New details have emerged about a tragic malfunction that could have saved lives during the deadliest avalanche in modern California history that killed nine people.
On the morning of February 17, 15 skiers embarked on guided trips on Donner Summit, a mountain pass above Lake Tahoe.
At around 11am, a ski guide in the group yelled ‘avalanche,’ and chaos broke out as the group attempted to escape the impending snow.
When search and rescue crews arrived, they found some of the skiers had been wearing ‘avalanche airbag backpacks,’ but none had been deployed, according to the final accident report published by the Sierra Avalanche Center on Tuesday.
It’s unclear which backpack brand the skiers were wearing and whether the airbags malfunctioned or were not deployed.
An avalanche backpack has a mechanism similar to that of a parachute and is equipped with an airbag system designed to deploy rapidly.
The airbag is intended to keep the skier close to the snow’s surface so they are not buried, which is the primary cause of fatalities in an avalanche.
When the airbag is deflated, it creates an air pocket, allowing the skier to access oxygen while waiting for SAR teams during an emergency.
Nine people were killed by an avalanche in California on February 17. It became the deadliest avalanche in the state in modern history. Pictured above are rescuers attempting to locate the victims
The report did not state what brand of backpack the skiers were wearing or if it could have saved their lives. A stock image of avalanche airbag backpacks are pictured above
A final report issued by the Sierra National Avalanche Center said a few of the victims of a deadly avalanche were wearing airbags that were not deployed. Pictured above is a stock image of an airbag
Pictured above is the estimated avalanche path
Questions still remain about the events that led up to the deadly avalanche. The latest accident report notes that the information was primarily gathered from two survivors’ accounts in an extensive New York Times article.
The two survivors were not a part of the group of women who died in the avalanche. Sierra Avalanche Center noted in their report that if the other survivors speak out, details could change.
Anton Auzans and Jim Hamilton recounted to the Times that their trip began on a Sunday with mild weather and blue skies.
A winter storm was on the horizon, but the skiers said everyone on the guided tour was experienced.
Auzans and Hamilton were not a part of the group of nine women; however, the two groups had been traveling together.
By Tuesday, the day of the avalanche, the winter storm had intensified, and authorities had issued an avalanche warning.
Auzans recalled that one of the guides firmly told the groups: ‘We have to get out of here now.’
A severe winter storm struck the 15 skiers. Pictured above is an interstate near the avalanche’s path on February 17
The avalanche buried 13 individuals and killed nine. Pictured above is an estimation of the avalanche’s path
They were met with wind gusts of over 50mph, and the snow had already reached their hips.
The group eventually climbed to Perry’s Peak. They saw a downhill glide to their cars and believed the worst was over, according to the two survivors’ accounts to the Times.
Hamilton said he fell behind when he tried to get his ski boot on. A guide fell back to wait for him, and Auzans fell behind the group of women.
Auzans recalled someone screaming ‘avalanche,’ before everything went black. He was able to dig himself out and called 911.
‘I honestly tried my best. I tried my best. I was buried. I helped to save three people,’ Auzans told the Times.
‘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,’ he said.
Auzans said he and the guide worked to dig the women out of the snow, all of whom were near one another when the avalanche hit.
They dug one woman out who was not able to speak, but was still breathing. The survivors then saw a second woman’s leg and another person’s backpack.
The Sierra Avalanche Center said in its report that the survivors eventually decided to move downslope to a spot away from the avalanche path and create an emergency shelter.
Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue did not reach the accident site until around 5.30pm. They recovered eight of the remaining nine victims and escorted the six survivors to safety.
Avalanche mitigation efforts began three days after the tragedy. Helicopters dumped 660-gallon water buckets on the slopes and found the ninth victim before nightfall, according to the report. Rescue operations concluded on Saturday, February 21.
Three guides leading the groups were identified as victims in the avalanche, pictured above
Six of the victims were close friends on a skiing trip. Three of the women are pictured above
The six women were a group of mothers from an elite ski school in Lake Tahoe
The victims were identified as a group of mothers from an elite ski school in the Lake Tahoe Community.
Their names were confirmed by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office as Carrie Atkin, 46, Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, Danielle Keatley, 44, Kate Morse, 45, Caroline Sekar, 45 and Katherine Vitt, 43.
Most of the women were from Soda Springs, California. The other three victims were identified as Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada, Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs, California, and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, California.
The six women were close friends and had connected over their love of the outdoors and skiing, their families said in a joint statement.
‘All the fatal avalanche accidents we investigate are tragic events. We do our best to describe each accident to help the people involved, and the community as a whole better understand them,’ Sierra Avalanche Center concluded in their final report.
‘Many of the details surrounding this accident remain unknown, especially concerning human factors, decision making, travel plans, specifics of the avalanche, etc. As more details emerge over time, more learning opportunities will present themselves.’
