Skier Dies at Popular California Mountain Resort, Marking the Fourth Death There This Winter Season

A skier has died following an accident at California’s Mammoth Mountain, the fourth reported death there during this winter season.

The skier — whose name has not been released publicly — was attempting “Dropout 2,” an expert-level run known as one of the resort’s steepest marked trails, on Feb. 5, according to a spokesperson for Mammoth Resorts.

Dropout 2 descends from the summit ridge at an elevation of roughly 11,000 feet, the Los Angeles Times and the Mammoth Times reported.

Ski patrol reached the skier at about 1:04 p.m. local time, the spokesperson said, roughly four minutes after the incident occurred.

“Life-saving care was administered immediately, and the guest was quickly transported to the care of paramedics,” the spokesperson said.

The skier was taken to Mammoth Hospital for further treatment but later died, the spokesperson added. Officials said notification of next of kin is still pending.

Witness accounts posted on Reddit described the skier coming out of their skis during the fall and sliding headfirst for hundreds of feet. One person wrote that the skier “hit a rock” and then continued sliding “while unconscious about another 150 yards down the trail,” leaving “a blood trail the entire way,” as the skier’s companion tried to catch up and stop the slide.

That same witness said they saw ski patrol performing CPR at the scene, adding, “It appeared very bad,” and said the other person was nearby on the phone crying.

Another Reddit user said officials later closed off part of the mountain in the area where the fall occurred.

The Feb. 5 incident is the fourth death reported on Mammoth Mountain during the current winter season. On Christmas Day, 71-year-old Raymond Albert — known as “Every Day Ray” — died after reportedly coming out of his skis. A written report of the incident provided to his family said he was found pitched forward, with his head in the snow and his feet in the air, according to the Times.

The next day, 30-year-old ski patroller Cole Murphy was killed after becoming trapped in an avalanche. An unnamed snowboarder was also pronounced dead on Jan. 16, per the Times.

In a separate incident elsewhere at Mammoth Mountain, a 12-year-old girl was captured on video dangling from a ski lift before falling to the ground on Jan. 31. Her mother said the girl did not suffer broken bones or significant injuries.