Why one backcountry guide narrowly missed being part of group hit by Tahoe avalanche

"Truckee backcountry-education and guiding company owner Sarah Reynaud and her husband and two daughters had a trip booked to the Frog Lake Huts for the same three days as the party hit by Tuesday's deadly avalanche. But for an illness, Reynaud said Thursday, We would've been with that group. Instead, she watched the tragedy send shudders of grief through much of Northern California's devoted skiing community."

"Reynaud had never visited Frog Lake, which opened to the public just five years ago after nearly 100 years of private ownership. The lake and environs are described by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which manages the huts, as one of the snowiest places in the western hemisphere. The Donner trust, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy, purchased Frog Lake and its surroundings in 2020 for $15 million."

"I was excited to go, Reynaud said. It's a beautiful place that the land trust has put together. Instead, one of the couple's teen daughters got sick, and the family canceled the trip. Now, Reynaud, who owns the Tahoe Mountain School with her husband, Sierra Avalanche Center forecaster Steve Reynaud, is waiting like many in the Lake Tahoe region for any news of the tragedy."

Sarah Reynaud and her husband had a Frog Lake Huts trip booked with their two daughters for the same three days as the deadly avalanche but canceled after one daughter became ill. Frog Lake opened to the public five years ago after nearly a century of private ownership. The Truckee Donner Land Trust manages the huts and describes the lake and environs as one of the snowiest places in the western hemisphere. The Donner Trust and partners purchased Frog Lake and surrounding land in 2020 for $15 million. The land trust built three huts with heat, flush toilets, hot and cold water, and an on-site hutmaster, plus a communal lodge with a fireplace and full kitchen. Eight skiers were killed and one person presumed dead, with three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides among the victims. The incident reverberated through the Lake Tahoe backcountry skiing community and drew comparisons to a prior deadly avalanche at Alpine Meadows.

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