Six of the eight people who died after a major avalanche swept through the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada this week have been identified, according to multiple reports.
The identified victims – Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt – were part of a close-knit group who frequently went on ski trips together, a spokesperson for the families told the San Francisco Chronicle. The women and their families “cherished time together in the mountains”, the spokesperson said.
Tuesday’s avalanche, the deadliest in the region in modern times, killed eight people and left a ninth missing person presumed dead. Six others survived.
“We are devastated beyond words,” the families said in a statement to the Chronicle. “Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women.”
Two sisters, Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar, were among those killed, according to the New York Times. Their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, said he was devastated by the loss.
“These are two of the best people I’ve ever known,” he said. “They were incredible sisters, mothers, wives and friends. And the idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words.”
He added that many in the group of 11 skiers had been close friends for years and regularly traveled together on ski trips. The avalanche struck as the group was returning to the trailhead after a multi-day backcountry trek.
Clabaugh worked as a labor and delivery nurse at St Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, according to the Chronicle. Sekar worked as a technology consultant.
Sekar’s husband, Kiren Sekar, told the Times that his wife was “authentic and unabashedly unfiltered”. He said they had been together for more than two decades and that she loved hiking, bicycling and skiing.
Neighbors also recalled her generosity. According to the Chronicle, when one neighbor moved into the area, Sekar brought her homemade cookies. She also helped organize neighborhood produce pickups, group chats and block parties.
“Even when talking about a topic that could potentially be negative, she was positive,” neighbor Jen Wofford told the Bay Area outlet. “I never heard her say an unkind word about any person. She was always smiling, always polite, would do any little thing to help out a neighbor.”
The Kentfield school district in Marin county notified families on Wednesday that Vitt, the mother of two elementary school students, had died in the avalanche, the Times reports.
In their statement, families said the group “were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains” and were “trained and prepared for backcountry travel”.
Some of the victims had ties to Sugar Bowl Academy, an elite ski school that issued a statement mourning members of its extended community.
“We are an incredibly close and connected community,” Sugar Bowl Academy executive director Stephen McMahon said in the statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”
Officials have not yet released the names of those who were killed.
