A devastating avalanche in the Sierra Mountains of California has resulted in the tragic loss of eight experienced backcountry skiers. The incident occurred on Castle Peak amidst a severe winter storm, which dumped 28 inches of snow on the day of the avalanche, with an additional three feet predicted. The combination of a preceding snow drought and the subsequent rapid accumulation of snow created dangerously unstable conditions, triggering the fatal avalanche. The victims, a group of close friends and mothers from the Bay Area, Idaho, and Lake Tahoe, were equipped with avalanche safety gear but were unable to escape the avalanche's force.