LAKE TAHOE, CA — On Friday, February 20, 2026, helicopters and snow vehicles converged on the area near Castle Peak, just outside Lake Tahoe. The mission is grim: recovering the remains of eight individuals—six close friends and two guides—while searching for a ninth person still missing.
The Investigation: Why Did the Trip Proceed?
Both the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and state workplace safety regulators have opened formal inquiries into Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company behind the expedition.
- The Core Question: Why was the three-day backcountry trip not canceled despite intensifying storm warnings on Sunday and a Tuesday morning avalanche alert?
- Mitigation Efforts: Experts used explosives on Friday to intentionally trigger smaller, unstable snowpacks, ensuring that the recovery crews do not become victims themselves.
- The Legal Stake: Authorities are specifically looking into what the guides knew as conditions deteriorated and whether the decision to enter the backcountry during a high-risk window meets the threshold for criminal negligence.
Remembering the Victims
The six skiers, described as a “close-knit group of experienced mothers and friends,” were well-prepared with modern avalanche safety equipment. They have been identified as:
| Name | Background |
| Danielle Keatley | Larkspur resident; wine business owner and “great mom.” |
| Kate Morse | Biotech industry professional and mother of three from San Francisco. |
| Kate Vitt | Former SiriusXM/Pandora employee; mother of two sons. |
| Carrie Atkin | Former corporate executive, Harvard track alumna, and Lake Tahoe local. |
| Caroline Sekar | San Francisco-based mother of two; sister of Liz Clabaugh. |
| Liz Clabaugh | Nurse educator from Boise, Idaho; former Peace Corps volunteer. |
The names of the three guides (two deceased, one missing) have not yet been officially released.
A Historic Tragedy
This event marks the deadliest avalanche on U.S. soil since 1981, when 11 climbers perished on Mount Rainier. While experts note that backcountry travel during “watches” is common, the sheer scale of this “football field-sized” slide has prompted a re-evaluation of commercial guiding standards during extreme weather events.