Bodies of 9 backcountry skiers recovered 4 days after avalanche near Lake Tahoe

By GODOFREDO VASQUEZ

Crews recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in a California avalanche four days ago, authorities said Saturday, concluding a harrowing operation hindered by intense snowfall.

A search team reached the bodies of eight victims and found one other who had been missing and presumed dead since Tuesday’s avalanche on Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe. The ninth person who was missing was found “relatively close” to the other victims, but it was impossible to see them because there were white-out conditions on Tuesday when the others were located.

The recovery efforts had been put on hold for several days because of heavy snow and the threat of more avalanches.

Helicopters with the California National Guard and California Highway Patrol recovered the bodies on Saturday morning by hoisting them from the mountain and bringing them to nearby snowcats — trucks outfitted for transportation on the snow.

Officials said on Friday that they were using water to break up the snow in the area as avalanche mitigation work, a technique that is designed to intentionally release unstable snowpack to reduce the risk when rescue crews go in.

The mitigation and search efforts have included California Highway Patrol air operations, Nevada County Sheriff’s search and rescue, Tahoe Nordic search and rescue, the utility company Pacific Gas & Electric, the Sierra avalanche center and others.