Castle Peak Avalanche Victims Identified: 6 Women Named

Six of the eight people confirmed dead in the Feb. 17 avalanche near Castle Peak outside Truckee, California, have been identified, according to a joint statement released by their families.

The women who died are Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar, and Kate Vitt. They lived in the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee–Tahoe region, and were a group of close friends. A story from the New York Times identified Sekar, 45, and Clabaugh, 52, as sisters.

The six women are among eight people who have been confirmed dead following the Feb. 17 avalanche during a guided backcountry ski trip to the Frog Lake Huts in the Sierra Nevada. A ninth member of the group remains unaccounted for and is presumed dead, officials have said. The remaining unnamed victims were guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides.

In their statement, the families said they are “devastated beyond words.”

“Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women,” the statement read. “They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors. They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

The families said the group of eight close friends had planned the professionally guided, two-night hut trip well in advance. They described the women as experienced backcountry skiers who “deeply respected the mountains,” were trained and prepared for avalanche terrain, and were fully equipped with avalanche safety gear.

“They trusted their professional guides on this trip,” the statement said.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, Zeb Blais, founder of Blackbird Mountain Guides, confirmed that three members of the guide team were among those killed.

“This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced,” Blais said. “In addition to mourning the loss of six clients, we also mourn the loss of three highly experienced members of our guide team.”

The 15-person group included 11 clients and four guides. According to the company, the group was returning to the trailhead on the final day of a three-day hut trip when the avalanche struck. Five participants and one guide survived.

Blais said all guides with the group were trained or certified by the American Mountain Guides Association in backcountry skiing and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. Guides in the field communicate with senior guides at base to discuss conditions and routing decisions, he said.

“There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened,” Blais said. “It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway.”
The company has suspended field operations at least through Feb. 22 and asked the public to refrain from speculation while inquiries continue.

California workplace safety officials have also opened an investigation into the incident and the guide service involved in the trip, according to local news reports.

Cal/OSHA confirmed it is investigating the avalanche involving guides employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides LLC. The agency, which operates within the California Department of Industrial Relations, reviews workplace hazards and serious job-related injuries and fatalities. Employers are required to report such incidents, and the agency has up to six months to issue citations if violations are found.

The agency has not provided additional details about the scope or timeline of the investigation.

The avalanche struck late Tuesday morning in backcountry terrain north of Interstate 80 near Donner Summit within the Tahoe National Forest. The slide occurred during a period of high avalanche danger following heavy snowfall and wind.

Six people survived and were rescued several hours after the avalanche in severe storm conditions. Recovery of the bodies has been paused due to weather conditions, unstable snow, and continued avalanche danger, and will resume as soon as possible, according to the Nevada County Sheriff.

The Castle Peak tragedy is the most deadly skier-involved avalanche in history and comes during a period of elevated avalanche danger across the West. A Tahoe avalanche expert says the state’s fickle winter weather has changed the way guides assess risk in the mountains. On Feb. 18, a man was killed in an avalanche in the Big Flat area near Snake Creek west of Midway, Utah, according to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office. His riding companion located him using an avalanche beacon and dug him out, but he was later pronounced dead. The following day, on Feb. 19, an 11-year-old girl was killed in an avalanche while backcountry skiing with her family near Brighton Ski Resort in Utah. Officials said the family had entered an out-of-bounds area known as The Rock Garden when the girl was carried along the slide path. Authorities have not said whether the group accessed the area via resort lifts.

Combined, the three fatal incidents this week bring the national avalanche death toll to 16 this season, including 12 skiers and snowboarders. The season’s first fatality occurred Dec. 26, 2025, when a ski patroller was killed at Mammoth Mountain.