Avalanche leaves 2 ski patrollers injured at Mammoth Mountain

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. (KABC) — Two ski patrollers were injured in an avalanche at Mammoth Mountain on Friday morning during mitigation work.

Both patrollers were caught in the slide when the avalanche came down on Lincoln Mountain around 7:30 a.m. and had to be transported to Mammoth Hospital, according to a post on Mammoth Mountain’s Instagram.

One patroller sustained serious injuries, while the other was evaluated with possible broken bones.

Further information on their conditions was not immediately available.

Mammoth and June Mountains will remain closed through Saturday to allow mountain operations and patrol teams time to mitigate storm-related hazards across the entire mountain.

This comes as a storm slams Southern California, bringing low temperatures to the mountains and giving way for snow in the high-elevation areas.

Since Tuesday, Mammoth Mountain has received over five feet of snow.

Less than a year ago, a ski patroller died days after getting caught in an avalanche on that same mountain. That incident, which occurred on Valentine’s Day, also trapped another patroller. That person was recovered at the scene uninjured.