Six backcountry skiers were stranded and 10 others were missing on Tuesday, Feb. 17-

After an avalanche in Northern California swept through as a powerful winter storm battered the region with heavy snow and high winds.

10 skiers missing after avalanche in raging
Six backcountry skiers were stranded and 10 others were missing on Tuesday, Feb. 17, after an avalanche in Northern California swept through as a powerful winter storm battered the region with heavy snow and high winds.

A Truckee-based mountain guide company has released a statement related to the avalanche Tuesday in which 10 skiers are missing:

“Blackbird Mountain Guides is currently responding to a serious backcountry incident involving an avalanche that occurred this morning, February 17, near the Frog Lake huts in the Castle Peak area.

“A total of 12 clients and four guides had been staying at the Frog Lake huts since February 15. The group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip when the incident occurred.The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides is working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation.

The Reno Gazette Journal is reaching out for more information.

The 10 missing skiers were in a group of 16 — four ski guides and 12 clients, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s most recent update around 4 p.m. Tuesday said six skiers survived and remained at the avalanche site.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched at around 11:30 a.m. local time after receiving reports of an avalanche incident involving a group of skiers in steep backcountry terrain in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. The group included four mountain guides and 12 skiers.