I'm John Batchel. I welcome Jeff Bliss, his Pacific Watch.

Jeff, the tragedy in Lake Tahoe. We've spoken

of Tahoe much over these last years, chiefly during the drought, and then the fire season

that swept down, and always about the bears who take up residence in Tahoe houses over the winter

and enjoy themselves buried underneath and raiding fast foods.

But now a tragedy.

Lake Tahoe is also a ski resort.

I want to understand this.

It's a very large area.

And an avalanche, but I read that these were experienced skiers.

What happened, Jeff?

What do we know?

Good day to you.

Good day, John. So there were probably, I think, six women who were all friends, and they would

take these trips in the winter, and they hired a backcountry ski guide company. And so those six

women were lost, who died in the avalanche, as did, I believe, three of the ski guides.

And, you know, it's not unusual to see these types of things.

I'm talking about these groups that travel in and around the Tahoe area of the mountains.

And the allure is to ski in pristine ski areas where there are absolutely no, you know, a few other people.

It's, you know, pristine, it's backcountry, it's quiet.

And there are huts back there in different places where people can go to rest or even

stay if they're injured.

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