"The state fined Mammoth Mountain Ski Area LLC $26,810 for three violations related to the death, according to a July 2025 citation that is being reported here for the first time. The violations included not ensuring the patrollers were able to deploy avalanche airbags prior to the 25-year-old's death."
"Both Mammoth ski patrollers died during heavy powder days, which are the most emotionally charged moments at ski resorts. The fresh snow brings lines of customers to the lifts early, and ski patrollers spend hours trying to clear the mountain of avalanche risk as unstable powder piles up above hard-packed snow."
"California's worker safety regulator found Mammoth Mountain at fault in the death of a ski patroller last season in an avalanche, determining the resort 'failed' to provide necessary safeguards for its staff."
California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the death of ski patroller Claire Murphy, who was killed in an avalanche on February 14, 2025, while opening the mountain during a blizzard. Murphy and a partner were swept down a steep chute; her partner survived but Murphy died from injuries. Cal/OSHA cited Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for three violations, including failing to ensure patrollers could deploy avalanche airbags. The resort was fined $26,810 and is contesting the findings. A second patroller, Cole Murphy, died in December 2025 during avalanche mitigation work in the same area, with Cal/OSHA currently investigating that incident as well.
#workplace-safety #avalanche-hazards #ski-resort-liability #occupational-fatalities #regulatory-enforcement
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