Final 3 Victims of Deadly Tahoe Avalanche Identified as Pro Guides, All 9 Bodies Recovered from the Mountain

Five people who died in the Feb. 17 avalanche were recovered on Feb. 20, while the remaining four were recovered on Feb. 21

NEED TO KNOW

• Authorities have identified the final three victims who died in the avalanche in Tahoe National Forest in California on Feb. 17
• The three victims — guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides — are Andrew Alissandratos, Nicole Choo and Michael Henry
• Five people who died in the avalanche were recovered on Feb. 20, while the remaining four were recovered on Feb. 21

The final victims of the deadly California avalanche have been identified. 

In a news release confirming that the bodies of all nine victims who died in the avalanche in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest on Feb. 17 have been recovered, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office identified the final three victims as professional guides from the same company.

The three victims are Blackbird Mountain Guides employees Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nev.; Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; and Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs, Calif.

Their bodies were recovered as part of a two-day recovery effort. Five people who died in the avalanche were recovered on the evening of Feb. 20, while the remaining four were recovered on the morning Feb. 21.

“There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” said Sheriff Shannan Moon in a Feb. 21 statement.

She added, “The weight of this event is felt across many families, friends and colleagues, and we stand together with them during this difficult time.”

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In the first few days after the Feb. 17 avalanche, six of the victims who died were identified by a representative from JVP Communications as a group of mom and wives, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

On Feb. 21, the sheriff’s office also confirmed their identities: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs, Calif.; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

“They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors,” the families said in the statement. “They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

The group of skiers got caught in the avalanche at the conclusion of a three-day backcountry skiing trip near Lake Tahoe, according to a previous statement from Blackbird Mountain Guides.

Six members of the group were able to survive, spending hours in the snow and cold before help arrived. The next day, officials announced that eight people had been found dead, while a ninth skier remained missing, but was presumed dead at the time.

Efforts to recover their bodies were hampered by the weather.

In a joint statement, the families of six previously identified victims said the fatal avalanche left them with "many unanswered questions."

“The trip had been organized well in advance,” the families wrote, noting that the friends on the trip “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,” the statement continued.

"We are profoundly grateful for the extensive rescue efforts by Nevada County Search and Rescue, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue and all of the authorities involved, and for the outpouring of support from the Tahoe community and beyond,” they wrote. "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."

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