NEWS

Multiple victims had deep ties to Sugar Bowl Resort and its elite ski academy — a tight-knit community that has produced Olympians and generations of Tahoe athletes. Friends. Mothers. Longtime ski partners who made this trip every year. They were experienced. It was guided. So how did everything unravel so fast? As rescue crews battle relentless storms and families wait for answers, the tragedy is sending shockwaves from Mill Valley to Stanford to the heart of the Sierra. And the hardest questions are only just beginning.

phuquy Avatar

Posted by

phuquy

-

3 women identified as Tahoe avalanche victims, including Stanford alums

FILE: A crosscountry skier walks past a giant trail map of the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, which is managed by Sugar Bowl Resort, on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013.

FILE: A crosscountry skier walks past a giant trail map of the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, which is managed by Sugar Bowl Resort, on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013.

Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The identities of those killed in this week’s deadly Tahoe avalanche started to emerge Thursday, with multiple sources reporting on at least three women who died in the tragic accident. Officials have declined to share names, as the bodies have yet to be recovered from the mountain while rescuers deal with ongoing blizzard conditions.

The victims include a woman whose children attend a Marin County elementary school, according to an email seen by SFGATE, and two sisters who attended Stanford, according to the New York Times. One sister lived in San Francisco, while the other lived in Idaho; both women were mothers, according to the Times. The paper also reported that the 11-person trip was a group of longtime friends who regularly went on ski trips together.

The Kentfield School District in Marin County sent an email this week obtained by SFGATE that said a mother of two young students was killed in the avalanche. The email, which named the mother and children, said the family “is a cherished part of our community” and said the two boys are with their father as they “navigate this profound loss.”

Sugar Bowl Resort confirmed Wednesday night that multiple victims had connections to the ski resort as well as its elite ski academy, guaranteeing the tragedy will send shock waves through the tight-knit Tahoe area.

“With the heaviest of hearts, we can confirm the loss of multiple lives from within the Sugar Bowl community,” said Rachel Soeharto, a spokesperson for Sugar Bowl Resort, in an emailed statement. “Several members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died in an avalanche at Castle Peak on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.”

An avalanche the size of a football field struck a party of 15 skiers at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday in a backcountry area near Donner Pass as the region faced heavy snow and winds. Six skiers survived the slide and were evacuated by search and rescue teams Tuesday night. Eight bodies have been found and a ninth person is still missing but presumed dead, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department. The eight confirmed deaths make this the deadliest in California since modern record keeping began, officials confirmed to SFGATE.

This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.

This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.

Nevada County Sheriff/AP

Sugar Bowl is one of Tahoe’s snowiest resorts and one of the closest to the Bay Area, with its location near the crest of the Sierra Nevada on Donner Pass. The resort is one of the few remaining ski areas in the region that is still independently owned. Sugar Bowl Academy is an elite private school located near the ski resort that includes both academic education for grades 6 through 12 and ski coaching. The academy has produced many Olympic athletes.

Tuesday’s avalanche is the deadliest in modern California history. The victims were part of a guided trip led by Blackbird Mountain Guides, according to a statement from the company. Several people on the trip were mothers from Mill Valley, according to an interview Max Perrey, the town’s mayor, gave the New York Times. He called the avalanche “a huge tragedy and a huge loss.”

The group included nine women and six men, according to the Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon. Four men and two women survived the avalanche and were rescued from the mountain, according to law enforcement.

A road is cleared during a snowstorm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, near Soda Springs, Calif. 

A road is cleared during a snowstorm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, near Soda Springs, Calif.

Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP

Soeharto said Wednesday night that the resort is not sharing personal details about the victims “out of respect for the families affected” because emergency crews are still working to recover the bodies. She said the school and resort are dedicated to standing by the students and families who have lost family members in this week’s tragedy.

“Sugar Bowl Academy is focused on supporting its athletes, students, staff, and families through this tragedy. Most importantly, the Sugar Bowl Academy community will continue to be there in the months and years ahead for the families that have lost loved ones,” Soeharto said.

SFGATE breaking news editor Gillian Mohney contributed to this report.

This breaking news story has been updated.

Colbert says network lawyers pressured him not to air it. CBS says that’s not true. Meanwhile, the political backdrop is anything but quiet — from corporate mergers to renewed “equal time” scrutiny from the FCC. And here’s the twist: Talarico’s campaign reportedly raised $2.5 million in the fallout. A segment that never aired on television just became one of the most-watched political interviews online. So what was said that sparked 85 million views — and a network standoff?
Colbert says network lawyers pressured him not to air it. CBS says that’s not true. Meanwhile, the political backdrop is anything but quiet — from corporate mergers to renewed “equal time” scrutiny from the FCC. And here’s the twist: Talarico’s campaign reportedly raised $2.5 million in the fallout. A segment that never aired on television just became one of the most-watched political interviews online. So what was said that sparked 85 million views — and a network standoff?

After Colbert-CBS Rift, Interview With Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico Draws 85M Views Across YouTube & Social  …

Unknown DNA. And what used to be a dead end is now the most powerful lead in the case. Investigators searching for answers in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are diving into investigative genetic genealogy — the same cutting-edge technique that helped identify the Golden State Killer and track Bryan Kohberger. The glove found two miles from her Tucson home didn’t match anyone in CODIS. DNA collected at the house didn’t match either. Years ago, that would have stalled the case. Now? It could be the breakthrough. By combing through public DNA databases, experts can identify distant relatives of an unknown suspect — sometimes from less than 1% shared DNA — and build a family tree that narrows the search to a single name. It can take minutes. Or it can take years.
Unknown DNA. And what used to be a dead end is now the most powerful lead in the case. Investigators searching for answers in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie are diving into investigative genetic genealogy — the same cutting-edge technique that helped identify the Golden State Killer and track Bryan Kohberger. The glove found two miles from her Tucson home didn’t match anyone in CODIS. DNA collected at the house didn’t match either. Years ago, that would have stalled the case. Now? It could be the breakthrough. By combing through public DNA databases, experts can identify distant relatives of an unknown suspect — sometimes from less than 1% shared DNA — and build a family tree that narrows the search to a single name. It can take minutes. Or it can take years.

In an aerial view, Pima County sheriff’s officers gather on Nancy Guthrie’s property on February 17 in Tucson,…

A masked man. A single glove. And now — DNA that could unmask a kidnapper. Three weeks after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home, investigators are turning to cutting-edge genetic genealogy in a high-stakes effort to identify a suspect. DNA recovered near the scene didn’t match anything in the FBI’s CODIS database. But authorities believe they may have found genetic material that belongs to the person who took her. If that’s true, experts say it’s only a matter of time. The same investigative technique helped catch the Golden State Killer and Bryan Kohberger. Now it could expose whoever was caught on camera outside Guthrie’s home — armed, masked, wearing a distinctive Ozark Trail backpack. More than 19,000 tips have poured in. A reward exceeding $200,000 is on the table. Federal, state, and local agencies are combing through partial DNA, security footage, credit card trails, even backpack sales across Arizona. And the sheriff has a warning: if you’re responsible, you should be worried. Because this case isn’t cold. And the science may be closing in.
A masked man. A single glove. And now — DNA that could unmask a kidnapper. Three weeks after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home, investigators are turning to cutting-edge genetic genealogy in a high-stakes effort to identify a suspect. DNA recovered near the scene didn’t match anything in the FBI’s CODIS database. But authorities believe they may have found genetic material that belongs to the person who took her. If that’s true, experts say it’s only a matter of time. The same investigative technique helped catch the Golden State Killer and Bryan Kohberger. Now it could expose whoever was caught on camera outside Guthrie’s home — armed, masked, wearing a distinctive Ozark Trail backpack. More than 19,000 tips have poured in. A reward exceeding $200,000 is on the table. Federal, state, and local agencies are combing through partial DNA, security footage, credit card trails, even backpack sales across Arizona. And the sheriff has a warning: if you’re responsible, you should be worried. Because this case isn’t cold. And the science may be closing in.

Arizona authorities turn to genetic genealogy in ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing…

Meanwhile, investigators are chasing DNA that doesn’t match, analyzing biological evidence still in the lab, probing recent gun purchases, and even scanning for signals from Guthrie’s pacemaker, which mysteriously disconnected from her phone hours before she was reported missing. Gloves with unknown DNA found miles away. Extra security cameras still being processed. A possible second person involved. Someone knows what happened that night. And authorities believe this case is far from random.
Meanwhile, investigators are chasing DNA that doesn’t match, analyzing biological evidence still in the lab, probing recent gun purchases, and even scanning for signals from Guthrie’s pacemaker, which mysteriously disconnected from her phone hours before she was reported missing. Gloves with unknown DNA found miles away. Extra security cameras still being processed. A possible second person involved. Someone knows what happened that night. And authorities believe this case is far from random.

Accomplice not ruled out in Nancy Guthrie disappearance, Arizona sheriff says Investigators have not ruled out that an…

Officials say the victim’s spouse was not part of the rescue operation — but the emotional toll on the tight-knit search and rescue community is profound. “We’re all trying to support the family,” Woo said. As identities remain unconfirmed and the storm refuses to let up, the tragedy is rippling through Lake Tahoe’s ski world — from elite academies to volunteer rescuers who now find themselves grieving while still on duty. When the call for help came in, they answered.
Officials say the victim’s spouse was not part of the rescue operation — but the emotional toll on the tight-knit search and rescue community is profound. “We’re all trying to support the family,” Woo said. As identities remain unconfirmed and the storm refuses to let up, the tragedy is rippling through Lake Tahoe’s ski world — from elite academies to volunteer rescuers who now find themselves grieving while still on duty. When the call for help came in, they answered.

Victim of Deadly Avalanche Near Lake Tahoe Was Married to Search and Rescue Team Member: Officials “This has…

With extreme warnings in place, brutal storm conditions rolling in, and a 15-person group navigating high-risk terrain near Lake Tahoe, investigators are now piecing together a tragedy that has shaken the entire ski community. Was it the weather? The route? A split-second decision? Or a cascade of factors no one saw coming? Rescue teams still can’t reach the victims. Families are left with heartbreak — and “many unanswered questions.” This wasn’t a reckless adventure. These were experienced women who loved the mountains. So how did it end like this?
With extreme warnings in place, brutal storm conditions rolling in, and a 15-person group navigating high-risk terrain near Lake Tahoe, investigators are now piecing together a tragedy that has shaken the entire ski community. Was it the weather? The route? A split-second decision? Or a cascade of factors no one saw coming? Rescue teams still can’t reach the victims. Families are left with heartbreak — and “many unanswered questions.” This wasn’t a reckless adventure. These were experienced women who loved the mountains. So how did it end like this?

California avalanche victims were close friends and ‘passionate, skilled skiers’ Nine people, including several guides, are presumed dead…