Anton Auzans, a 37-year-old electrician, was reading a book about the history of the Donner-Reed party, which was trapped in 1846 due to snow and nearly half starved, and others survived by resorting to cannibalism. The group was part of a group of 11 skiers and four experts from Blackbird Mountain Guides when the avalanche killed nine people on their final day of their trip. The deadly slide struck amidst avalanche warnings, killing six skiers, three guides, and six of the dead were friends and wives. Following the fatal avalanche, authorities are investigating whether criminal negligence was involved.