According to multiple reports, six of the eight people who died in a massive avalanche that swept through the Castle Peak region of the Sierra Nevada this week have been identified.
The identified victims — Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Daniel Keightley, Kate Morse, Carolyn Saker and Kate Witt — were part of a close-knit group that often went on ski trips together, a spokesman for the families told the San Francisco Chronicle. The spokeswoman said the women and their families “cherished their time together in the mountains”.
Tuesday’s avalanche, the worst in the region in modern times, left eight people dead and a ninth person missing. Six others survived.
“We are devastated beyond words,” the families said in a statement to the Chronicle. “Our focus right now is to support our children through this incredible tragedy and honor the lives of these extraordinary women.”
According to the New York Times, the dead included two sisters, Liz Clabaugh and Carolyn Secker. Their brother, McAllister Clabaugh, said he was devastated by the loss.
“These two are the best people I know,” he said. “They were incredible sisters, mothers, wives and friends. And the thought of them both gone is something I don’t even know how to put into words.”
He added that many of the group of 11 skiers had been close friends for years and regularly traveled together on ski trips. The avalanche occurred as the group was returning to the trailhead after a multi-day backcountry trek.
Clabaugh worked as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, according to the Chronicle. Shekhar worked as a technology consultant.
Saker’s husband, Kiren Saker, told the Times that his wife was “genuine and unabashedly unfiltered”. He said they had been together for more than two decades and that she loved hiking, cycling and skiing.
Neighbors also remember her generosity. According to the Chronicle, when moving into a neighborhood, Saker brought her homemade cookies. She also helped organize neighborhood product pickups, group chats, and block parties.
“Even when talking about something negative, she’s positive,” neighbor Jen Wofford told the Bay Area outlet. “I never heard her say a bad word about anyone. She was always smiling, always polite, doing something small to help a neighbor.”
The Kentfield School District in Marin County notified families Wednesday that Witt, the mother of two elementary school students, died in the avalanche, the Times reported.
In their statement, the families said the group was “experienced backcountry skiers with a deep respect for the mountains” and “trained and prepared for backcountry travel.”
Some of the victims had ties to Sugar Bowl Academy, an elite ski school that issued a statement offering condolences to members of its extended community.
“We are a very close-knit and connected community,” Sugar Bowl Academy Executive Director Stephen McMahon said in a statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”
Officials have not yet released the names of the deceased.
