Sugar Bowl ski community reeling after avalanche victims identified as mothers of youth racers

Some of the people killed in Tuesday’s deadly avalanche near Castle Peak were mothers of children in Sugar Bowl’s competitive ski program, according to sources close to the victims, sending shock waves through one of Tahoe’s tight-knit youth ski communities.

On Wednesday evening, Sugar Bowl Academy Executive Director Stephen McMahon confirmed in an email that “multiple members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died” in what is now the deadliest avalanche in California’s history.

“We are an incredibly close and connected community. This tragedy has affected each and every one of us,” McMahon wrote. “The best thing we can do is surround our athletes and families with care and support while providing the necessary space and time for grief and healing.”

Authorities have not publicly identified those who died, nor have they specified how many were parents of children in the academy program.

Of the 15 people who set out on a three-day backcountry ski trip to the Frog Lake huts north of Interstate 80 near Donner Summit, eight were killed while attempting to return to the trailhead Tuesday morning in whiteout conditions, Nevada County officials said during a news conference Wednesday. A ninth person remains missing.

Six survivors — including a male guide and five women — were able to recover three bodies before rescuers arrived Tuesday evening, about six hours after the slide.

Parents connected to the Sugar Bowl race program were reluctant to speak publicly about the tragedy, citing the families’ privacy and limited details about the circumstances of the slide. But the loss reverberated quickly among those whose children train on the same slopes.

“The only comment that I can possibly make is that it’s an absolute tragedy,” said Kurt Althof, whose son skis in the Sugar Bowl race program but who said he does not have firsthand information about the victims. “My heart, my family’s heart, goes out to all of those that have been impacted by this.”

Sugar Bowl Resort, located near Donner Summit west of Lake Tahoe, is one of the region’s historic ski areas. It operates a competitive ski academy and accredited private school that trains youth athletes throughout the winter season, with programs ranging from weekend instruction to full-time enrollment for racers preparing for regional and national competition.

“Student-athletes are offered world-class athletics and college preparatory academics in one place, all while celebrating grit, grace, and courage,” according to the academy’s statement.

Families often spend much of the winter at the resort for training, races and team events. A number of young athletes in the weekend race program travel from the Bay Area to train at the mountain, making the academy a regular destination for Northern California families.

Just days before the avalanche, the academy hosted its annual winter soiree, describing a “full house, excellent food, and great entertainment” in an online newsletter.

On Monday, as a powerful winter storm moved into the Sierra, McMahon urged families to use caution when driving to the resort.

“We understand you may be delayed in arriving and we are ready to accommodate accordingly,” he wrote. “Stay patient. It is better to get here safely than to rush it. It is going to be an epic week!”

By Tuesday, that storm had unleashed treacherous conditions across parts of the Sierra Nevada. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the slide. There has been no public indication that the avalanche occurred during an organized academy activity.