Cal/OSHA Fines Backcountry Mountain Guide Service $151,300 Following Deadly Tahoe Avalanche

TRUCKEE, CA — The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued $151,300 in workplace safety citations Saturday against Blackbird Mountain Guides following an exhaustive six-month investigation into a fatal backcountry avalanche in the Sierra Nevada.

Investigation Findings and Safety Violations

The incident occurred during a guided backcountry ski tour near Castle Peak in February, when a persistent slab avalanche triggered on a 38-degree slope, claiming the life of an experienced skier and severely injuring three clients. Cal/OSHA cited the commercial operator for five safety violations, including failure to conduct formalized daily snowpit stability assessments and operating in avalanche terrain during high-hazard advisory warnings.

"Commercial guide services owe their clients and employees the highest duty of professional terrain management and hazard mitigation," Cal/OSHA stated in its enforcement notice.

Guide Industry Standards Review

The company has 15 business days to appeal the citations to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board. The decision has prompted the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) to convene an industry standards panel to review commercial terrain evaluation protocols.