All 9 Tahoe Avalanche Victims Identified and Bodies Recovered

The names of three backcountry ski guides who died in last week’s Tahoe avalanche — now the deadliest in modern California history — have been released by the guiding company they worked for, and the bodies of all nine victims have been recovered.

The Blackbird Mountain Guides employees who were killed are Andrew Alissandratos of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry of Soda Springs, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

Blackbird’s news release said they were each “skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are.”

Their bodies and those of the six clients who died — all women and many of them from the Bay Area — were recovered Friday and Saturday from the site of the avalanche near Tahoe’s Donner Summit, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

The recovery was initially delayed by bad weather, but on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office and PG&E conducted avalanche mitigation work, Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Hack said at a press conference on Saturday.

Search-and-rescue personnel from the California Highway Patrol recovered five of the bodies and found the remains of a final missing skier who had been presumed dead. They and the California National Guard recovered the remaining bodies on Saturday, Hack said.

On Sunday, the Tahoe-area city of Truckee held a vigil in honor of the avalanche victims. KUNR reported more than 100 people attended, leaving flowers, origami peace cranes and written messages.

After a brief closure to support search-and-rescue operations, the area of the Tahoe National Forest where the slide occurred was reopened on Monday by the U.S. Forest Service.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the individuals and families impacted by this tragic backcountry incident, and we grieve with our community,” Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier wrote in a statement.

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KQED on Friday that it has launched an investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides “to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence.” The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened a separate investigation, the department confirmed.

Blackbird has not responded to KQED’s request for comment on the investigations.