By Jenna Greene, Fred Greaves and Rich McKay
TRUCKEE, California, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Eight backcountry skiers died when their tour group was overtaken by a football field-sized avalanche in a remote section of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, and a ninth is presumed dead in one of the deadliest avalanches in U.S. history, authorities said on Wednesday.
Six survivors were rescued after search teams on skis fought through blinding snow, treacherous ground and gale-force winds to reach them in the rugged Castle Peak area near Truckee, California, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Lake Tahoe.
The group of 15 skiers, including four guides from outfitter Blackbird Mountain Guides, was heading back to a trailhead after a three-day excursion when the avalanche struck around 11:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
The surviving skiers, who took refuge in a makeshift shelter constructed partly from tarpaulin sheets after the avalanche, used emergency beacons and text messaging to communicate their location to rescuers. One of the guides was among the survivors, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a press conference.
Two rescue teams totaling about 50 people were dispatched from the Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and the Tahoe Donner resort's Alder Creek Adventure Center and approached the avalanche zone from the south and north.
The rescuers themselves faced life-threatening conditions, with the risk of further avalanches still high after a winter storm dropped several feet of fresh, unstable snow in recent days. Responders were able to get within two miles (3.2 km) of the avalanche site on a snowcat vehicle then switched to skis to lessen the risk of triggering another deadly slide.
"Extreme weather conditions, I would say, is an understatement," said Moon, whose office helped oversee the search mission.
The bodies of the dead skiers will be recovered at a later date, when the weather permits, authorities said.
One of the deceased skiers was the spouse of a search-and-rescue team member, authorities said. An injured skier was being treated in a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
AVALANCHE DANGER HIGH
The tour group, which included nine women and six men, had been staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts near Donner Summit northwest of Truckee, at about 7,500 feet elevation (2,300 meters). The area is a popular destination for backcountry skiers.
In a typical winter, the mountain receives more than 400 inches of snow, making it one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere.
Moon said the storm and avalanche danger were predicted and her office was talking with the guide company about its decision to take people out.
The Sierra Avalanche Center extended the avalanche warning it issued on Tuesday, saying a "high" danger might continue throughout Wednesday.
Blackbird issued a statement on Tuesday saying it was working with authorities to support the rescue operation. The company referred questions to local authorities on Wednesday.
Blackbird was founded in 2020 and operates in California, Washington State and British Columbia in Canada as well as numerous popular skiing spots abroad, according to its website. The company provides guided ski trips, alpine climbing trips and avalanche education.
Avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives each winter in the United States over the past decade, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tallied six U.S. avalanche fatalities so far this season before Tuesday's disaster.
(Reporting by Jenna Green and Fred Greaves in Truckee, California, and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks, Steve Gorman and Devika Nair; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Nick Zieminski and Cynthia Osterman)
