Bodies of nine skiers killed in avalanche recovered and identified
NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - The bodies of nine backcountry skiers killed in California's deadliest avalanche on record have been recovered and all of the victims identified.
What started as a search and rescue mission has now turned into a somber recovery.
"Today, I can confirm that we have recovered nine of our missing skiers," said Sheriff Shannan Moon with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office (NCSO)
NCSO has released the identities of all nine victims. Among them, three newly identified Blackbird Mountain guides.
"We still have search and rescue, staff and members out on the mountain. So, I'm not going to say our recovery mission is complete," Sheriff Moon shared.
42-year-old Nicole "Niki" Choo lived in South Lake Tahoe. She was an avid outdoors person, co-founding her startup, Campsyte, an outdoor social network, and held a masters from Harvard.
30-year-old Michael Henry had lived in North Lake Tahoe since 2019. He was an American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA)-trained alpine, ski, and rock guide, and a wilderness first responder.
34-year-old Andrew Alissandratos. He was an AMGA-trained splitboard, rock, and alpine guide, a wilderness first responder, and a American Avalanche Association member, which requires a minimum of four years experience in snow avalanche control.
The other six victims' identities are the following:
- Carrie Atkin, 42, from South Lake Tahoe
- Liz Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, Idaho
- Danielle Keatley, 44, from Marin County
- Kate Morse, 45, from Marin County
- Caroline Sekar, 45, from San Francisco
- Kate Vitt, 43, from Marin County
The slide happened Tuesday near Castle Peak, a remote backcountry skiing area north of Lake Tahoe.
The avalanche, the length of a football field, is considered the deadliest in modern California history.
Weather conditions posed a hazard for rescue crews who were unable to reach the nine victims until the weekend.
"The last person was recovered at 10:58 a.m. We had 42 search and rescue volunteers assigned to this incident today," said Lt. Dennis Haack with NCSO.
"We cannot say enough, how tremendously sorry we are for the families that has been affected by this avalanche," Moon expressed.
