An avalanche at the Mammoth Mountain ski area on Friday injured two ski two patrollers, leaving one in serious condition, officials said.
Mammoth Mountain officials said the slide occurred at around 11:30 a.m. at the top of Lincoln Mountain during avalanche mitigation work following a significant Sierra Nevada snowstorm, during which approximately six feet of snow fell in 36 hours.
The first patroller was recovered at the scene uninjured, and the second patroller, who had serious injuries, was transported to Mammoth Hospital and flown out of the area for further care, officials said.
The area was closed to the public at the time of the incident. At noon, the entire mountain and lift operations were closed for the day.
Lincoln Mountain, popular for its steep terrain with chutes, rock bands and tree skiing, is accessed by lifts at Canyon Lodge.
Mountain officials said that due to the extreme snowfall and avalanche conditions, the resort’s opening will be delayed for a few hours on Saturday morning.
Mammoth officials said there is tremendous work to prepare the mountain for weekend skiers.
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