California Avalanche
A California Highway Patrol search and rescue crew flies over a forest as recovery efforts for a group of missing skiers continue Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Truckee, Calif.
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Legal experts say a criminal investigation announced into whether negligence played a role in a deadly California avalanche could hinge on key decisions by guides leading the ill-fated ski trip. Pivotal moments may include the choice to embark on the backcountry trip at a time of heightened avalanche risk, followed by Tuesday’s decision to ski out after avalanche conditions had worsened. Eight people were killed and a ninth was missing and presumed dead after the group was hit by the avalanche in the remote Sierra Nevada wilderness. Attorneys who handle civil cases resulting from skiing accidents say they had not previously heard of a fatal avalanche during a guided trip that sparked a criminal investigation.
Authorities said Saturday that crews recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in a California avalanche four days ago. Rescuers discovered the bodies of eight of the victims earlier in the week, but one person was still missing and presumed dead until Friday night. Search teams were unable to retrieve the bodies of the nine victims until Friday evening and Saturday morning because the risk of another avalanche was too high. Ultimately the Nevada County Sheriff's Department relied on numerous state and local search and rescue teams and dozens of volunteers to find the bodies.
