Parents of students at ski academy among California avalanche victims
The tragedy is the deadliest U.S. avalanche in 45 years.
ByJeffrey Cook, Vera Drymon, and Jennifer Watts
February 19, 2026, 12:25 AM
1:03
Parents of students at ski academy among California avalanche victimsThe group of skiers involved in the deadly avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains on Tuesday includes parents of students at a local school and ski academy.
Jenna Greene/Reuters
The group of skiers involved in the deadly avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains on Tuesday includes parents, mostly mothers, of students at a local school and ski academy, according to a source involved in the search and rescue effort and a statement from the school.
“Multiple members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died in an avalanche on Tuesday, February 17, 2026,” a statement from the school said.
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