Aftermath of Tragedy: Blackbird Mountain Guides Shuts Down Following Deadly Castle Peak Avalanche

Nearly nine months after a catastrophic avalanche near Donner Summit claimed the lives of nine skiers, Blackbird Mountain Guides—once one of North America’s most prolific backcountry ski guiding and avalanche education providers—has permanently ceased operations.

The quiet closure, confirmed via a brief, undated tribute posted to the company's homepage, brings an abrupt end to an organization founded in 2020 during the pandemic-driven backcountry boom.

"Blackbird Mountain Guides is no longer operating. We are forever grateful for the kindness of our community," the notice reads. "Wherever we are in the mountains — every ridge, every quiet morning — the nine we lost are with us. In our hearts. Always."

The shutdown arrives ahead of the 2026–27 winter season, following months of intense regulatory scrutiny, workplace safety fines, and soul-searching within the Sierra Nevada mountain community over the deadliest avalanche in modern California history.

Anatomy of a Backcountry Tragedy

On February 17, 2026, a 15-person group—comprising four Blackbird guides and 11 clients—was returning from a three-day, two-night backcountry ski tour at the Frog Lake Huts near Castle Peak.

Despite a severe winter storm hammering the Sierra Nevada and an active avalanche warning issued by the Sierra Avalanche Center recommending against backcountry travel, the group departed the huts that morning to ski out toward the Interstate 80 trailhead.

While traversing low-angle, treed terrain at roughly 7,850 feet, a massive slide—rated D2.5 in destructive force and spanning the width of a football field—broke loose above them and ran 400 feet. Twelve members of the party were buried. Only six people survived, thanks in large part to a guide and a client near the rear of the group who escaped burial due to an equipment delay and frantically dug out four others.

Three of the company’s own guides—Andrew Alissandratos (34), Nicole Choo (42), and Michael Henry (30)—perished alongside six clients. It was the deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1981.

Conflicting Reports and Cal/OSHA Fines

In the wake of the disaster, Blackbird suspended bookings and faced mounting questions over why the guides chose to travel through exposed terrain during peak storm conditions.

• Internal Review: In August 2026, Blackbird released an independent preliminary report authored by avalanche professional Don Sharaf. The report noted the group was crossing a relatively flat drainage (10°–11° steepness) when struck and did not assign direct blame to the company, though critics noted it left unresolved why the exit wasn't delayed at the huts.

• State Enforcement: That same month, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) concluded its workplace investigation, issuing citations and proposing over $150,000 in penalties against Blackbird.

Blackbird formally appealed the Cal/OSHA citations in August. While the company’s closure ends its commercial guiding operations, regulatory officials confirmed that the appeal process and a separate investigation by Cal/OSHA's Bureau of Investigations remain ongoing.

A Reckoning for Backcountry Guiding

Founded by mountaineer Zeb Blais in 2020, Blackbird quickly expanded across California, Washington, and international destinations, ironically building its reputation on teaching recreational skiers how to survive avalanche terrain through AIARE certification courses.

The tragedy has reignited debate over oversight in the rapidly growing backcountry guiding sector. Unlike European alpine nations with strict federal licensing, California maintains no state regulatory board or mandatory credentialing system for commercial backcountry ski guides—relying largely on voluntary industry standards and federal land-use permits.

For the tight-knit community around Truckee and Lake Tahoe, Blackbird’s closure marks the somber conclusion of a painful chapter—one that permanently altered how guides and recreationalists alike view risk in the Sierra backcountry.