NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. —The bodies of nine backcountry skiers killed in California’s deadliest avalanche on record have been recovered and all of the victims identified.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday announced the recovery of all of the victims’ remains from the Feb. 17 avalanche near Lake Tahoe after earlier snowstorms in the week made the search effort treacherous for crews to operate.

Shannan Moon, the Nevada County sheriff, said the victims were:

• Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nevada
• Michael Henry, 30, from Tampa Bay, Florida
• Nicole “Niki” Choo, 42, from South Lake Tahoe
• Carrie Atkin, 42, from South Lake Tahoe
• Liz Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, Idaho
• Danielle Keatley, 44, from Marin County
• Kate Morse, 45, from Marin County
• Caroline Sekar, 45, from San Francisco
• Kate Vitt, 43, from Marin County

Alissandratos, Henry and Choo were guides at Blackbird Mountain Guides who had led a ski trip to the Frog Lake huts near Castle Peak.

The six women on the ski trip were identified by their families on Thursday. Their families said they all were “mothers, wives and friends” who were “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

Six others, an employee with Blackbird Mountain Guides, and five clients, survived the avalanche.

 

“There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” Moon said on Saturday. “The weight of this event is felt across many families, friends, and colleagues, and we
stand together with them during this difficult time.”

Timeline of the ski trip and rescue operation

The group of 15 skiers had embarked upon a three-day excursion over Presidents Day weekend. They arrived to stay at the Frog Lake huts on Feb. 15, according to Blackbird Mountain Guides.

The group was wrapping up their mountain adventure when an avalanche swept them away around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 17. Despite learning about the snow slide shortly after it happened, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said fierce blizzard conditions made accessing the avalanche scene difficult to reach.

 

Search and rescue crews, comprising volunteers and multiple agencies, arrived at the site at 5:30 p.m. Once they got there, they took a snowcat for two miles before skiing the rest of the way to avoid the risk of another avalanche.

What they found was an employee with Blackbird Mountain Guides and five clients, the only survivors. Three other guides and six clients died following the avalanche.

 

Who were the skiers on the trip?

All six of the women on the ski trip who died were friends, according to statement from their families.

“We are devastated beyond words,” the statement said. “Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women. They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors.”

The statement said the women were “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

They lived in the San Francisco Bay area, Idaho and the Truckee-Tahoe region.

Kate Vitt

Vitt was a streaming music executive with more than a decade of experience in the industry. Most recently, she worked at SiriusXM in San Francisco, where she served as a Vice President of Product Operations and Customer Success. Affiliate KTVU confirmed she left the company in 2025.

Before that, Vitt’s LinkedIn profile shows she worked at Pandora for more than eight years.

She graduated from Boston College in 2004 with a degree in English, affiliate WCVB confirmed.

Caroline Sekar

Sekar and Clabaugh were sisters, family members told The New York Times.

Sekar, 45, lived in San Francisco with her husband and two children, a neighbor told the San Francisco Chronicle. Jen Wofford said Sekar was “the sunshine” of the block who was positive and always smiled.

Liz Clabaugh

Clabaugh, 52, lived in Boise, Idaho. Her LinkedIn profile shows she was a clinical educator and coordinator at St. Luke’s Health System.

Carrie Atkin

Carrie Atkin was a former corporate executive and Division I athlete.

She had a BA in Applied Mathematics with Economics from Harvard University.

Atkin lived in Lake Tahoe with her husband and two children.

Danielle Keatley

Danielle Keatley was from Marin County. She and her husband founded Keatley Wines in Healdsburg.

Keatley grew up in Connecticut before spending several years in Provence, France. She attended the University of Virginia before moving to San Francisco.

Kate Morse

Kate Morse was from Marin County. She joined biotech firm Septerna in 2025 as the Vice President of Commercial Strategy.

“Kate was a devoted wife and mother who proudly brought her children to the office, serving as a truly caring and powerful example to our teams, ” said Jeff Finer, CEO and Co-founder of Septerna, in a statement on LinkedIn.

“Kate’s absence has been deeply felt these past few days as we attempt to grapple with the unimaginable reality of losing her,” Finer said. “We will continue to miss her presence, and our hearts will keep Kate’s memory and family close in the time ahead.”

The statement from the families of the victims they were “experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains. They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”

The families said they were “profoundly grateful for the extensive rescue efforts by Nevada County Search and Rescue, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue and all of the authorities involved, and for the outpouring of support from the Tahoe community and beyond.”

“We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted,” the statement said. “We are asking for privacy and space as our families grieve this sudden and profound loss.”

Who were the ski guides who died?

Alissandratos, Henry and Choo were identified as the Blackbird Mountain Guides staff who died in the avalanche.

Andrew Alissandratos

Alissandratos, 34, lived in Verdi, Nevada but was born and raised in Florida, according to the Blackbird Mountain Guides website.

He spent most of his time in the Sierra Nevada and enjoying frequently climbing and skiiing.

“The mountains are where Andrew feels most himself and he loves sharing the climbing and skiing experiences with his clients as much as he does moving in the mountains himself,” his bio on the website read. “Sharing the knowledge he has gained in the mountains over the years is truly his passion.

Mike Henry

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office identified Henry as being from Tampa Bay, Florida.

Henry, 30, began his climbing journey while he was living in Killington, Vermont, but he began honing his skills when he moved to Summit County, Colorado in 2016, according to his bio with Blackbird Mountain Guides.

He lived there for four years, skiing in the Colorado backcountry often. Henry credited his years in Colorado “as one of the most influential learning periods when it comes to avalanche education,” the Blackbird Mountain Guides website said.

Henry moved to Truckee in 2019. He spent winter and spring teaching and guiding splitboarding in the Sierra Nevada and would guide in Washington’s Northern Cascades during the summer.

Nicole “Niki” Choo

Choo was 42 years old and lived in South Lake Tahoe, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.

She was also successful in the business world, credited as the head of business development for the startup Lunchclub.

“Niki Choo is a founder, investor, and an expert on building business relationships,” her bio read. “In her current role as Head of Business Development for the networking-from-home startup Lunchclub, Niki manages the company’s outreach to and relationships with some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent investors, advisors, and founders.”

Choo was a Harvard University graduate and involved in several other previous business ventures.

Blackbird Mountain Guides released the following statement on Saturday: “We continue to grieve the devastating loss of life from the February 17 avalanche near Castle Peak. Following the release of the names by Nevada County, we hold each individual and their loved ones in our hearts. Those who lost their lives were deeply loved family members, friends, partners, and valued members of the broader mountain community. Among them were members of our guiding team: Andrew Alissandratos, Niki Choo, and Mike Henry; skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are. We also mourn the guests who lost their lives; individuals who shared a love of the outdoors and were part of this close-knit mountain community. We are heartbroken with everyone who is grieving during this profoundly difficult time.”

(Video below: Guiding expert offers insight into Castle Peak, safety measures in backcountry skiing)

A deadly season for skiers

The City of South Lake Tahoe said in a statement on Saturday that 14 lives have been lost since Feb. 6 in ski-related incidents. The city expressed condolences to the families of victims and warned future visitors to “exercise extreme caution” regarding the mountain.

(Video below: KCRA 3’s Brian Hickey recounts backcountry skiing experience, avalanche dangers.)

“Please respect all resort boundaries, stay informed on avalanche forecasts, and look out for one another on the slopes. Safety must always be first,” the city said.

Moon said she will not declare the recovery process complete until the responders have returned from the mountain.

The avalanche occurred roughly one mile from another deadly avalanche that happened in January, which buried a snowmobiler. Since 1950, California has experienced 57 fatal avalanches.

SOURCE: kcra.com