Members of a rescue team make their way through the snow in Soda Springs, Calif., where a backcountry skier remains missing. AdvertisementIn the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, eight of the skiers were killed. One of the dead skiers was married to a member of the Tahoe Nordic rescue team, a volunteer group from Tahoe City that joined in the desperate search. Other deadly California avalanches include a 1982 avalanche that killed seven at the Alpine Meadows resort in North Lake Tahoe. In early January, 42-year-old snowmobiler Chris Scott Thomason was buried underneath the snow in another avalanche around Castle Peak.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 18, 2026 17:19 UTC