4 More IDs Released In Deadly Avalanche

Six women killed in California's deadliest avalanche were identified by their families Thursday, bringing the tragedy home to several Bay Area communities.

Several of the victims were mothers with young children and high-powered careers at Bay Area firms. One was married to a rescue team member, and all were known for their love of backcountry wilderness. The toll began hitting families, school communities and companies Thursday.

Sisters Caroline Sekar and Liz Clabaugh died together on the mountain. The New York Times spoke with Clabaugh's husband, who called the incident a "nightmare."

Sekar is a San Francisco resident and, according to her LinkedIn, a Stanford alum, while Clabaugh, 52, lived in Boise, Idaho, according to the report.

Kate Vitt, a Marin County mother who worked at Sirius XM, Kate Morse, a Tiburon resident and Vice President of a biotechnology company, Danielle Keatley, a Marin County resident who worked for a biopharmaceutical company and Carrie Atkin, a Truckee-Tahoe area resident and career coach, were also identified by their families.

"They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors," according to their families, who said the women were all from the Bay Area, Idaho and the Truckee-Tahoe region. "They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains."

Three ski guides who were also killed in the avalanche have yet to be identified.

"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," their families said. "We are asking for privacy and space as our families grieve this sudden and profound loss."

Authorities on Thursday suspended the recovery mission for a group of nine skiers presumably killed in California's deadliest avalanche as a powerful winter storm continues to cause blinding snowy conditions throughout the Central Sierra Nevada's remote wilderness.

An avalanche warning is still in effect in the region through Friday. Search and rescue crews are now looking to the weekend to help recover the bodies of the victims, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office. In the meantime, communities in the Bay Area and Idaho are beginning to mourn the loss of loved ones, including two sisters killed in the avalanche.

Only after the search resumes, according to deputies, will authorities be able to publicly identify the victims.

"We are on the mountain, but they are not going to be able to safely reach them," Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, said Thursday. "The weather conditions are really dangerous."

Early reports suggest the sisters were traveling with college friends on the three-day backcountry trek through the mountains. In total, 15 people, including four guides from a ski tour company, Blackbird Mountain Guides, took part in the trip.

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The community of Mill Valley is in mourning as news spread Thursday of the avalanche death of a mother of two young children. That mother turned out to be Vitt.

“Our heart in Mill Valley goes out to the families that have been impacted,” Mill Valley Mayor Max Perrey told The New York Times. “It’s a huge tragedy and a huge loss.”

The Kentfield School District in Marin County confirmed in an email that one of its community members, a mother of two young students, died in the avalanche, according to SFGate. The email, which identified the mother and her children, described the family as "a cherished part of our community" and stated that the two boys are with their father as they "navigate this profound loss."

A Skiing Community Devastated

The skiers and guides all understood the dangers of trekking through California’s Sierra Nevada remote wilderness, according to AP News, as they had close ties to Lake Tahoe's alpine community.

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Some were connected to an academy for competitive skiers, one of the victims was married to a backcountry rescue team member, and all the guides were certified or trained in backcountry skiing through the American Mountain Guides Association.

It's unclear why the group went out despite the avalanche warning. But what the guides and Blackbird Mountain Guides knew about the warnings and risks from a powerful winter storm that blasted the mountains during the trip is now part of the ongoing investigation.

Blackbird Mountain Guide officials called the incident an "enormous tragedy," but did not comment on the decision to go on with the excursion.

The company said in a statement online that they are still learning more about the moments leading up to the avalanche, and that it was too soon to conclude what happened.

"We ask that people following this tragedy refrain from speculating," the ski company said. "We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do. In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts."

Families of the victims echoed that the trip was well-organized in advance. and that everyone traveling across the backcountry was fully trained and equipped with avalanche safety equipment.

"They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains," the families said. The families said their focus has now shifted to supporting their children and "honoring the lives of these extraordinary women."

The 15 skiers, most of them women, began their multi-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.

It was the last day of their trip on Tuesday, and they were in the Tahoe National Forest area near Truckee, when the avalanche hit. Authorities said the skiers had little time to react.

“Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘Avalanche!’ and it overtook them rather quickly,” said Capt. Russell “Rusty” Greene, of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday.

Six survivors — four men and two women — searched for their missing, but were only able to find three who were already dead during the six hours they waited to be rescued, authorities said. Search and rescue crews later found the remaining dead, while one skier, who is presumed dead, has yet to be found.

The skiers all had beacons that could send signals to rescuers, and at least one guide could send text messages.

Of the six survivors, one was a ski guide at Blackbird Mountains Guides, and five were clients. Two survivors suffered injuries that left them unable to walk. One has since been released while the other remains hospitalized. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to authorities.

The avalanche is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.

AP News contributed to this report.