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

Newly released details paint a clearer picture of the deadly avalanche that killed nine backcountry travelers near Donner Summit in Lake Tahoe last month. 

A group of 15 skiers were in the area when an avalanche struck below Perry Peak near Frog Lake and Castle Peak around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, according to a recently updated incident summary from the Sierra Avalanche Center. The slide occurred at an elevation of roughly 8,300 feet and was classified as a D2.5 soft slab, a destructive size capable of burying or killing a person. 

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Thirteen members of the group were caught and carried in the slide, and completely buried........

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