A massive avalanche struck the Castle Peak area north of Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, leaving at least 10 backcountry skiers missing and forcing rescuers to race against time and worsening weather to reach survivors trapped deep in the Sierra Nevada snow. The incident, which occurred around 11:30 am local time, occurred in the midst of a powerful and long-duration winter storm that has brought heavy snowfall, hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions to California’s high elevations.
The group, 16 skiers comprised of four guides and 12 clients on a three-day backcountry ski tour, was swept up by the avalanche at about 8,200 feet elevation near Frog Lake huts, situated northwest of Truckee. Rescue efforts managed to locate six survivors who were alive but awaiting extraction, while 10 others remain unaccounted for, feared buried under vast depths of newly accumulated snow.
