Two Sisters and a Radio Executive Among Eight Confirmed Victims Who Passed Away in a Sierra Nevada Avalanche

A guided backcountry ski trip near Truckee turned deadly when an avalanche struck the Sierra Nevada, triggering a large-scale rescue effort in hazardous winter conditions.

Eight people died after an avalanche struck the Castle Peak area near Truckee at about 11:30 a.m. on February 17, 2026, authorities said. The slide hit a guided group of skiers in the Lake Tahoe region.

Rescue crews worked for hours in severe weather to reach survivors. As conditions improved, officials and family members began confirming the identities of those who did not survive.

What We Know About the Deadly Sierra Avalanche

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said 15 people were on the trip, including four guides. Six survived and were directed to shelter in place until 46 emergency responders reached them; two were transported to a hospital.

The Sierra Avalanche Center had warned early Tuesday that "HIGH avalanche danger" existed in the backcountry and that large avalanches were expected.

Among those killed were sisters Caroline Sekar, 45, of San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, according to The New York Times (NYT). Their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, said they died in the avalanche. Also killed was Kate Vitt, a radio executive and mother of two.

Authorities said the incident remains under investigation.

How Survivors Were Located and the Rescue Unfolded

According to KTLA, the six survivors used the satellite SOS feature on their iPhones to contact emergency responders, allowing crews to pinpoint their location despite blizzard conditions and extremely limited visibility in the Sierra backcountry.

The avalanche struck between 11:30 a.m. and noon Tuesday in the Castle Peak area near Truckee and stretched about the length of a football field, KTVU reported.

The survivors were found buried in snow by about 9 or 10 p.m., meaning they had spent nearly 10 hours in freezing conditions.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said her office and Truckee Fire immediately began coordinating a response. Mutual aid was requested from the Placer County Sheriff's Office, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Washoe County, and the state of Nevada.

Roughly 50 skilled responders deployed from both the north and south sides of the mountain in extreme weather. Crews traveled by snowcat before skiing the final miles into steep, unstable terrain to reach the site.

During recovery operations, officials located eight victims buried in the debris field. One additional skier remains missing and is presumed dead.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo told KTLA that one of those killed was the spouse of a Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team member.

Behind the headlines, the victims' lives stretched far beyond the mountains.

Kate Vitt's Professional Background

According to her LinkedIn profile, Kate served as Vice President of Product Operations & Customer Success at SiriusXM, a role she held for nearly two years after serving in other senior leadership positions within the company.

Before SiriusXM, she spent more than eight years at Pandora, where she led advertising go-to-market initiatives, managed program teams, and partnered with product and engineering groups to launch new ad capabilities.

She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Boston College and built a career spanning media, advertising, and technology.

Her death also left a profound impact on her community. The Kentfield School District wrote in an email to families that "Kate's two sons are safe and are with their father, Geoff, as they navigate this profound loss."

For another family, the grief is deeply personal.

McAlister Clabaugh's Account of His Sisters

In an interview with the NYT, McAlister spoke about the depth of his loss and the close bond he shared with his sisters, Caroline and Liz. "I'm just devastated," he said. "These are two of the best people I've ever known."

He said his sisters had been devoted sisters, mothers, wives and friends, and that he struggled to find words to describe the pain of losing them both.

He said the group of skiers had been friends since college and regularly reunited for trips over the years.

"A lot of the people on that trip were Caroline's friends who used to do this together," he said. "There's a whole community of people, a lot of whom just lost their wives."

McAlister said he had recently been texting with Caroline about visiting her on the West Coast and had planned to call her after playing phone tag. "I literally had it on my calendar to give her a call," he said. He told NYT that the tragedy was his "worst nightmare."

The publication reported the avalanche was the deadliest in modern California history and among the most deadly nationwide.