How one of California’s deadliest avalanches unfolded
episodePreviously titled “How one of California’s deadliest-ever avalanches unfolded” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Good morning. One of the deadliest avalanches in California's history leaves at least eight skiers dead.
This slide was around the size of a football field, so it was absolutely massive.
San Francisco's KQED explains how the tragedy unfolded. An ecological crisis hits the Potomac River. The Washington Post tells us why Trump and state officials are blaming each other.
What happened during California's deadliest avalanche?
And why one sport at the Winter Games is still men's only. It's Thursday, February 19th. I'm Cecilia Ley, and this is Apple News Today.
This past Sunday, 15 skiers in Northern California set off into the Sierra Mountains for a backcountry trip. In the end, only six came back alive. Yesterday, rescue teams said that one remains missing and is presumed dead. Sarah Wright is the outdoors engagement reporter for KQED who's been covering the story.
On Tuesday at around 11.30 a.m., first responders in Tahoe received notification, a 911 call essentially, from skiers who had been in an avalanche up near Donner Summit. They were out on a three-day trip to one of the backcountry huts back there and were returning on their final day when they got caught in the big slide.
Meteorologists have predicted a pair of storms would bring treacherous conditions to Northern California, and up to eight feet of snow could ultimately fall. An avalanche watch was issued on Sunday, the same day the skiers started their journey. Then, that watch was upgraded to a warning only hours before it hit. Wright explained the weather dynamics that led to the disaster.
When you have sort of this long dry spell that creates a melted out slippery surface and then you dump a bunch of snow on top of that, that can create really risky conditions. So that's not even to mention the wind being a factor and the buildup of this snow and these whiteout conditions that can make the hillsides even steeper and more dangerous.
Those conditions have also complicated things for first responders who use snow cats, vehicles with tank-like treads, and individuals on skis to navigate the harsh terrain. California's Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon spoke about what rescuers are facing at a press conference on Wednesday.
Extreme weather conditions, I would say, is an understatement. Lots of snow, gale force winds, winds making it impossible to see. So it was very much a slow and steady pace going with snow cats, skiers going up into the area, which is still considered a very high danger for avalanches.
And Placer County Sheriff Wayne Wu told reporters one of the deceased was the spouse of a rescue team member.
So, as you can understand, this has not only been challenging for our community, it's been a challenging rescue, but it's also been challenging emotionally for our team and our organization.
The group was with a tour guide company, Blackbird Mountain Guides, which specializes in high-end skiing adventures. They said in a statement they were assisting in search and rescue efforts. Wright said some skiing experience was a prerequisite for the tour.
They require that anybody going on this trip is at least an advanced resort skier and an intermediate backcountry skier, which they qualify as having spent 20 or more days out in the backcountry. So that's not an insignificant amount of time. They don't, however, require their participants to have avalanche certification.
Avalanches are extremely deadly, but Wright told us there are some steps you can take in the event you're caught in one or in an area that experiences avalanches. First, coming prepared with avalanche equipment, things like probes that can ping your location, and simple shovels can make a big difference. If an avalanche is coming your way, here are some recommended maneuvers.
the first thing you should do is try to build up as much speed as you possibly can and then angle away from the sliding snow. If you get caught, the first attempt would be to try to grab onto something stable like a tree. If you can't do that, try to swim your way out of the snow. And you're going to have to do this while you and the snow are moving because as soon as it stops and you stop, it becomes concrete.
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