How the 6 Survivors of Deadly Tahoe Avalanche Managed to Stay Alive for Hours amid ‘Horrific’ Conditions

At least eight people died in the avalanche, while a ninth person remains missing

Rescue efforts in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest after a fatal avalanche.Credit : 

Nina Riggio/Bloomberg via Getty; Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

NEED TO KNOW

Authorities are sharing new details about how six people managed to stay alive after they were caught in a backcountry avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California
The survivors spent hours in the snow and cold, and one tour guide was able to send text messages while the group waited for help, authorities said
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said conditions on the mountain during the search for the survivors and victims were “horrific”

New details are emerging about how six people managed to stay alive after they were caught in a backcountry avalanche that killed at least eight others.

Authorities were alerted to the avalanche in the Castle Peak area of the Tahoe National Forest around 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 17, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a press conference the following day.

Fifteen skiers, including 11 clients and four guides, got caught in the slide while returning from a three-day backcountry skiing trip, according to authorities and a statement from Blackbird Mountain Guides.

Capt. Russell “Rusty” Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office told reporters on Wednesday, Feb. 18, that as the slide began, one member of the group shouted “Avalanche!” before they were all overtaken “rather quickly.”

Six people survived, while eight others have been found dead, Moon announced on Wednesday. One individual has not been located.

The survivors spent hours in the snow and cold as they waited for help to arrive. Rescuers received information through the iPhone SOS feature before reaching the group, Moon said.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon gives a press conference at the Eric Rood Government Center in Nevada City on Wednesday regarding an avalanche that took place the day prior in the backcountry Feb. 18, 2026.Hannah Ruhoff/Sacramento Bee/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

At Wednesday’s press conference, Greene said the skiers had a special beacon that could send alerts to rescuers. At least one of the guides was able to send text messages while the group waited for help to arrive, he added.

The survivors also used equipment to shelter themselves as temperatures fell below freezing, Moon said on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

Rescue crews reached the group shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, she said. By then, she added, the survivors had found three people dead.

A snowcat was used to haul the survivors away from the scene, according to the sheriff. Two people were later hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims killed in the slide, as Moon said many of them are still “reeling” from the tragedy.

“I could not imagine what they’re going through,” the sheriff added after noting the victims came from “multiple” states.

A snowcat used during the rescue of six people who were caught in a backcountry avalanche near Lake Tahoe on Feb. 17.Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Moon said the avalanche occurred in a “very remote, rugged area” of the backcountry, describing the conditions on the mountain during the search as “horrific.”

These conditions are hampering efforts to locate the final victim of the avalanche, the sheriff added.

An avalanche warning was in effect from Tuesday at 5 a.m. until 5 a.m. Wednesday.