Castle Peak Avalanche Responders Recognized

The 21 agencies that responded to the Castle Peak Avalanche in California recently received certificates of recognition for their efforts on July 14. Presented by Nevada County Supervisors, certificates were provided to hundreds of personnel, including ski teams, snowmobile and SnoCat operators, aerial operations teams, and avalanche mitigation teams, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.



Related: Official Report on the Castle Peak, CA, Avalanche That Killed 9 Reveals Critical Decision Errors, Undeployed Airbags, and Victims Buried 8 Feet Deep



“I am incredibly grateful to our Sheriff’s Office and all 21 agencies who responded with professionalism, courage and compassion,” District 5 Supervisor Hardy Bullock said in the post. “Their commitment under extremely challenging and dangerous conditions reflects the very best of public service. These agencies worked together, driven by a shared purpose: to be there for people when they needed help most.”

Castle Peak Avalanche

On Feb. 17, 2026, a 15-member group of backcountry skiers was traveling towards the Frog Lake Huts north of Lake Tahoe, California, on the final day of a three-day backcountry tour. The group “traveled below avalanche terrain and through the runout zone of an avalanche path during a period when a natural or human-triggered avalanche was likely to very likely,” according to the final avalanche report.

The avalanche, classified as a soft slab/storm slab avalanche, killed nine of the 15 skiers, including six women and three Blackbird Mountain guides. It is California’s deadliest recorded avalanche, and its trigger is unknown.



Aspect: North

Elevation: 8,260 feet

Destructive Size: The avalanche was classified as a D2.5, which makes its typical length the size of a football field and roughly 6 ½ feet deep according to Avalanche.org.

Vertical Fall: The debris traveled approximately 400 vertical feet, funneling towards the bottom of the path.

Impacts: 12 caught/carried; 12 completely buried; 9 killed.



Rescue Response and Survivors

Search and rescue arrived on the scene in the late afternoon, and operations were severely hindered by ongoing “extreme” avalanche danger and blizzard conditions. But despite the extreme challenges, rescue groups were able to excavate 8 of the 9 remaining deceased victims and evacuate the 6 survivors from the scene under their own power to the Frog Lake Huts. They continued their recovery efforts until Feb. 21, when they retrieved the final victim.

“The response reflected the entire team’s dedication and commitment to bringing every loved one home,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office wrote in its post. 

They returned to the mountain on Feb. 27 to try to recover all personal items they could find for the families, according to 2 News Nevada. 



Related: FAA Says Resorts Can Now Use Specialized Drones For Avalanche Control



Recognized Responding Agencies

The response became one of the largest mountain search-and-recovery operations in California’s history. Nearly two dozen organizations coordinated their efforts to navigate the ongoing hazards in the area, eventually recovering all victims and survivors of the avalanche. The following agencies contributed to the incident response:





Nevada County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue





Placer County Sheriff’s Office





Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team Inc





Washoe County Sheriff’s Office





Washoe County Search and Rescue





California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services





CHP – Air Operations





Care Flight Truckee, a service of REMSA Health





Sierra Avalanche Center





Pacific Gas and Electric Company





U.S. Forest Service





California State Parks





Truckee Fire Protection District





OpenSnow





Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center





Boreal Mountain





Truckee Tahoe Airport





Town of Truckee





Truckee Police





Truckee Donner Land Trust





California National Guard





Nearly five months after the incident, the recognition is a reminder of the effort search-and-rescue teams put into responding to disasters. The Castle Peak avalanche brought 21 agencies together, and their combined response and effort show the importance of collaboration when operating in some of the backcountry’s most dangerous terrain.



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