Eight skiers dead, 1 missing presumed dead, in Sierra avalanche

[againstthegrain]

"The bodies of eight of the nine skiers overcome by an avalanche on Tuesday near Lake Tahoe had been found, Nevada County officials said in a news conference on Wednesday. One member of the group remains missing and presumed dead, in what is already the deadliest avalanche in modern California history.

The skiers had been part of a group of 15, including four guides, on a three-day backcountry expedition in a rugged but popular recreational area near Castle Peak. Six others from their group were able to use a combination of emergency beacons and iPhone S.O.S. functions to contact rescuers, who braved treacherous conditions to reach them late Tuesday night."

Backcountry skiing is risky business.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

When I saw the news about the avalanche today, I was hoping they'd be found alive, but knew the reality was that they probably wouldn't be. I find it particularly sad when people are just out to have a good time and wind up being the victims of tragedy. It's also still dangerous for the rescuers because more avalanches are forecast. I really feel for their families. May those lost R.I.P.

 

[RambleTamble]

Not only is it tragic that eight skiers are dead, but that has to be one of the most terrifying ways to go. First they were swept away in the avalanche. Then they were buried alive in what some who have escaped a similar predicament described as being immobilized in concrete.

I'm a bit claustrophobic and just thinking about what that must have been like makes me anxious.