Avalanche victims (clockwise from top left) Carrie Atkin, Kate Morse, Danielle Keatley and Caroline Sekar.  (Family Handout)

 

Six women among those killed in an avalanche in Tahoe’s backcountry this week were a group of “mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors,” their families said.

According to a statement from their families released Thursday evening, the victims were:

Danielle Keatley of Marin County
Kate Morse of Marin County
Kate Vitt of Marin County
Caroline Sekar of San Francisco
Carrie Atkin, a Truckee-Tahoe area resident
Liz Clabaugh of Boise, Idaho

Two of the women, Clabaugh and Sekar, were sisters, according to reporting from The New York Times, which also reported that Vitt was a mother of students who attend elementary school in the Kentfield School District in Marin County.

Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters at a public transportation event on Thursday that some of those from Marin County who were involved in the avalanche were family friends, calling the incident tragic. Newsom said he had previously spent time at the Frog Lake huts where the victims had stayed.

In an email to KQED, Larkspur Mayor Stephanie Andre expressed her condolences for the loss of Keatley, who founded Keatley Wines with her husband.

Snow comes down on pine trees during a storm on Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, California. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
“The pair were frequently seen supporting local organizations and sharing their namesake wines at community events,” Andre wrote. “Danielle Keatley was a radiant, beautiful soul. She was warm, kind and exuded a special quality that drew people to her.”

The families’ statement called the six women “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains” and said they were experienced, trained and fully equipped to be on the trip.

“We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted,” the families’ statement reads.

For the community of Truckee, which sits at the base of Donner Summit near where the avalanche occurred, the news of the deadly avalanche has been traumatizing, Mayor Anna Klovstad said.

With just over 17,000 residents, the small mountain town is full of outdoor enthusiasts and recreators, many of whom regularly go into the Castle Peak wilderness, she said.

“You can see Castle Peak from most of Truckee,” Klovstad said. “That’s also where many of us play.”

The tremendous efforts from local search-and-rescue crews and the community support she’s seen so far have been heartening, she said.

A community vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Sunday in downtown Truckee, and a community grief support listening session is scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sierra College.

An interfaith service is also set to take place at the Church of the Mountains on Monday at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by drop-in support hours.

“Almost immediately, members of the community reached out offering their support and wanted to know how they could help,” Klovstad said.