A ski patroller caught in a Valentine‘s Day avalanche at Mammoth Mountain has died from the injuries she sustained, resort officials said Saturday.
Claire Murphy was one of two patrollers conducting “avalanche mitigation” at Lincoln Mountain after an atmospheric river storm dumped 6 feet of snow on the ski resort in 36 hours.
The area had been closed to the public when the avalanche hit around 11:30 a.m. Her patrol partner was extracted uninjured, but Murphy was not as fortunate.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the Mammoth Mountain Ski Patroller, Claire Murphy, who was hospitalized last Friday, passed away as a result of her injuries,” said a statement posted on the resort’s website.
The avalanche shut down the resort temporarily and attracted an outpouring of support from the local ski community.
Ski patrols from other resorts such as Bear Mountain and Palisades at Tahoe raced to be by Murphy’s side and helped fill in at Mammoth as the resort prepared for an influx of skiers, according to the Orange County Register and posts on the Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol Alumni Assn.’s Facebook page.
On average, more than 20 people die every year in avalanches in the United States, according to data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Most victims are backcountry skiers and snowmobilers who take their chances on remote slopes not served by ski patrollers.
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