An investigation has found nine backcountry skiers killed in the deadliest avalanche in modern California history were being guided through dangerous terrain when safer routes were available. It also says the group was large enough to increase the risk of being caught in a deadly slide. The report of the Sierra Avalanche Center was released Saturday. It questions decisions made by group leaders with Blackbird Mountain Guides. It says the group was traveling beneath an avalanche path after intense snowfall made a slide more likely. Investigators also said the skiers were traveling in a tightly packed line but should have been spaced out to reduce the risk.

It’s been a deadly winter on California’s slopes, but the state has no idea how bad it really is.

California's ski resorts face a deadly season, but the state still lacks a clear count of injuries and deaths. In February, several serious incidents hit major resorts, and an avalanche near Lake Tahoe killed nine backcountry skiers. CalMatters reports California does not track slope accidents. It also does not set a trigger for investigations. Reporters contacted more than two dozen resorts and got no data. Records from the U.S. Forest Service can take months. A father who lost his daughter pushed for reporting laws, but governors vetoed them. Experts say better data drives safer choices and smarter science.

Authorities looking into the deadly avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada will investigate whether criminal negligence played a role in the tragedy. A sheriff's office leading one of several investigations said Friday that it couldn't share more details, saying it is an open investigation. A California state agency that regulates workplace safety also is investigating Tuesday's avalanche that killed eight. One other person remains missing and is presumed dead. Among the questions being considered is why the tour company that organized the backcountry ski trip moved forward in the face of a powerful storm. Crews are hoping to make progress Friday in their efforts to recover the victims.

Authorities in California say it will be at least another day before crews can attempt to recover the bodies of eight people killed in an avalanche and one other who remains missing. Crews say there's still heavy snow and a high risk of more avalanches Thursday in the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe. The victims include a group connected to an area skiing academy. Six others were found alive by rescuers Tuesday hours after the avalanche hit on Tuesday. A mayor near San Francisco says the group included moms from the Bay Area. Authorities said Wednesday that among the survivors are one of four professional guides on the trip.

Authorities say the bodies of eight backcountry skiers have been found and one remains missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California. Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada after a 911 call reporting an avalanche Tuesday morning. Six others were found alive. Heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort in the mountains near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Authorities have told the families the mission has moved from rescue to recovery. They say the eight victims were found fairly close together, and that three of them were discovered by the skiers who survived.

Powerful winter storms brought the wettest Christmas season to Southern California this week. Relentless winds and rain also triggered widespread debris flows and left homes halfway filled with mud. Rains were expected to ease Friday afternoon but there's still a risk of flash flooding near Los Angeles. Officials say firefighters rescued over 100 people Thursday night in Los Angeles county. Homes and cars in a mountain town were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud, and roads were washed out. The storms were the result of atmospheric rivers and were blamed for several deaths this week.