TRUCKEE, Calif. – All of those who died in the Castle Peak avalanche have been located, and their bodies have been removed from the scene, including the one person who had previously been missing. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) held a press conference on Saturday at 1 p.m. to update the public.
Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, worked for the backcountry tour operator, Blackbird Mountain Guides, and was among the deceased. She is one of the three guides killed along with six clients who were on the tour.
Avalanche mitigation was done to make a safer area for search and rescue. PG&E offered to help with water drops from a bucket to create a more stable snowpack.
Care Flight, the California Highway Patrol, and California National Guard helicopters were used to insert search teams and hoist the victims for transport to awaiting snowcats over the last two days.
After the initial search, eight bodies were located, but conditions didn’t allow them to be recovered. A final, ninth victim was located on Friday. The NCSO held a press conference on Saturday with multiple agencies present. They said helicopters were able to take five out on Friday and the additional four on Saturday.
The ninth victim was located near the other eight at the base of the avalanche.
Six survivors were located and brought to safety the day after the avalanche.
An investigation is underway to determine if all died from the avalanche, or if some died from other elements, according to NCSO. Whiteout conditions prevented a complete search of the avalanche zone until Friday. Castle Peak, north of the Boreal Mountain Ski Resort, experienced blizzard conditions before the avalanche, with eight feet of snow and 90 mph winds. There were 15 skiers on the guided three-day tour of the backcountry, with overnight stays at the Frog’s Lake huts. Due to the storm, the three-day trip was ending a little early, so they could ski to the trailhead and out of the area.
The deceased in alphabetical order:
· Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada (Blackbird Mountain Guide)
· Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs, Calif.
· Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. ((Blackbird Mountain Guide)
· Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho
· Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs (Blackbird Mountain Guide)
· Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.
· Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.
· Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco, Calif.
· Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrea, Calif.
“There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon. “The weight of this event is felt across many families, friends, and colleagues, and we stand together with them during this difficult time.”