2 Ski Patrollers Caught In Mammoth Avalanche

MAMMOTH LAKES, CA — Two ski patrollers were rescued Friday morning after getting caught in an avalanche at Mammoth Mountain, according to resort officials.

Mammoth Mountain's Ski Patrol was out around 7:30 a.m. performing avalanche mitigation work around Lincoln Mountain when an avalanche hit, resort officials said in a statement on social media.

Two members of the ski patrol were caught in the avalanche but were swiftly rescued, according to the resort. They have both been taken to local hospitals, officials said.

One of the ski patrollers suffered serious injuries, while the other is being evaluated for possible broken bones, officials said. It's unclear what the extent of each person's injuries is.

The ski area at the resort will be closed for the remainder of the day, officials said.

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The incident followed a powerful atmospheric river that brought heavy rain, wind and snowfall to California this week. The storm caused flash flooding in cities like Los Angeles and avalanches in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where Mammoth is located.

Mammoth Mountain officials said the area has received over five feet of snow since Tuesday. Following the incident on Friday, officials at the resort said it would be suspending operations on the mountains due to high avalanche danger.

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