Avalanche expert says answers in fatal California slide will come from survivors

Renowned avalanche expert Bruce Tremper cautions against rushing to judgment on the guides' decisions.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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One of the world's foremost avalanche experts, Bruce Tremper, said the factors involved in the deaths of at least eight skiers in a major slide in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains will come from the survivors. Tremper, the former director of the Utah Avalanche Center, cautioned that it would not "be fair" at this point to second-guess the decisions made by the group's guides, who were highly trained and experienced.

Why it matters

This tragic avalanche incident has raised questions about decision-making in high-risk backcountry conditions, as well as the role of guides and their training. Tremper's perspective provides important context about the complexities involved in avalanche safety and the need to withhold judgment until more information is available from the survivors.

The details

The avalanche occurred on Tuesday morning in the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, killing at least eight skiers, including three guides from the Blackbird Mountain Guides company leading the group. Six members of the ski group, including a fourth guide, survived the avalanche and were rescued. The bodies of the victims have not yet been transported from the backcountry due to ongoing inclement weather. Tremper said a myriad of factors could have played a role, and that it's possible the group was doing something normally safe but an "unprecedented event" led to the tragedy.

  • The avalanche occurred on Tuesday morning.
  • The bodies of the victims have not yet been transported from the backcountry due to ongoing inclement weather.

The players

Bruce Tremper

One of the world's foremost avalanche experts, the former director of the Utah Avalanche Center and author of the book "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain".

Blackbird Mountain Guides

The guiding company leading the group that was caught in the avalanche, with three of its highly experienced guides killed in the incident.

Zeb Blais

The founder of Blackbird Mountain Guides, who said the three employees killed were "highly experienced members of our guide team" and that all the guides were trained or certified in backcountry skiing by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and were instructors with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE).

Shannan Moon

The Nevada County Sheriff, who said authorities are still in conversation with the guides about the decision factors that led them to trek out of the rugged area during high avalanche danger warnings.

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What they’re saying

“Everybody wants to point fingers. Everybody wants to say, 'Should they have known better? Did they make a mistake?'”

— Bruce Tremper, Avalanche expert (ABC News)

“We really don't know until they interview the people [who survived] and the information starts coming out.”

— Bruce Tremper, Avalanche expert (ABC News)

“In addition, guides in the field are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based on conditions.”

— Zeb Blais, Founder, Blackbird Mountain Guides (Yahoo News)

“There is still a lot that we're learning about what happened. It's too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway. We don't have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do.”

— Zeb Blais, Founder, Blackbird Mountain Guides (Yahoo News)

What’s next

Investigators will continue to interview the survivors and gather more information to determine the exact factors that led to the deadly avalanche. The Blackbird Mountain Guides company has suspended all field operations through at least February 22nd as they await the findings of the investigation.

The takeaway

This tragic incident highlights the inherent risks and complexities involved in backcountry skiing, even for the most experienced guides and groups. Tremper's caution against rushing to judgment underscores the need for a thorough, impartial investigation to understand what happened and learn from this devastating event to improve avalanche safety going forward.