Crews hope to resume recovery of 8 bodies from California avalanche
after days of dangerous weather
[February 20, 2026]
SODA SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Crews hope to resume efforts Friday to
recover the bodies of eight people killed and one still missing in an
avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada after days of dangerous weather
that has hampered safe access to the area.
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 Thursday. The three others who
are dead or presumed dead were guides.
“We are devastated beyond words,” the families said in a statement
released 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.
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.
The names of the other victims have not been released.
Two from the group of friends survived and were rescued along with four
others, including a guide.
Avalanche warnings were set to expire early Friday, and dryer and milder
conditions were predicted for the weekend, according to the Sierra
Avalanche Center.
The slide is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were
killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
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.
What the guides and their tour company knew about the warnings and why
they pressed on is now part of investigations by local authorities and a
state agency that regulates workplace safety.
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 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.
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A California Highway Patrol vehicle is parked along a road during a
snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calif. (AP
Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said some of his wife's “old family
friends” were on the trip. The Newsoms have a home in Marin County,
where some of the people on the trip lived. His office did not
immediately provide more details.
“These were some experienced guides that were out there, and that’s
what’s even more concerning and disturbing,” he said at a news
conference Thursday.
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, and Liz Clabaugh worked for St. Luke’s Health System in
Boise, Idaho, according to her LinkedIn page.
Vitt lived in San Francisco and worked previously at SiriusXM and
Pandora, according to her LinkedIn page. The Kentfield School
District sent an email to families Wednesday saying that her two
sons “are safe and are with their father, Geoff, as they navigate
this profound loss,” according to The New York Times.
Atkin lived with her husband and two children and was a former
corporate executive and Division I Track & Field athlete, according
to her leadership coaching website.
Some members of the group had ties to the elite Sugar Bowl Academy,
a private boarding and day school for competitive skiers and
snowboarders whose former students include multiple Olympians.
One of the victims was married to a member of a backcountry search
and rescue team in the area, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said.
___
Watson reported from San Diego, and Golden from Seattle. Associated
Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Matthew Brown in
Billings, Montana; R.J. Rico in Atlanta; and Christopher Weber in
Los Angeles contributed.
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