Six skiers have been rescued while nine remain missing following an avalanche in the northern California mountains.
Search and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake on Tuesday after an emergency services call at around 11.30am (7.30pm UK time) reported an avalanche, with people buried.
Six ‘backcountry’ skiers – those who ski outside resort boundaries – were trapped and subsequently reached by rescuers while another nine are missing.
Two of the six were taken to a hospital for treatment, said Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Nevada County Sheriff Captain Russell Greene said that the six skiers had sheltered in place after being located while emergency teams tried to reach them.
Rescuers used skis and special vehicles to reach the six stranded skiers, with progress slowed by the danger of further slides.
Mr Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by the ski tour company which took the group to the Castle Peak area, and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying.
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The group was on the last day of a three-day backcountry skiing trip, according to Steve Reynaud, a Tahoe National Forest avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center.
The company leading the trip, Blackbird Mountain Guides, said in a statement on its website that it was helping authorities with the rescue operation.
California is being hit by a powerful winter storm this week, which has brought treacherous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow in mountain areas.
“It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now, just because we’re at the height of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center, based in Truckee.
The centre issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, starting at 5am on Tuesday local time, with large slides expected into Wednesday.
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The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall piling on fragile snowpack layers, coupled with gale-force winds.
Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were fully or partially closed due to the extreme weather.
Forecasters said some areas could see up to 2.4m/8ft of snow before the storm moves through on Wednesday.
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Area has dark history
Castle Peak, a 2,777m (9,110ft) peak in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada, is a popular backcountry skiing destination.
Donner Summit, which can be perilous in snow, is named after the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.
In January, an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobiler in snow and killed him, authorities said.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to the National Avalanche Centre.
Training in avalanche assessment and rescue and safety equipment is highly recommended for backcountry skiing.
The activity draws people wanting to glide deep into the wilderness far outside the confines of a resort’s boundaries.
