{"id":16695,"date":"2026-08-24T23:59:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=16695"},"modified":"2026-08-24T23:59:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:59:40","slug":"blackbird-mountain-guides-faces-151k-in-fines-for-tahoe-avalanche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=16695","title":{"rendered":"Blackbird Mountain Guides Faces $151K in Fines For Tahoe Avalanche"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>The California workplace safety agency alleges Blackbird Mountain Guides failed to properly train employees and evaluate avalanche hazards before a February slide killed nine people in the backcountry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">A aerial view of a snow-covered road by the Castle Peak Trailhead near Soda Springs, Calif on February 20, 2026<!-- --> (Photo: Stephen Lam\/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published August 24, 2026 05:16PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>On February 17, a devastating backcountry avalanche killed three guides and six clients near Truckee, California. On August 12, the State of California slapped the guiding company that oversaw the trip with $151,000 in fines.<\/p>\n<p>The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal\/OSHA) said that Blackbird Mountain Guides (BMG) violated seven workplace rules,\u00a0including failure to identify an avalanche and properly train staff.<\/p>\n<p>Cal\/OSHA sent <em>Outside<\/em> a copy of its investigation. The list of citations in the document includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Correct the imminent hazard posed by traveling in avalanche terrain when the avalanche danger was rated high ($81,000)<\/li>\n<li>Adequately identify and assess avalanche hazards ($16,200)<\/li>\n<li>Provide effective employee training ($16,200)<\/li>\n<li>Assess the need for protective equipment ($16,200)<\/li>\n<li>Establish and maintain an effective injury and illness prevention program ($16,200)<\/li>\n<li>Report the three employee fatalities to Cal\/OSHA within the required timeframe ($5,000), and<\/li>\n<li>Deficiencies in the employer\u2019s Heat Illness Prevention Plan ($500)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a statement published on its website, BMG said it would appeal the citations, arguing that the company complied with required safety standards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe citations do not reflect the reality of our profession or the safety program we have built,\u201d BMG wrote in a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/blackbirdguides.com\/pages\/live-incident-updates\">statement<\/a>. \u201cWe believe Blackbird operated in full compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and consistent with the established safety frameworks of the broader professional mountain guiding industry.<\/p>\n<p>A legal expert not involved in the case told <em>Outside<\/em> these citations are among the most serious investigators can issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dA willful citation is Cal\/OSHA\u2019s most serious classification,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/representmyinjury.com\/\">John Roach<\/a>, a San Francisco-based attorney specializing in personal injury who has been following the case, told <em>Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2753107\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2753107\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2262590067.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2262590067.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Attendees raise their candles during a vigil for the nine Castle Peak avalanche victims in Truckee, California<\/span> (Photo: San Francisco Chronicle\/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A Serious Distinction<\/h2>\n<p>The largest single penalty, $81,000, is based on a combination of two violations that Cal\/OSHA describes as \u201cwillful-serious.\u201d Cal\/OSHA uses this distinction\u00a0for cases in which an employer knew about a hazard that could reasonably kill or seriously injure someone, and didn\u2019t reasonably address it.<\/p>\n<p>According to Cal\/OSHA\u2019s\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/ords\/imis\/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1875975.015\">report<\/a>, BMG guides entered avalanche terrain when danger was considerable. On the morning of the avalanche, Sierra Avalanche Center <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sierraavalanchecenter.org\/forecasts\/avalanche\/central-sierra-nevada#\/forecast\/1\/180664\">issued an avalanche warning<\/a> and rated the avalanche danger as high, the second-highest rating available. The report also determined that BMG guides entered a high-risk avalanche area to provide aid, despite local law enforcement\u2019s recommendation against it.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time Cal\/OSHA has levied fines after an avalanche. On August 10, 2026, the agency fined Mammoth Mountain ski resort $126,000 for a fatal 2025 avalanche that killed ski patroller Cole Murphy. Mammoth Mountain is currently appealing that report.<\/p>\n<h2>A Different Report Clears BMG<\/h2>\n<p>In its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/blackbirdguides.com\/pages\/live-incident-updates\">statement<\/a>, BMG said it is appealing all seven charges, arguing that mountain guiding happens in \u201cdynamic wilderness environments where conditions change minute to minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On August 9, Blackbird <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0298\/8159\/8051\/files\/2.17_Independent_Preliminary_Report_Supplemental_Key_Findings_8.1.26.pdf?v=1786255485\">released its own avalanche report<\/a>, commissioned from an independent avalanche professional, which claims that the group\u2019s movements were \u201cconsistent with an effort to reach terrain even farther from the avalanche runout zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlackbird continues to cooperate with all investigations and remains committed to working collaboratively with every agency reviewing this tragedy to further the understanding of what occurred,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n<p>Roach said the citations do not represent legal judgment against BMG.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCal\/OSHA has already done its own investigation to reach a willful finding, and that\u2019s a real evidentiary step,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also not a final legal judgment; the company is appealing, and appeals do sometimes succeed in reducing a citation\u2019s severity or amount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The appeal process now moves to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dir.ca.gov\/oshab\/General-FAQs.html\">California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board<\/a>, an independent panel that hears Cal\/OSHA citation challenges. There\u2019s no fixed timeline for a final decision, and the board says the process can take several months.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/exploration-survival\/blackbird-mountain-guides-tahoe-avalanche-citations-fines\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The California workplace safety agency alleges Blackbird Mountain Guides failed to properly train employees and evaluate avalanche hazards before a February slide killed nine people in the backcountry. A aerial view of a snow-covered road by the Castle Peak Trailhead near Soda Springs, Calif on February 20, 2026 (Photo: Stephen Lam\/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}