The ninth and final missing skier has been found dead in California's Lake Tahoe backcountry, five days after a powerful avalanche struck several guides and a tight-knit group of friends on a trip.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said on Saturday during a news conference that all nine bodies have now been recovered from the Castle Peak area in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
She also released the names of all nine victims, which included close friends, a pair of sisters and three guides.
Two people who were part of the group escaped the "football-field sized" avalanche - the deadliest in modern California history - and authorities said they might help piece together what happened.
Sheriff Moon and others during the news conference described the harsh weather rescue crews were met with after the avalanche, and that white-out conditions stalled days of searching.
