Officials probe possible criminal negligence after avalanche near Lake Tahoe
#avalanche #Lake Tahoe #criminal negligence #Blackbird Mountain Guides #Sierra Nevada #backcountry skiing #avalanche warning #rescue operation
📌 Key Takeaways
- U.S. officials investigating possible criminal negligence in deadly avalanche case
- Group continued skiing despite avalanche warnings before incident
- Eight skiers confirmed dead with one still missing
- Blackbird Mountain Guides under investigation by California authorities
- Deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981
📖 Full Retelling
U.S. officials launched an investigation into possible criminal negligence after a deadly avalanche near Lake Tahoe, California, killed at least eight skiers on Tuesday, February 18, 2026, with one person still missing and presumed dead, as the group continued their backcountry skiing trip despite avalanche warnings. The catastrophic event occurred around 11:30 a.m. when a football field-sized slab of snow slid off a mountain near Castle Peak, approximately 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, engulfing a group of 11 skiers and four guides who were returning from a three-day backcountry ski trip during a severe storm that dumped up to 7 feet of snow and lashed the mountains with 60 mph winds. Sheriff Shannan Moon revealed that officials are particularly focused on determining why the group proceeded with their expedition after an avalanche watch was issued on Sunday, two days prior to the incident, and an avalanche warning on the morning of the avalanche itself explicitly warned of 'HIGH avalanche danger' and the possibility of 'large' avalanches in the backcountry. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health has confirmed it is investigating Blackbird Mountain Guides, which led the ski trip, with the company noting that all four guides were certified avalanche safety instructors. Six skiers were rescued with varying injuries, two requiring hospitalization, including one guide and five clients, while survivors described a desperate effort to locate and dig out their buried companions.
🏷️ Themes
Safety Investigation, Natural Disaster, Outdoor Recreation
📚 Related People & Topics
Lake Tahoe
Lake in California and Nevada, United States
Lake Tahoe () is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at 6,225 ft (1,897 m) above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and at 122,160,280 acre⋅ft (150.7 km3) it trails only the fi...
Sierra Nevada
Mountain range in the United States
The Sierra Nevada ( see-ERR-ə nih-VA(H)D-ə) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is pa...
Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for Lake Tahoe:
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Sierra Nevada
6 shared
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Avalanche
2 shared
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California
2 shared
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Castle Peak
2 shared
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Wildfire
1 shared
Original Source
U.S. Officials probe possible criminal negligence after deadly avalanche near Lake Tahoe By Kerry Breen Kerry Breen News Editor Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use. Read Full Bio Kerry Breen February 20, 2026 / 11:06 AM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Authorities are investigating whether there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence in the avalanche that killed at least eight skiers near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said Friday. A group of 11 skiers and four guides was near Castle Peak, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe in California's Sierra Nevada, when a football field-sized slab of snow slid off a mountain and swallowed them around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, authorities have said. They were returning from a three-day backcountry ski trip during a storm that dumped up to 7 feet of snow and lashed the mountains with 60 mph winds. Sheriff Shannan Moon said Thursday that officials were working to learn why the group continued with their trip after an avalanche watch was issued on Sunday, two days before the deadly avalanche. An avalanche warning was also issued on the morning of the incident, warning of "HIGH avalanche danger" and the possibility of "large" avalanches in the backcountry. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health told CBS News Sacramento it is investigating Blackbird Mountain Guides, which led the ski trip. Moon said there were "lots of forecasts on this storm." Captain Russel Greene, of the sheriff's office, said the avalanche "overtook them rather quickly." One skier from the group remains missing and is presumed dead. Six skiers were rescued from the site with "varying injuries," according to the sheriff's office, and two needed to be hospitalized. Blackbird Mountain Guides sa...
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