Castle Peak avalanche: Six mothers identified as victims of deadly avalanche near Lake Tahoe

NEVADA CITY, Calif. (KABC) — Six women killed in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe were identified as mothers and experienced skiers who were on a trip together, their families said in a statement released on Thursday.

Tuesday’s avalanche at Castle Peak – the deadliest in the U.S. in decades – killed eight people and one person remains missing. Six survived the disaster.

According to a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, it will be at least another day before crews can attempt to recover the bodies and continue the search for the person still missing and presumed dead.

What we know about victims in deadly California avalanche

The mothers who were killed were identified by their families as:

The six women were all from the Bay Area, Truckee-Tahoe region and Idaho.

Two sisters were among the dead, their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, told The New York Times. Caroline Sekar, a mother of two, lived in San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh lived in Boise, Idaho. Their brother said they were on the trip with close friends from college.

“The idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Clabaugh said. His employer later told the AP that he and his family asked for privacy while they grieve.

One of the victims was married to a member of a backcountry search and rescue team in the area, said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.

According to the family’s statement, the eight close friends had planned the trip to Frog Lake Huts.

“The trip had been organized well in advance,” the statement read. “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 statement said that the victims’ families are focusing on supporting the children affected the tragedy and honoring the lives of the mothers.

“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 two other people who were killed and the person who remains missing have not been identified.

Avalanche victims were from a ‘connected community’

The 15 skiers, most of them women, began their three-day trip on Sunday just as warnings about the storm were intensifying.

They spent the weekend staying along Frog Lake in high country huts accessible only by challenging trails.

Some have ties with the elite Sugar Bowl Academy, which issued a statement late Wednesday mourning the loss of skiers with “strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community.”

Perched on Donner Summit, the academy is a private boarding and day school for competitive skiers and snowboarders. Its former students include multiple Olympians.

“We are an incredibly close and connected community,” Sugar Bowl Academy executive director Stephen McMahon said in the statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”

KGO-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.