Sisters, raised on Vashon, die in Lake Tahoe avalanche
Published 2:52 pm Thursday, February 19, 2026
Two sisters who grew up on Vashon Island were among the nine backcountry skiers killed in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe last week.
Caroline Sekar and Liz Clabaugh died Tuesday Feb. 17 in the Castle Peak area in Tahoe’s Donner Summit region, The New York Times reported Thursday. The article said the skiers were part of a tight-knit group of friends — including Sekar and Clabaugh — many of whom attended Stanford University together.
They are the daughters of Ted and Vicki Clabaugh, islanders who are well-known for their civic engagement. They moved to Vashon in 1987.
Ted, a retired lawyer, played a leading role in the 1990s in establishing Vashon Community Care, the assisted-living and skilled-nursing facility that served the island for more than 20 years. Vicki has long volunteered at Granny’s Attic, the nonprofit thrift shop that supports island social service and health care organizations. Both have also been strong supporters of Vashon Center for the Arts.
Ted and Vicki declined to comment and requested privacy at this time. They are being cared for by their close friends.
Sekar, 45, lived in San Francisco. Clabaugh, 52, lived in Boise, Idaho, the article said.
A group of 15 skiers — most women — started a three-day trip Sunday. They spent nights in backcountry huts near Frog Lake, according to the article.
Six of those killed were part of a group of eight close friends — all experienced skiers on a trip together — the families said in a statement Thursday. In addition to the sisters, the statement identified Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse and Kate Vitt among those who died, describing most of the women as Bay Area parents who regularly took trips together to the Tahoe region.
“They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains,” the statement said. “They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”
In a statement to The New York Times, Sekar’s husband, Kiren Sekar said they were together for more than 20 years, and that she instilled in their two children a love of hiking, biking and skiing in the mountains.
“Caroline spent her final days doing what she loved best, with the people who loved her most, in her favorite place,” Kiren wrote. “She was with me, her children and our puppy, and then on one last adventure with her sister and close friends, who she now rests with.”
After a five-day search, recovery crews have recovered all nine victims from the mountain, and officials have identified the dead, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived the disaster, officials said.
The other victims were three guides: Andrew Alissandratos, Michael Henry, and Nicole Choo.
The avalanche was the deadliest in modern California history — and among the deadliest in the United States — The New York Times reported.
When the time is right, we hope to commemorate the women who were lost and tell their stories. If they impacted your life, email Aspen Anderson at aspen.anderson@vashonbeachcomber.com.
