Multiple Skiers Missing in Avalanche Near Tahoe

An all-too-familiar danger has returned to Tahoe's backcountry. Authorities say several backcountry skiers are unaccounted for after an avalanche Tuesday late morning in the Castle Peak area, north of Truckee, California, the Reno Gazette Journal reports. In a Facebook post, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said it received a report of the slide around 11:30am and deployed deputies and search-and-rescue teams to the scene. The Sierra Avalanche Center said up to 10 people are missing at an elevation of 8,200 feet, SFGate reports.

"It has been reported that a group of back country skiers was involved in the incident, with several members of the party missing at this time," the sheriff's office said. A major winter storm is moving through California, with snowfall and weakening snowpack layers causing high avalanche danger in areas including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, the AP reports. The Castle Peak area, roughly 40 miles west of Reno near Donner Lake, is popular with backcountry enthusiasts. Castle Peak has already seen deadly conditions this season: an avalanche there on Jan. 5 killed one person.