Nine backcountry skiers who died in a massive avalanche near Lake Tahoe last month may have died because they were trapped in a “small depression” in the terrain, a report has found.

Sierra Avalanche Center revealed the victims’ bodies were buried in up to 8ft near the “toe” of the snow slide, which measured a staggering 20ft by 20ft across.

The center also said in a report on Wednesday that the true cause of the Feb. 17 slide below Perry’s Peak “may never be known” because the winter storm “buried the evidence.”

“The alpha angle from the burial location to the estimated starting zone was ~22 ° (measured) to 25 ° (calculated from a map), and the slope angle in the area where the avalanche likely started ranged from about 36 ° to 40 °,” the center said.

“The trigger, slab thickness, depth, width, and other details of the avalanche remain unknown and may never be known, as the storm buried the evidence under additional snow before it ended.”

A spokesman added: “[The victims were] buried in a small depression in the terrain, bounded by trees and boulders, which likely allowed debris to pile up in that small area.”

Thirteen of the 15 members of the skiing party were caught in the avalanche. The party included a group of mothers and friends from around California and elsewhere on a ski trip and three guides.

Victims included Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nevada; Michael Henry, 30, from Tampa Bay, Florida; Nicole “Niki” Choo, 42, from South Lake Tahoe; 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; and Kate Vitt, 43, from Marin County.

The initial avalanche triggered a wide search that was watched by the nation. Six survivors emerged from the snow, sheltering under a tarp while waiting for rescue in the wintry mix plaguing the area.

The rest of the party’s status was unknown until rescuers announced days later that none of the rest of the party had survived the harrowing snow slide.

Questions arose around whether Blackbird Mountain Guides, the guide company leading the skiing expedition, took unnecessary risks.

Survivors told the New York Times that guides urged them not to worry about the incoming storm, which dropped feet of snow on the area.

One guide even said “there would be so much powder that no one would care,” the Times reported.

The guides did not ask the skiers if they had any concerns. The guides later met, the Times reported, to discuss the journey and modifications to the trip to avoid the storm.

“We have to get out of here now,” a survivor said the guides told them. The survivors went with the plan.

“I didn’t say anything,” survivor Anton Auzans said. “I’m not an expert, and so I decided to trust the plan.”

The guides redirected the skiers to less dangerous route before the avalanche devastated the group. Blackbird Mountain Guides said it’s “too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway.”

They noted “guides in the field are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions.”

Auzans said the group had already found three bodies before rescuers arrived for them, but said stopping the search “was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”

“We were all in danger. We did as much as we could. We pushed until we started finding people that were deceased. Making the decision to stop the search was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Auzans said.

The avalanche is one of the worst in California’s history.

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post SportsFacebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!