Verdi man identified as one of 3 guides who died in avalanche
The nine victims at the site of a deadly Feb. 17 avalanche near Crystal Peak, just west of Truckee, were hoisted onto a helicopter and flown out Friday and Saturday.
The recovery mission came four days after the avalanche swept through a group of 15 skiers on a three-day backcountry trip as they tried to leave Tahoe National Forest in a brutal storm. Why the group chose to travel despite avalanche warnings remains under investigation.
Six people survived. Their names have not been released.
Among those killed were six friends who had planned the ski trip. All were mothers and experienced skiers. At least some had ties to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and Sugar Bowl Academy, an elite ski school a short distance from the avalanche site.
They were:
- Kate Vitt, 42, of Greenbrae, California
- Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs, California
- Liz Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho
- Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, California
- Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, California
- Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco.
Sekar and Clabaugh were sisters.
Three guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides also died in the avalanche, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office:
- Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi
- Michael Henry, 30, of Tampa, Florida
- Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe
“While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful we can bring them home,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday.
The final victim was removed from the avalanche site just before 11 a.m. Saturday. All nine were found close to one another.
The Placer County coroner will determine the official causes of death.
The group has left on Feb. 15 for the three-day trip near Frog Lake in Tahoe National Forest.
On Feb. 17, the group was attempting to return to the trailhead in blizzard conditions when the avalanche struck. Six were found alive during heroic rescue efforts six hours after the avalanche.
