Six close friends and mothers are among the nine off-piste skiers who were killed in an avalanche in California.
The avalanche hit on Castle Peak, about 10 miles (16km) north of Lake Tahoe, on Tuesday, but the recovery of the victims’ bodies took until Saturday as the search and rescue operation was hindered by intense snowfall.
Six of the victims were part of a close-knit group of friends who were experienced off-piste skiers, their families said in a statement, adding that they were carrying avalanche safety equipment.
The women in their 40s were named as Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Kate Vitt and sisters Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar.
“We are devastated beyond words. Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honouring the lives of these extraordinary women,” the families said.
“They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors.”
‘Best people I’ve ever known’
Tributes described the women as kind people and dedicated mothers.
Danielle Keatley, from the San Francisco city of Larkspur, “was warm, kind and exuded a special quality that drew people to her”, Larkspur’s mayor Stephanie Andre said.
Fellow Larkspur resident Rob Bramble added that she was “just a great mum”.
Carrie Atkin, who lived in Lake Tahoe with her husband and two children, was a former corporate executive who had attended Harvard on a track and field scholarship.
“Everybody liked Carrie. She was a good person,” her high school hurdling coach, Jerome Bearden, said after hearing about her death from a former student.
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Sisters Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar were “two of the best people I’ve ever known”, their brother McAlister Clabaugh told the New York Times.
“They were incredible sisters, mothers, wives and friends. And the idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” he said.
‘Enormous tragedy’
The three other victims killed in the avalanche were guides Andrew Alissandratos, 34, Nicole Choo, 42, and Michael Henry, 30.
They worked for Blackbird Mountain Guides, whose founder, Zeb Blais, wrote in a statement on Wednesday: “This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced.
“We are doing what we can to support the families who lost so much, and the members of our team who lost treasured friends and colleagues.”
Six people survived the avalanche, including two members of the friend group, three skiers and one guide.
They were rescued on Tuesday after calling for help around 11.30am, describing a terrifying avalanche the length of a football field that had struck the group of 15.
‘Many unanswered questions’
The families of the six friends said they “have many unanswered questions”.
It is not clear what triggered the avalanche, which is the deadliest in modern California history.
Officials said the group was on a “normally travelled route”. Authorities are investigating whether “there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence”, according to Sky News’ US partner network NBC.
“The information we have at this time is that this was the last day of their three-day tour, and they did decide to leave early to try to get off the mountain early” to avoid the impending snowstorm, according to Shannan Moon, the sheriff of Nevada County, California.
Eight of the skiers had been found dead by Thursday, with the last missing person discovered “relatively close” to the other victims on Saturday, Lieutenant Dennis Hack from the Nevada County sheriff’s office said.
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He said it was impossible to see the final victim because there were white-out conditions when the others were located.
Five of the bodies were transported off the mountain on Friday, with the remaining four recovered on Saturday.
“While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home,” Ms Moon said.
