Nine people died in the catastrophic Castle Peak avalanche near Lake Tahoe, and a detailed new account from two survivors is shedding light on how the tragedy unfolded — and how quickly it overwhelmed nearly everyone in its path.
The avalanche struck around 11:30 a.m. Feb. 17 on a north-facing slope below Perry’s Peak in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center. A guided group of 15 backcountry skiers — 11 clients and four guides from Truckee-based Blackbird Mountain Guides — was trying to return to the trailhead from the remote Frog Lake huts when the snow gave way.
In interviews published Saturday by the New York Times, two survivors, Anton Auzans and Jim Hamilton, described climbing in whiteout conditions beneath wind-loaded slopes as gusts topped 50 mph and nearly 4 feet of fresh snow blanketed the terrain…