Overview
- Two patrollers were caught in a slide around 7:30 a.m. Friday during pre-opening avalanche mitigation on Lincoln Mountain.
- Mammoth Mountain identified the victim as 30-year-old Cole Murphy, confirming his death in a Sunday update.
- The second patroller underwent surgery and is recovering, according to resort officials.
- The resort reported over five feet of snowfall since Dec. 23 and suspended operations as avalanche advisories warned that human-triggered slides were likely.
- The accident occurred on the same peak where a patroller died after a mitigation slide earlier this year, underscoring recurring hazards for patrol teams.