Greg Meechak

Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon released the names at a press conference and confirmed all nine victims were recovered.

While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home.

The three Blackbird Mountain guides who died were Andrew Alessandros of Verde, Nevada, Nicole Chu of South Lake Tahoe, and Michael Henry of Soda Springs.

The six clients were Elizabeth Klebaugh of Boise, Idaho, Catherine Vitt of Greenbrae, and Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and Catherine Sekhar of Soda Springs.

The group was in the final day of a three-day trip to the Frog Lake huts when the avalanche struck on Tuesday morning.

Six survivors were rescued that night.

For NPR News, I'm Greg Meechak in Rockland.

Israel is a land that God gave to a people that he chose.

They were Carrie Atkin of the Truckee Tahoe area, Liz Klabaugh of Boise, Idaho, Carolyn Sekar of San Francisco, and Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and Kate Vitt of Marin County.

The family said the eight close friends were passionate, skilled skiers who loved the outdoors and were prepared for the backcountry, equipped with avalanche safety equipment.

Governor Gavin Newsom says some of the victims were family friends.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department says all the victims remain on the mountain as adverse weather and ongoing avalanche danger has hindered the recovery process.

For NPR News, I'm Greg Meechak.