts in the Castle Peak area as the group returned from a three-day tour. The party consisted of four guides and eleven clients from Blackbird Mountain Guides, a Truckee-based company. Initial reports indicated that 16 had departed on the tour, but one client backed out at the last minute, bringing the total to 15 participants.

The avalanche occurred around 11:30 AM while the skiers were traveling together toward the trailhead. Authorities received initial notification through emergency beacons and direct communication from the guide company. Survivors maintained contact with responders via iPhone text messaging via the SOS feature during the hours before help arrived. All eight deceased skiers carried avalanche beacons.

Conditions during rescue operations proved extreme, with heavy snowfall, gale-force winds, and whiteout visibility. Roughly fifty personnel from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Sheriff’s Office with its Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team, Washoe County agencies, and other partners responded through the California Office of Emergency Services mutual aid system. Teams deployed from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort to the south and from Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center to the north. A snowcat transported responders to within 2 miles of the site, after which teams skied the remaining distance due to avalanche risk.

Rescue personnel reached the location shortly after 5:30 PM. The six survivors had already located three of the deceased while awaiting help and had begun searching for the others. Two survivors sustained injuries that prevented walking and required assistance over the two miles to the waiting snowcat. The other four survivors walked to the vehicle. Truckee Fire provided medical evaluation at the trailhead. One injured person received hospital treatment, and the second was stabilized and released. Both injuries remain non-life-threatening.

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Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon gives updates on rescue and recovery efforts during a press conference on February 18.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon gives updates on rescue and recovery efforts during a press conference on February 18.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon stated during a February 18 news conference that of the 15 people on the trip, 9 were women and 6 were men. The six survivors include four men and two women, one of whom was a guide from Blackbird Mountain Guides. The nine others presumed deceased include seven women and two men.

Search teams located eight of the nine missing skiers deceased at the scene. The bodies remain in the avalanche debris pending safe recovery conditions. Officials have shifted the operation from rescue to recovery. Weather and ongoing high avalanche danger continue to limit access to the remote area. The effort does not face a shortage of resources but depends on safe windows for personnel.

Chris Feutrier, Forest Supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, described the avalanche as approximately a football field in length on the destructive force scale of D2.5. The slide released on a persistent weak layer beneath a heavy load of new snow. Feutrier noted that additional snow has reloaded the weak layer and that avalanche hazard remains high in the region. He directed further questions to the Sierra Avalanche Center.

One of the deceased was the spouse of a member of the Placer County Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo expressed condolences and highlighted the emotional impact on responders while commending their commitment.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has not released names of those involved. Officials continue to notify and support families from multiple states. The cause of death for the deceased will undergo determination through autopsy by Placer County pathology services.

Public safety officials urged backcountry travelers to check avalanche forecasts from the Sierra Avalanche Center, travel with partners, share routes, and carry proper equipment and communication devices. Authorities emphasized that conditions can change rapidly in the Sierra Nevada, affecting even experienced groups.

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