Feb. 18, 2026Updated Feb. 19, 2026, 12:31 a.m. ET
The warnings were clear and eerie.
A winter storm warning forecast up to 8 feet of snow in California’s Lake Tahoe Region and avalanche conditions were considered “very dangerous.” Blackbird Mountain Guides, now under scrutiny for its role in the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in four decades, had multiple social media posts that acknowledged possible avalanche threats in the region.
“Big storm incoming!” one post read on Feb. 15. “Avalanches could behave abnormally, and the hazard could last longer than normal.”
That same day, an ill-fated group of 11 clients led by four guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides left for a three-day trip that would end in tragedy.
They went to a pristine alpine lake called Frog Lake, just a few miles northeast of the infamous Donner Party disaster of 1847. They stayed in the hard-to-reach Frog Lake huts for two nights and enjoyed a full day of backcountry skiing. But on the last and third day of the trip, an avalanche came crashing down, killing three guides and five guests, and leaving six survivors. A ninth person was not found and is presumed dead.
As families grieve and crews come up with a plan to remove the bodies from the mountain when it’s safe, the guiding company is facing a tough question: Given the known dangers, why did they still go?
Area where avalanche occurred was known for danger
The area where the avalanche occurred is known for its beauty, its skiing and its danger. The Donner Land Trust, which owns the Frog Lake area, says on its website that “all areas are uncontrolled avalanche terrain that require appropriate avalanche education and equipment.”
“Winter wilderness travel is not to be taken lightly − all visitors must understand people die every year in the backcountry.”
Ahead of the storm, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch for the area at 7:45 a.m. the day the group set out. Forecasters had warned of avalanche danger in the days leading up to the watch, as well.
“A powerful storm with rapidly accumulating snowfall and strong winds may cause widespread avalanche activity in the mountains,” the watch said. “Very dangerous avalanche conditions could occur in the backcountry. Traveling in, near, or below backcountry avalanche terrain during HIGH avalanche danger is not recommended.”
The warnings were strong enough that Kurt Gensheimer said he made sure to be out of the region before the snow hit. The avid backcountry skier stayed with a group in the Frog Lake huts from Thursday, Feb. 12, to Sunday, Feb. 15, the day the group led by Blackbird Mountain Guides arrived, reported the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
“We planned to leave before the storm came in,” Gensheimer told the Gazette Journal. “I think the main thing with this storm was that it was a massive amount of snow in a short time, on top of a snowpack that hadn’t seen very much snow in over a month.”
He said he knows some guides with Blackbird Mountain Guides and said that those who go out in the region where the avalanche occurred are very experienced and know what they’re doing.
Still, he called the fatal avalanche a “100 percent preventable tragedy.”
“We love to play in the snow and we do it for fun and enjoyment,” he said. “But it’s also really serious, sad business.”
What do authorities say about the trip?
Authorities are investigating “the totality” of the tragedy, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 18. That includes finding out why the trip wasn’t canceled.
“Lots of forecasts on this storm,” Moon said. “Those are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made. We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made.”
She said getting to the bottom of the major questions surrounding the tragedy is her top priority.
“I think that’s the core piece of my mind, is wanting to be able to provide answers to the families that were affected, the guide members that were present and the clients that paid for this trip,” she said.
She added that the company “has been very cooperative” and “wanted to do everything that they could to assist” in the search-and-rescue efforts following the avalanche.
What does Blackbird Mountain Guides say?
Blackbird Mountain Guides did not respond to a USA TODAY email on Wednesday asking about why the company moved forward with the trip given the advanced storm warnings.
The company released a statement the day of the avalanche to say that its leadership team was “working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation.”
“Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available,” the company said.
Later that night the company said that it was navigating an “incredibly difficult situation alongside those involved” and referred all questions to the sheriff’s office.
The company’s website shows that three-day trips to the Frog Lake huts are still available at a cost of $1,165.
“Beyond amazing skiing, the huts are equipped with creature comforts that make sleeping deep in the backcountry an absolute pleasure,” the trip details say.
The trip includes “deluxe breakfasts and dinners” and some safety gear but does not include avalanche gear, though the company recommends everyone bring avalanche beacons, shovels and probes. It’s unclear whether the company required everyone to carry such gear and what gear those affected by the avalanche had on them.
Customers who’ve gone on the trip wrote rave reviews, with one saying: “The Frog Lake huts are a magical place to spend a few days.”
Another wrote that “despite the tough weather and significant avalanche conditions, they kept the tour safe, fun and exhilarating. I now believe storm skiing may be the best way to go!”
Expert: ‘Maybe we can learn’ from fatal avalanche
Three key factors should be considered when assessing avalanche dangers, said Myron Allen, a volunteer ski patroller and the chair of the National Ski Patrol’s National Board of Directors.
“One is weather, the second is terrain and the third is snowpack,” Allen told USA TODAY, adding that it is critical to consider recent heavy snowfall and the steepness of terrain.
Though Allen declined to comment on the Blackbird Mountain Guides trip, he noted that many avalanche accidents occur when there is insufficient planning.
“I’m very interested in seeing what the final reports look like. I feel very bad to learn about a guided party running into such a devastating avalanche accident,” he said. “Maybe we can learn by understanding how the events unfolded.”
When asked why people venture into the backcountry despite heightened risks, Allen said the appeal of the terrain and the isolation may play roles.
“Just speaking from personal experience, the mountains are beautiful in the winter,” Allen said. “I think people are just drawn to the wild beauty and the solitude of the mountain covered in snow. I think that’s the main motivation. Also, it can be quite fun to ski and snowboard in the backcountry.”
Allen advised people who want to travel to the backcountry to “pay very careful attention to the forecast and to the terrain that you choose to travel on.” He also recommended people to get avalanche training, learn how to travel in the backcountry, plan ahead, look at maps to figure out where the steep terrain is and have a backup plan.
“If they wake up and they head to the mountains and things don’t look quite as safe as we thought they were, we can just use our plan B,” Allen said. “Go on another trip and have one already prepared.”
Contributing: Jaedyn Young, Reno Gazette Journal