Six skiers were rescued, but nine remained missing after an avalanche Tuesday near the town of Truckee, California, authorities said.
The avalanche happened in the area of Castle Peak, a popular backcountry ski destination northwest of Lake Tahoe, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office said the six people who survived the avalanche were rescued by a team that navigated treacherous conditions for several hours to reach them.
"Two of the six skiers have been transported to a hospital for treatment. The search is ongoing, pending weather conditions," Ashley Quadros, a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said in a news release at 10:40 p.m. local time.
The sheriff's office initially said the group caught up in the slide included 16 people but clarified Tuesday night that it was a group of 15.
Russell Greene, a captain with the sheriff’s office, said in an interview Tuesday evening that a mountain guide service reported the avalanche about 11:30 a.m. and that it was also reported, separately, through an emergency beacon device.
In a statement Tuesday night, Blackbird Mountain Guides, which offers guided backcountry tours, said the group caught up in the avalanche included clients and guides.
"The group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip when the incident occurred," it said.
The group had been staying at Frog Lake Backcountry Huts since Sunday, the company said.
Blackbird Mountain Guides said it was working with the sheriff's office and a search and -rescue agency in Nevada County "to support the ongoing rescue operation."
The sheriff’s office was in touch with the surviving skiers through an emergency satellite messaging service, which was allowing them to send text messages, Greene said on Tuesday evening.
"It's in a tough area. It's just going to be slow going so we don't trigger any other avalanches, because that is definitely a possibility," he said, adding that the risk of additional slides was significant enough that "we're hesitant to send anybody in on a snowmobile."
Greene said ahead of the rescuers' arrival that the six survivors had taken shelter in a treed area near the site.
"They have at least a tarp with them, so they're doing their best to create somewhat of a structure and get out of the elements as best they can, and we will begin treating and dealing with that when we get there," Greene said.
The weather in Truckee — a town of about 17,000 people close to Lake Tahoe and California's eastern border with Nevada — has been treacherous, with blizzard conditions impeding search and rescue efforts.
The Boreal Mountain Ski Resort, which is near Castle Peak, reported about 30 inches of snow over the past 24 hours.
The National Weather Service said 3 to 4 inches of snow were falling per hour in some areas of the Sierras near the incident.
"Plan on hazardous road conditions, poor visibility due to falling and blowing snow, and even periods of white out conditions in locally heavy snow through late tonight," forecasters wrote Tuesday afternoon. "Travel is highly discouraged in the Sierra as periods of whiteout conditions are likely."
