Tahoe Avalanche Probe Moves to Prosecutors

The Tahoe avalanche probe has moved into prosecutors’ hands after nine skiers died in the backcountry near Lake Tahoe. Investigators have finished their review and passed their findings to Nevada County prosecutors, who will decide whether criminal charges are warranted against the guide company that led the outing.

The case centers on Blackbird Mountain Guides, which led a 15-person group into the area on Feb. 17 despite a dire warning from snow forecasters to stay out of the backcountry because of extreme avalanche danger. A Nevada County Sheriff’s Office negligence investigation was opened soon after the slide. The newly released report says the nine deaths were caused by asphyxiation after several feet of snow buried the victims. It also leaves out whether any of the dead had other injuries or whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

The blacked-out portions of the report keep the most sensitive details out of public view, even as the criminal probe into the deadly Tahoe avalanche advances. That does not mean charges will follow, and officials have not said how long the review could take. For now, prosecutors are weighing whether the facts support a case against the guide company or whether the matter ends without criminal action.

According to the account in the report, the Blackbird group moved near Castle Peak and got too close to Perry’s Peak, where snow conditions were unstable. A wall of snow roughly 100 feet wide broke free and ran about 400 feet down the mountain, burying all but two people in the group. The survivors dug through the debris and rescued four companions, then stopped when they could not reach the others and turned to their own survival as rescue teams were still on the way.