As blizzard conditions batter the Sierra Nevada, hope flickers for ten backcountry skiers lost in the white void of Castle Peak.

High in the frozen teeth of the Sierra Nevada, a desperate race against nature is unfolding. As of Tuesday evening, ten skiers remain missing in the backcountry near Truckee, California, swallowed by an avalanche that has turned a winter playground into a disaster zone.

The catastrophe struck at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 p.m. EAT) on February 17, 2026. A group of 16—comprising four professional guides and twelve clients—was traversing the rugged slopes near Castle Peak when the snowpack shattered. In seconds, a wall of white death cascaded down the mountain, burying the party.While six survivors have been miraculously pulled from the debris, the fate of the remaining ten hangs by a thread as a severe winter storm pummels the region, grounding helicopters and blinding search teams.

A Trap of Snow and Silence

The rescue operation is currently fighting a two-front war: one against the clock and another against the elements. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has mobilized 46 emergency responders, deploying snowcats and ski teams from Boreal Mountain and Tahoe Donner. Yet, the conditions are hellish. "We are operating in zero visibility with high avalanche risk," a rescue coordinator stated. The six survivors, some injured, were forced to shelter in place under a tarp for hours, huddled against the biting cold until rescuers could physically reach them on skis.

This incident highlights the treacherous allure of the backcountry. Unlike the patrolled, manicured runs of commercial resorts, Castle Peak offers no safety nets. The group was returning from the Frog Lake backcountry huts, a journey that demands high technical skill. Questions are already mounting about the decision to proceed given the avalanche forecasts, which had warned of "considerable" danger following days of heavy snowfall.This tragedy serves as a brutal reminder that in the high mountains, nature always holds the casting vote.

• The Survivors: Six individuals were located alive but stranded.They are currently being evacuated, with reports indicating several have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
• The Missing: Ten skiers are unaccounted for. Their beacons are silent, or buried too deep for rapid detection.
• The Conditions: A multi-day storm is dumping feet of fresh snow, effectively erasing any visual clues and restabilizing the slide path, making it deadly for rescuers to enter certain zones.

The Weight of the Wait

For the families waiting for news, the silence is agonizing. The operation has transitioned into the night, a period where temperatures plunge and survival probabilities drop precipitously. Avalanche survival statistics are grim; after 30 minutes of burial, the chance of survival falls to less than 40 percent. We are now well past that critical window.

As dawn approaches in California, the eyes of the mountaineering world are fixed on Truckee. This is not just a search; it is a testament to human resilience in the face of overwhelming power. "We don't leave until we find them," the Sheriff's office vowed. But as the storm howls on, the mountain is keeping its secrets close.