Final missing Lake Tahoe skier found dead 5 days after avalanche

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.

Authorities said there was an ongoing avalanche risk after the Tuesday disaster and high winds prevented them from being able to utilize helicopters for days.

When winds calmed on Friday, helicopters were used to pour water over the area - a tactic meant to mitigate an avalanche risk - authorities said. Crews were then sent to search for the ninth missing skier.

The victims were confirmed on Saturday as: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs, California; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, California; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, California; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco, California; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, California.

The three Blackbird Mountain guides who died were identified as Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, California, and Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs.

Earlier this week, a family spokesperson identified several of the skiers to the BBC's US media partner, CBS News.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," Moon said at the news conference.

She said they relied on avalanche experts, who said the disaster spread across the size of an American football field and was nearly powerful enough to take out a house.

Six members of the 15-person backcountry ski group were rescued early this week. The group was on its way back from a three-day guided ski trip in the backcountry when the avalanche struck, bringing with it eight feet (2.4 meters) of snow and 90 mph winds.

Nevada County Undersheriff Sam Brown on Thursday told CBS that when the avalanche hit, the skiers went into what he called "frantic mode" to try to find their friends and partners.

"They were ultimately able to unbury three individuals who did not survive," Brown said.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said on Friday that authorities are investigating whether there could be criminal negligence relating to the avalanche, CBS reported.