Nine skiers missing in Lake Tahoe avalanche as rescuers battle ‘extreme weather’

Rescue crews are pushing through mountainous wilderness in Northern California in a dangerous search for nine missing skiers, with fears of further avalanches NewsWorldAmericasLatest as 6 people rescued from Lake Tahoe avalanche – but 9 others are still missingRescue crews have pushed through mountainous wilderness in California Olga R. Rodriguez & Julie WatsonWednesday 18 February 2026 07:42 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryMembers of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday search for missing people (Nevada County Sheriff's Office via AP)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreEmergency crews battled a snowstorm in the mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe to rescue six backcountry skiers trapped by an avalanche. Nine others from their group, however, remain missing. Two of the rescued required hospital treatment, confirmed Ashley Quadros of the Nevada County Sheriff's Office. The group comprised 15 skiers, not 16 as initially believed, the sheriff's office clarified. Search teams were dispatched to Frog Lake, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call reported the avalanche and buried individuals amid a powerful California winter storm.Extreme conditions in the Northern California mountains slowed the rescue effort. It took crews several hours to reach the skiers and take them to safety, where they were evaluated by the Truckee Fire Department. open image in galleryA vehicle is buried in snow during a storm in Truckee California (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)The sheriff's office said it would provide another update on rescue efforts at a news conference Wednesday morning.A three-day ski trip The skiers were on the last day of a three-day backcountry skiing trek, said Steve Reynaud, a Tahoe National Forest avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center, which had contact with people on the ground in the area. He said the skiers spent two nights at huts on a trip that required navigating “rugged mountainous terrain” for up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) while bringing along all food and supplies. Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by the ski tour company that led the expedition, Blackbird Mountain Guides, and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying. Rescuers made their way cautiously toward the scene of the avalanche because of the danger of more avalanches. Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation. Dangerous backcountry conditions California is being walloped this week by a powerful winter storm bringing treacherous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow in mountain areas. “It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now just because we’re at the height of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center, based in Truckee. The center issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5 a.m. Tuesday with large slides expected into Wednesday. The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow during a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort. The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds. open image in galleryTrucks are lined up along Interstate 80 during the snow storm (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 over and around Donner Summit due to spinouts and crashes, the authorities reported. Several Tahoe ski resorts were fully or partially closed due to the weather. Resorts along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry, where travel in, near or below avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.Area has dark history Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot (2,777-meter) mountain north of Do