6 Backcountry Skiers Found Alive, 10 Missing After Northern California Avalanche: Authorities

Cars are covered in snow during a snow storm in Truckee, Calif., on Feb. 17, 2026. Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP Photos

SAN FRANCISCO—Six backcountry skiers were found alive and 10 others were missing Tuesday after an avalanche in Northern California as a powerful winter storm moved through the state.

Search and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after someone called 911 at about 11:30 a.m. to report an avalanche with people buried.