For the second time in less than a year, a pair of ski patrollers at Mammoth Mountain have been caught in an avalanche after a major snowstorm.
At about 7:30 a.m. Friday, before the resort opened, the two were performing “avalanche mitigation work” when a sudden slide occurred on Lincoln Mountain, according to Joani Lynch, vice president for marketing and sales.
The pair were rescued and immediately taken to Mammoth Hospital, Lynch said. “One patroller sustained serious injuries and is being transported out of the area for further care,” she said. “The second patroller is being evaluated with possible broken bones.”
The ski area, which has received over 5 feet of snow since Christmas Eve, will remain closed for the rest of the day, she said.
Lincoln Mountain, known for its steep slopes, was the site of a fatal accident in February when another pair of ski patrollers, who were trying to clear snow from runs known as “the avy chutes,” got caught in a sudden slide.
One of the patrollers escaped without serious injury but the other, Claire Murphy, 25, was transported to a hospital in Reno. A week later, the resort confirmed she had died.
That accident occurred after a major storm that dumped about 6 feet of snow on the resort in 36 hours.
This week’s “Christmas miracle” storm has been a godsend for the California ski industry. Many resorts were struggling to remain open due to the paltry precipitation so far this year.
As of last Friday, the state had only 12% of the snow that’s normal for this time of year, and only 3% of what water managers hope for in an average year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Now, the problem for resorts across the Sierra is safely managing the several feet of snow that fell on them in recent days.
That’s particularly important since the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is traditionally the busiest week of the ski season, with thousands flocking to the slopes.
