SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Eight backcountry skiers in California are now confirmed dead after an avalanche yesterday. The avalanche took place in the Sierra Nevada mountains just northwest of Lake Tahoe. One other person is still missing, according to officials, but presumed dead. The six other people on this trip have been rescued. Greg Micek with CapRadio in Sacramento joins us now with more. Hi, Greg.
GREG MICEK, BYLINE: Thanks. Hello.
DETROW: What's the latest from today?
MICEK: Well, we knew that six members of a 15-person team had been rescued, but the major news today was that eight people were found dead, and one is still missing. California officials said in a press conference that yesterday they got a 911 call reporting an avalanche in a remote rugged area of the Tahoe National Forest. Then they sent out about 50 skilled rescue personnel. Those folks had to deal with extreme weather conditions - snow, gale-force winds and continuing avalanche danger. Of the six people they rescued, two needed to be taken to the hospital. One was released last night, and the other is expected to be released today. But the weather conditions have been so bad that search and rescue personnel haven't been able to reach - or, excuse me, recover the bodies of those who died.
DETROW: Can you tell us more about this group, what they were doing out there in the forest?
MICEK: Yeah. Officials confirmed that it was a recreational group doing a three-day trip out to the Frog Lake Huts. These are nice, cozy cabins with running water and kitchens. They started their trip on Sunday, and they were on their way back on Tuesday when the avalanche happened. Now, this was a guided trip led by a group called Blackbird Mountain Guides. There were four guides and 11 guests. The group generally offers ski and mountaineering courses but also classes on avalanche education and wilderness first age (ph). Now, Blackbird Mountain Guides put out a statement yesterday saying that their leadership is working with officials to support the rescue effort, but we haven't been able to get a hold of them for further comment.
DETROW: OK. What was the avalanche risk that had been forecast for the days that they were out there?
MICEK: Well, experts at the Sierra Avalanche Center said that the area had gotten light snow in January and that whenever you get a large amount of snow on top of that previous layer, like we did, it increases avalanche risk. Brandon Schwartz at the Sierra Avalanche Center said that an avalanche watch was declared in the area on Sunday morning, but that it was upgraded to a warning on Tuesday morning. It was described as, quote, "high danger," which means that travel in or near the avalanche terrain is not recommended. As far as the way the Blackbird Mountain Guides were assessing the risk on their particular route, that's something we just don't know. Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said today that officials are still talking with the company about what happened.
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SHANNAN MOON: Those are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made. We're still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made. You know, the backcountry is - it's beautiful. There's not a lot of people out there, and that's where a lot of people like to recreate. But Mother Nature does not seem to - it doesn't seem to matter - right? - no matter how prepared you are, no matter how experienced you are.
DETROW: I mean, Greg, this is a lot of people to die in an avalanche. How unusual is an event like this?
MICEK: Well, according to the National Avalanche Center, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S. each year. So eight people dying in a single event like this - and likely nine - that's a big number. Now, for contrast, the deadliest avalanche in California's modern history was the 1982 Alpine Meadows disaster, which killed seven people.
DETROW: That is Greg Micek of CapRadio. Thank you so much for your reporting.
MICEK: Thank you.
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