Cal/OSHA hits Blackbird Mountain Guides with six-figure penalties after deadly avalanche

Cal/OSHA fined Blackbird Mountain Guides $151,300 for a February backcountry avalanche near Castle Peak that killed nine people, citing willful-serious and other safety violations such as failing to correct an imminent avalanche hazard, inadequate hazard assessment, insufficient training, inadequate protective equipment assessment, and failure to report fatalities; the company plans to appeal and contends it operated within safety standards amid the challenging backcountry conditions.