Mom ski group who loved the outdoors identified as six victims of Lake Tahoe avalanche

Six out of the nine skiers who perished or are missing presumed dead following an avalanche in Lake Tahoe were part of a close-knit mom group. Two of the women were also sisters.

Eight bodies have been found, and one person remains missing around the Castle Peak trailhead after a 100-yard-wide avalanche on Tuesday hit a group of 15 experienced backcountry skiers and guides. Three victims are yet to be identified.

A spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has said it will be at least another day before crews can continue their recovery efforts. Local authorities have closed the surrounding area until March 15, citing “The current instability of the snowpack and need to prioritize first responder access to the area.”

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Sekar, 45, has been described by her neighbour, Jen Wofford, as someone who “radiated sunshine.” A Stanford University graduate, Sekar worked in tech consulting in San Francisco, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In a statement to the New York Times, her husband of over 20 years, Kiren Sekar, said: “Caroline spent her final days doing what she loved best, with the people who loved her most, in her favorite place.

“She was with me, her children and our puppy, and then on one last adventure with her sister and close friends, who she now rests with.”

Sekar lived in San Francisco with her husband and two children and loved adventuring in the great outdoors.

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Clabaugh, 52, was Sekar’s sister. She lived and worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Boise, Idaho, but would meet up with her sister and other friends for regular ski trips.

Clabaugh and Sekar’s brother, McAlister Clabaugh, described his sisters as “two of the best people I’ve ever known.” Telling the Times: “They were incredible sisters, mothers, wives and friends. And the idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

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Atkin, 46, had moved from the Bay Area around San Francisco to California’s Sierra Nevada with her husband to live the life they had “dreamed of” in the mountains.

Her husband, Peter Atkin, with whom she shared two children, told theTimes that he is “shattered by this tragedy,” adding, “even in our grief, we are committed to living a life that would make her proud — a life filled with the adventure, kindness and dedication to others that defined her.”

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Keatley, 44, ran a wine business with her husband, Keatley Wines.

She was born in the U.S., but moved to France when she was young and developed a love of cooking, according to the Keatley Wines website.

She and her husband, Dave, founded their wine businesses in order to learn more about California’s diverse landscapes.

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Morse, 45, of Tiburon, California, is being survived by her husband, Eric, and her three children

Morse has worked as a biotech executive in life sciences for the past 20 years. She also had an MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, according to her LinkedIn and The Ark, Tiburon's local paper.

A statement from all the victims’ families said that they are “devastated beyond words.”

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Vitt, 43, is remembered as a “cherished part of our community,” per a letter from Marin County’s Kentfield School District provided to the New York Times, and a “vibrant” and “devoted” parent by a neighbour speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In addition to being seen as a vital member of her community, Vitt was a successful radio executive, serving as VP of Product Operations and Customer Success at SiriusXM, according to her LinkedIn profile.

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Several of the women were well-known in Marin County, an affluent enclave above San Francisco.

Brian Colbert, a member of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, told The New York Times: “It’s gut-wrenching because so many people knew these moms.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who grew up in Marin County, said he knew a number of the victims.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives, and a community of skiers and a community of families from the Bay Area, so many of them so attached to the Sugar Bowl region,” said the governor.

The three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides who perished alongside the mom group have yet to be identified.