Several skiers were caught in an avalanche in California. Rescue teams are trying to reach them

Rescue teams on skis and snowmobiles are trying, in blizzard conditions, to reach six rural skiers, still alive, but trapped after an avalanche in the rugged mountains of northern California on Tuesday. Ten other skiers are reported missing.

Search teams PHOTO: X

Search and rescue teams were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area northwest of Lake Tahoe after someone called 911 to report an avalanche that had buried people as a powerful winter storm barreled through the state.

Hours later, Ashley Quadros, spokeswoman for the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, said six skiers had been located and asked to take shelter. “as good as possible” until they can be helped.

The group was on the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip, said Steve Reynaud, Tahoe National Forest avalanche meteorologist with the Sierra Avalanche Center. Reynaud said his group has been in contact with people on the ground in the area. He said the skiers spent two nights in cabins on a trip that required them to cross “rugged mountain terrain” on backcountry skis up to 4 miles (6.4 km) and carry all their food and supplies, the News writes.

Nevada County Sheriff's Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were alerted to the avalanche by the ski tour company that took the group to Castle Peak and by the emergency beacons the skiers carried with them.

Skiers communicate with authorities through emergency beacons, which can send text messages, Greene told KCRA-TV.

“I'm doing everything I can. They took refuge in an area, they improvised a shelter with a tarp and I'm doing everything I can to survive and wait for rescue,” Greene told the television station.

He said rescue teams were moving cautiously towards the group as the danger of triggering further avalanches remained high.

“I brought snowcats. We have snowmobiles waiting. We have people on skis. We have multiple ways that people are trying to get there,” he said. “It's going to be a slow and arduous process.” he added.

The conditions in the mountain area are dangerous

The company that organizes the trip, Blackbird Mountain Guides, said in a statement published on its website that it is coordinating the rescue operation together with the authorities. The company stated that the group consisted of 12 customers and four guides.

California is being hit this week by a powerful winter storm that is bringing dangerous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow to mountain areas.

“Right now, the mountain area is particularly dangerous, because we are in the middle of a stormsaid Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest chief meteorologist at the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee.

The center has issued an avalanche warning for the central Sierra Nevada area, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, beginning at 5 a.m. Tuesday, with large avalanches expected through Wednesday.

The dangerous conditions were caused by the rapid accumulation of snow on fragile snow layers, combined with strong winds.

Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe have been completely or partially closed due to extreme weather conditions. Resorts along the highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as great a risk as isolated areas, where travel in, near or under avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.

The area has a dark history

Castle Peak, a 2,777-foot peak in the Donner Summit area of ​​the Sierra Nevada, is a popular backcountry skiing destination. Donner Summit, which can be dangerous in snowy conditions, is named after the famous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after being stranded there in the winter of 1846-1847.

Avalanche assessment training and rescue and safety equipment are highly recommended for backcountry skiing, also known as off-piste skiing, which attracts people who want to venture deep into the wilderness, far from the confines of a resort. Backcountry skis are wider, heavier, and have other features to handle climbing and descending rough terrain, unlike cross-country skis, which are narrower and designed for flat, more groomed trails.

In the neighboring town of Soda Springs, at least 30 inches of snow fell in the past 24 hours, according to Soda Springs Mountain Resort.

Forecasters said the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in northern Shasta County — including portions of Interstate 5 — and parts of the Pacific Coast Range could see up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snow before the storm moves in Wednesday night.

The storm wreaked havoc on the roads that connect Sonoma County to the Sierra Nevada. Traffic was temporarily shut down in both directions on I-80 near the Nevada state border due to skids and accidents, according to the California Department of Transportation.

In January, an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobiler in the snow, and he died, authorities said. Each winter, between 25 and 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to the National Avalanche Center.