Some victims of California avalanche near Lake Tahoe identified by families

Six victims of the deadly California avalanche near Lake Tahoe were identified by their families on Thursday, February 19, 2026, as authorities continued to recover bodies from the tragedy that claimed eight lives during a heavy snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The victims were identified as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar, and Kate Vitt, residents of the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee-Tahoe region. Among them was Kate Vitt, a former SiriusXM executive from the Bay Area who left behind a husband and two young children. "It's a horrible tragedy," said a family friend who has known the Vitt family for 50 years. "She died up in the mountains off of I-80 up there near Sugar Bowl. She and her friends were on a guided overnight backcountry skiing trip." The families issued a joint statement expressing their devastation, noting that all victims were mothers, wives, and friends who connected through their love of the outdoors. The avalanche occurred on Tuesday when a group of 15 experienced skiers was hit near Castle Peak in Nevada County, north of Boreal Mountain Ski Resort. According to the families' statement, the eight close friends had planned a professionally guided, two-night backcountry hut trip to Frog Lake Huts outside Truckee. "They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains. They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment," the statement read. Despite these precautions, the avalanche claimed their lives during blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada. The tragedy marks California's deadliest avalanche and the fourth-deadliest in U.S. history. The Placer County Sheriff's Office reported that the bodies of the eight skiers found dead have not yet been removed due to weather conditions, with crews marking their locations with avalanche poles. Meanwhile, California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health has launched an investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that led the skiers on the three-day backcountry excursion during conditions that had triggered an avalanche warning. The families thanked rescue teams and the community for their support while requesting privacy as they grieve "this sudden and profound loss."