Overview
- The avalanche struck Lincoln Mountain around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 while ski patrol was conducting avalanche mitigation.
- Two patrollers were trapped and taken to a nearby hospital, and Murphy later died from critical injuries.
- The second patroller was treated for possible broken bones and remains hospitalized, according to resort updates.
- The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center had warned that both natural and human‑triggered slides were likely due to heavy snowfall and strong southwest winds.
- Mammoth Mountain, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office, and Murphy’s family issued tributes praising his dedication as a first responder, and local reporting notes his death is the second patrol fatality at the resort this year.