Survivors Recall the Terrifying Scene that Led to California’s Deadliest Avalanche Near Lake Tahoe

In interviews with the The New York Times, survivors Anton Auzans and Jim Hamilton described the chaos and heartbreak of the Feb. 17 avalanche near Donner Pass, now regarded as the deadliest avalanche in modern California history.

The group of 15 skiers had been staying at backcountry huts near Frog Lake after a powerful Sierra storm rolled in. What began as a bluebird powder trip quickly turned into survival mode as heavy snowfall and violent winds reshaped the mountain overnight.

On Tuesday morning, with avalanche danger rising, the guided party attempted to ski out. Gusts topped 50 miles per hour. Snow was piling up by the minute. The skiers climbed in a line beneath Perry’s Peak, unaware that wind-loaded slopes above them had become dangerously unstable.

Auzans was near the back when he heard the warning. He looked uphill and saw what he described to the Times as a wall of white crashing down, mixed with flashes of bright jackets and tumbling skis. He tried to dive behind a tree, but the force of the slide swept him away.

“I remember thinking about my 3-year-old son,” Auzans told the Times. “I knew I had to get out.”

Buried in darkness, he forced his hands upward until they broke through the snow. When he pulled himself free, the clearing was silent. The rest of the group had vanished.

Hamilton, delayed by a malfunctioning binding, had been far enough behind to escape the slide. When he reached the debris field, the ski track simply ended in a wall of compacted snow.

The two men began digging with guides who survived. They uncovered a few people alive, but as minutes stretched toward an hour, hope faded. Nine skiers, including three experienced guides, were killed.

Authorities continue to investigate what decisions led the group into avalanche terrain during a historic storm.