Bodies of all 9 skiers killed in avalanche recovered : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- All nine backcountry skiers killed in a Northern California avalanche have been recovered after a challenging five-day search hampered by severe winter storms near Lake Tahoe.
- The avalanche, one of California's deadliest, struck the Castle Peak area, killing three guides and six travelers from a group of 15 on a three-day ski trip organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- Six skiers survived the disaster, including one guide and five travelers, while helicopters from the California National Guard and Highway Patrol were used to recover the bodies.
- The Sierra Avalanche Center rated the avalanche between D2 and D3, indicating a destructive force capable of taking down a person or a house, with a path about the length of a football field.
