SAM Magazine—Mono County, Calif., Dec. 29, 2025—A 30-year-old Mammoth Mountain ski patroller died Sunday from injuries sustained in an avalanche on Friday. One other patroller was injured in the incident, which occurred about 7:30 a.m., Dec. 26, on Lincoln Mountain, while the patrollers were conducting avalanche mitigation work. 

After both ski patrol members were caught in the slide, one was transported to Mammoth Hospital where they had surgery and are in recovery, according to local news reports. The other, identified as Cole Murphy, sustained critical injuries and was immediately transported out of the area for medical attention. Murphy later died, according to a Dec. 28 statement from the resort. 

Mammoth Mountain described Murphy as “an experienced patroller with a deep passion for the mountains and love for his career.”  

His family released a tribute through Mammoth, saying that “the mountain was where Cole felt most alive. It was his place of purpose, his community, and his second home. Serving on ski patrol wasn’t just a role for him—it was a calling.”  

Mammoth received more than 5 feet of snow during an atmospheric river on Christmas Day that swamped much of California and closed the resort Dec. 26-27 for avalanche mitigation work. 

The resort resumed operations on its lower lifts Dec. 28, and advised guests that terrain would be limited “as we continue to assess conditions on the upper mountain.”

Last season, Mammoth Mountain patroller Claire Murphy died in a February 2025 incident in which two patrollers were caught in a Valentine’s Day avalanche while conducting mitigation work on Lincoln Mountain.