Nine people died in a horrifying avalanche near Lake Tahoe, California, in February. Now, the disturbing cause of death has been revealed.
The deadly avalanche struck on February 17, when a group of 15 backcountry skiers was caught near Castle Peak in Lake Tahoe, California, during a powerful winter storm.
The group included six clients and three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, while five other people in the group survived the disaster.
Andrew Alissandratos, 34, Michael Henry, 30, and Nicole Choo, 42, guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides, all lost their lives.
The six clients who died were Carrie Atkin, 46; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52; Danielle Keatley, 44; Kate Morse, 45; Caroline Sekar, 45; and Katherine Vitt, 43.
Per CNN, in a joint statement, their families described them as “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains,” “trusted their professional guides on this trip,” and “were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”
Cause of death for 9 skiers killed in Tahoe avalanche in February
“We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted,” the families said.
So what happened? Per the New York Post, Snow forecasters issued a serious warning, urging people to stay out of the backcountry due to extreme avalanche danger.
Despite the warning, the group traveled close to Perry’s Peak, where large amounts of unstable snow had built up on the mountain. Suddenly, a wall of snow about 100 feet wide broke loose and rushed around 400 feet down the slope, burying almost everyone in its path.
The survivors immediately began digging through the snow in a desperate attempt to save their friends. They managed to rescue four people but eventually realized they could no longer reach the others trapped beneath the huge amount of snow.
Violated avalanche safety rules
As the blizzard grew stronger, the survivors had to focus on staying alive and caring for two injured skiers. An incident report from the Sierra Avalanche Center, which had issued the avalanche warning, later found that the group had violated avalanche safety rules while trying to leave the backcountry.
The first search-and-rescue crews arrived around 5:36 p.m., several hours after authorities were alerted to the avalanche at about 11:30 a.m. However, despite the dangerous conditions, rescuers managed to dig out eight of the nine victims that day.
But as heavy snow continued to fall, the crews were forced to stop. They placed the bodies together beneath a tarp, recorded their location with GPS, and marked the area with long poles.
The blizzard then stopped rescue teams from returning for two days. On February 20, crews finally returned, recovered the eight bodies, and found the ninth victim.
Died of asphyxiation
Now, the cause of death has been revealed. Per the NY Post, a partially redacted coroner’s report released states the nine victims all died of asphyxiation caused by snow burial.
In short, they suffocated to death, as they couldn’t get enough oxygen while trapped beneath the snow. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has now finished its investigation into possible criminal negligence following the tragedy.
The findings have been handed over to prosecutors, who will now decide what happens next.
For now, no charges have been filed, and there is no guarantee that anyone will be charged in connection with the deadly avalanche.
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