Investigation of deadly Castle Peak avalanche to review whether criminal negligence played a role
TRUCKEE, Calif. -- Authorities investigating the deadly avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada will look at whether criminal negligence played a role in the tragedy, a sheriff's office leading one of several investigations said Friday.
Why the tour company that organized the backcountry ski trip didn't cancel in the face of a powerful storm and what their guides knew as the weather worsened are the questions being considered.
Both the Nevada County Sheriff's office and a state agency that regulates workplace safety have opened investigations. Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson with the sheriff's office, declined on Friday to share more information, saying it is an open investigation.
MORE: Dangerous conditions delay recovery of skiers killed in Castle Peak avalanche
Crews have not yet recovered the bodies of the eight people killed or found the body of a ninth person missing and presumed dead in Tuesday's avalanche, which was roughly the size of a football field.
Officials flew over the avalanche site Friday that is near Castle Peak and outside Lake Tahoe to check conditions and the snowpack. Authorities want to see if it is possible to reduce the risks of more slides by setting off controlled explosions and make it safer to retrieve the bodies.
Six of the people who died were part of a close-knit group of friends who were experienced backcountry skiers and knew how to navigate the alpine wilderness, their families said. The three others who are dead or presumed dead were guides.
"We are devastated beyond words," the families said in a statement released Thursday through a spokesperson. The women were mothers, wives and friends who "connected through the love of the outdoors," they said, and were carrying avalanche safety equipment and prepared for backcountry travel.
Victims were loved by their neighbors
The six were identified as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt, and they lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Idaho and in the Lake Tahoe area. The families asked for privacy while they grieve.
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Just north of San Francisco, where Keatley lived with her family in the city of Larkspur, resident Rob Bramble was shocked to learn that the friendly woman he would say hello to in passing was among the victims.
"She was just a great mom. I'd always see her with the kids, picking them up, just seemed like a great mom and a great family," said Bramble, whose daughter babysat for the family a few times.
Keatley and her husband owned a wine business and often shared their namesake wines at community events, Larkspur Mayor Stephanie Andre said.
"She was warm, kind and exuded a special quality that drew people to her," Andre said in a statement.
Morse also lived with her husband and three children north of San Francisco, and worked in the biotech industry, according to her LinkedIn profile. Vitt previously worked at SiriusXM and Pandora, according to her online profile, and lived north of the city with her two sons and husband.
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Atkin was a former corporate executive and a track and field athlete in college who lived in Lake Tahoe with her husband and two children, according to her leadership coaching website.
Sekar and Clabaugh were sisters, their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, told The New York Times. Sekar was a mother of two who lived in San Francisco.
Liz Clabaugh was a nurse who oversaw a new graduate nursing residency program at St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho. She was also a mom and ran a Facebook page featuring encouragement and advice for new nurses. Photos showed that her family were frequent adventurers outdoors.
Clabaugh also had served as a health volunteer in Zambia with the Peace Corps, according to a Facebook page for Peace Corps alumni.
The names of the other victims have not been released.
MORE: Experts share tips for staying safe while backcountry skiing
The 15 skiers began their three-day trip Sunday, just as warnings about the storm were intensifying. By early Tuesday, officials cautioned that avalanches were expected.
Avalanche safety experts say it is not uncommon for backcountry skiers to go out when there is an avalanche watch or even a warning.
Blackbird Mountain Guides, which was leading the expedition, said the guides who were on the trek were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. While in the field, guides "are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions," founder Zeb Blais said in a statement.
"We don't have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do," the company said. "In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts."
The slide was the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
A look at Castle Peak on Friday
ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Dan Noyes was there at the Alder Creek Adventure Center on Friday, just in time to see the recovery team heading by helicopter to Castle Peak. Despite the clear weather and bright blue skies, any hopes for a quick recovery of the nine victims still on the mountain faded as Nevada County Sheriff's office made their plans clear:
- "To visually assess the conditions of the avalanche scene and snowpack"
- "To see if explosives should be deployed "to intentionally release unstable snowpack"
The risk of avalanches remains high. They have to make sure the path is clear for recovery teams on snowmobiles, snow-cats or skis. In the meantime, we traced the path of the 11 backcountry skiers and their four guides.
There is a parking lot across Highway 80 at Boreal. This is where they went that day. I walked their exact steps. They came under the overpass, across the highway and here is the trailhead where they took off. These are fresh tracks, they are not from that day, obviously, there was another storm, but this is the exact path they took.
By helicopter, we can show you where they headed -- Castle Peak, Frog Lake in its shadow, and the elaborate huts where they stayed for two nights. They skied into the backcountry during the day. No sign of recovery activity on the mountain on Friday.
Tucker Norred of Boreal Mountain Resort told us, "It looks like they were headed back this direction, when the incident occurred."
There at Boreal Mountain Resort, some of the chairlifts were out of service, taking extra precautions in light of the deadliest skiing avalanche in U.S. history.
Dan Notes: "We see that you don't have all the chairlifts running. Why is that?"
Tucker Norred: "So, we have patrol out on the hill, and they've been assessing the terrain, in different areas. And there's been a lot to dig out coming out of the storm as well, to make sure that all the chairlifts are clear and ready for guests to load."
Last stop for the day - the recovery command center at the Nevada County Sheriff's Substation in Truckee. Not much action, while they wait for the green light that it's safe to travel on Castle Peak.
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