Upstate NY Native Among Tragic Calif. Avalanche Victims

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Kate Pettrone Morse, a 45-year-old upstate New York native and mother of three, was among the nine skiers killed in a deadly avalanche near Lake Tahoe on February 17. Morse, a pharmaceutical company executive who grew up in Averill Park, New York, was on a ski trip with five of her girlfriends when the tragic incident occurred.

Why it matters

The Lake Tahoe avalanche was the deadliest in modern California history, highlighting the risks and dangers of outdoor recreation, even for experienced skiers. Morse's death has devastated her close-knit community in upstate New York, where she was remembered as a "beautiful, caring friend" who never forgot her roots.

The details

Morse was a 1999 graduate of Averill Park High School and went on to attend Williams College and earn an MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. She later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and became the vice president of commercial strategy at a California-based biotech company. On February 17, Morse was on a ski trip with five of her girlfriends when they were caught in the deadly avalanche near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

• Morse graduated from Averill Park High School in 1999.
• The deadly avalanche occurred on February 17, 2026.