Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 8 dead, 1 still missing after avalanche strikes backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe Eight people are dead after being caught in an avalanche northwest of Lake Tahoe. Dangerous conditions are making it difficult to locate one person who is still missing and presumed dead. National 8 dead, 1 still missing after avalanche strikes backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe February 19, 20266:56 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition From By Kat Fulwider 8 dead, 1 still missing after avalanche strikes backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe Listen · 2:28 2:28 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5718552/nx-s1-9654980" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Eight people are dead after being caught in an avalanche northwest of Lake Tahoe. Dangerous conditions are making it difficult to locate one person who is still missing and presumed dead. Sponsor Message
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Search teams are battling winter storms to recover the bodies of eight skiers killed in the deadliest avalanche in modern California history. They're also seeking a ninth person who's still missing and presumed dead. Kat Fulwider of member station KUNR reports.
KAT FULWIDER, BYLINE: High avalanche danger warnings are likely to remain in place for the Central Sierra and Greater Lake Tahoe region as crews attempt to bring home the bodies of those who died in Tuesday's avalanche. At a press conference yesterday, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said she is prioritizing the safety of rescue teams.
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SHANNAN MOON: Extreme weather conditions, I would say, is a understatement. Lots of snow, gale-force winds, winds making it impossible to see. So it was very much a slow and steady pace.
FULWIDER: The group of 15 people were on a three-day backcountry ski trip led by experienced guides and were equipped with avalanche safety gear. They were returning to the trailhead when the early morning avalanche struck. Rescuers used motorized snowcats to travel into the backcountry and then skied the rest of the way in to avoid triggering another avalanche. They found six skiers alive. Two were taken to a local hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. Captain Rusty Greene with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office says the eight deceased were found near one another.
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RUSTY GREENE: It was reported by the individuals that survived that they were attempting to go out as a group, that someone saw the avalanche, yelled avalanche, and then it overtook them rather quickly.
FULWIDER: The names of those who died have not been released, but Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said one of the deceased is the spouse of a search-and-rescue team member. Woo had a message for the general public.
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WAYNE WOO: Please avoid the Sierras during this current storm and in the upcoming days. Avoid mountain travel. It's treacherous. Avoid the backcountry. Please allow us to focus all of our resources on continuing to recover these bodies for the family and bring them home.
FULWIDER: A winter weather advisory is in effect for the region until tonight, with more than a foot of snow possible for the area. There will be a break in the weather before another winter storm rolls in this weekend.
For NPR News, I'm Kat Fulwider in Reno, Nevada. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(84)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();