Avalanche

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1748024184599363684

Forecast intensifies to show up to 36 inches of snow and 'whiteout' conditions in Colorado | OutThere Colorado

A storm that's set to hit parts of Colorado's mountainous terrain has intensified, with even more snow now expected to land between Wednesday morning and Friday morning.

denvergazette.com

 

[Voyageur]

Rutschblock Test

Basic test (in many formats) if out on snowpack looking for weak layers. Here you can see how the weak layer shears under pressure, and snow slab on top of the weak layer slips out on weak facets/crust layers:

This one indicates observations of spider web cracks, and below the snowpack on can see how they correspond to the weak layer:

Here is a basic snow profile that one should know if venturing out on avalanche terrain - bring a shovel, do a test:

Avalanche terrain (as a frequency of slope angle release):

Very steep rock slopes shed snow often, however cornices (wind driven) within and above can build and release, so very dangerous and something to watch for:

 

[Voyageur]

Very sad and unnecessary - there was persistent weak layer and then snow rapidly built up:

Bodies of all 9 missing skiers in deadly Castle Peak avalanche have been recovered, authorities say

Crews recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in the Castle Peak avalanche in California, authorities said Saturday.

abc7news.com

Castle Peak Avalanche Update — Criminal Investigation Opened, Victims Identified Castle Peak avalanche investigation: what we now know about the deadliest avalanche in the United States in 45 years, and the criminal investigation into the guide company at the center of it. Three days after an avalanche killed at least nine backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe, California authorities have opened both a criminal negligence investigation and a workplace safety investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides. Six victims have been identified as mothers from the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee-Tahoe region. The bodies remain on the mountain. The entire Castle Peak area has been closed through March 15, 2026.Sources:Nevada County Sheriff's Office — Press conferences Feb 18–19, 2026Sierra Avalanche Center — Avalanche warnings and forecasts, Feb 15–20, 2026U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest — Castle Peak Avalanche Closure Order, Feb 19, 2026California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) — Investigation statement, Feb 19, 2026Families of victims — Joint statement via spokesperson Jess Weaver, Feb 19, 2026Blackbird Mountain Guides — Statement via founder Zeb Blais, Feb 18, 2026Associated Press — "Snow drought helped set stage for deadly California avalanche," Feb 19, 2026New York Times — "As Inquiries Begin in Avalanche Deaths, a Question Emerges," Feb 20, 2026Sierra Sun / Tahoe Daily Tribune — "A deeper look into Castle Peak's deadly avalanche: the regulatory landscape," Feb 19, 2026Mercury News — Victim identifications and Sugar Bowl Academy reporting, Feb 18–19, 2026ABC News — Avalanche updates and victim identification reporting, Feb 17–20, 2026FOX Weather — Storm and snowpack reporting, Feb 18–19, 2026SnowBrains / UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab — Snowpack data, Feb 19, 2026Placer County Sheriff's Office — Press conference and Northstar incidents, Feb 18–19, 2026