The tour guide company that was involved in the backcountry ski trip in February in which nine people were killed in an avalanche has ceased operations as it continues to face liability for the tragedy.Blackbird Mountain Guides, which has faced a loud barrage of questions over the past nine months f ollowing the February avalanche, is no longer in business. The company's website has a two-sentence message on its front page saying, "Blackbird Mountain Guides is no longer operating. We are forever grateful for the kindness of our community."CBS Sacramento was among the first outlets to report the news.While the company has not claimed responsibility for the actions of its guides on the morning of February 17, the state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) formally cited and fined the company in August, listing multiple safety violations. The largest of several fines, which totaled $151,300, was $81,000 for "Failing to correct the imminent hazard posed by traveling in avalanche terrain when the avalanche danger was rated high."Wrongful death lawsuits from the family members of those killed seem likely to follow — though it's also likely that the tour guests signed some sort of liability waiver — particularly in light of the state fine and an April report from an avalanche safety organization that concluded, through witness statements from three of the survivors, that the guides irresponsibly led the group through a known avalanche runout zone when other options were available.The company issued a statement following the Cal-OSHA citations and fines saying, "The citations do not reflect the reality of our profession or the safety program we have built. We 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." They added, "Mountain guiding takes place in dynamic wilderness environments where conditions change minute to minute — it's not a controlled setting such as construction sites. We welcome the opportunity to work with Cal/OSHA to contextualize the unique realities of operating in backcountry environments."Three of the four Blackbird Mountain ski guides who were on the excursion were killed, along with six of the eleven guests they had led into the backcountry days earlier. The group left the remote cabins known as the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts in the midst of a blizzard on February 17, even though they could have safely remained at the huts.The surviving guide has not spoken publicly about the decision-making process that day.The victims that day, with the first three listed being the guides, were:Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, NevadaMichael Henry, 30, from Tampa Bay, FloridaNicole "Niki" Choo, 42, from South Lake TahoeCarrie Atkin, 42, from South Lake TahoeLiz Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, IdahoDanielle Keatley, 44, from Marin CountyKate Morse, 45, from Marin CountyCaroline Sekar, 45, from San FranciscoKate Vitt, 43, from Marin CountyThe six female guests who were killed were all part of the same friend group, all experienced skiers who had left their families behind to take this ladies' trip together, something they had reportedly done in other locations in previous years.The avalanche on February 17 was the deadliest in the US since 1981.As CBS Sacramento notes, Blackbird Mountain Guides was appealing the Cal-OSHA citations, and that appeal is still pending.Previously: New Report Blames Back-Country Guides For Choosing Highly Avalanche-Prone Route In Tahoe Tragedy ...read more read less