Ten skiers missing, six stranded in California avalanche

Ten skiers are missing and six stranded following a California avalanche, prompting a major search and rescue operation.

Ten skiers were missing and ​another six were stranded in an avalanche that struck ‌a backcountry slope near Lake Tahoe in the midst ​of heavy snow in California’s Sierra Nevada ⁠mountains on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), authorities said.

The avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, ‌at about 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, engulfing a group of 16 skiers, according to a Facebook statement ‌posted by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

The group ‌consisted ⁠of four ski guides and 12 clients. ⁠At least six survived and remained at the avalanche site awaiting rescue, while the others were unaccounted for, the statement said.

A vehicle is buried in snow during a storm on February 17, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP

If all 10 of ​the missing skiers should ‌perish, the incident would rank among the deadliest single avalanches on record in the United States. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six U.S. avalanche fatalities ‌so far this season.

Avalanches have claimed an ​average of 27 lives each winter in the United States over the past decade, the ⁠centre reported.