A 30-year-old ski patroller in California died the day after Christmas when he was caught in an avalanche, resort officials said. The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area released a statement Sunday that Cole Murphy died after suffering critical injuries during avalanche-mitigation work. According to the resort, the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Lincoln Mountain, when a sudden avalanche slide swept through an area where patrollers were actively working. The other patroller at the site was transported to a nearby hospital with what officials described as possible broken bones. Murphy sustained far more severe injuries and later died. The avalanche struck on a day already flagged as particularly dangerous. The Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center had issued warnings about heavy snowfall and strong winds, cautioning that “even if things ease up later today, natural and human-triggered avalanches remain likely.” Murphy’s partner, Hayley, said in a statement shared by Mammoth Mountain that working at the resort was his “calling,” describing it as “his place of purpose, his community, and his second home.” His family echoed that sentiment, saying Murphy moved through the world “with kindness, intention, and a wholehearted devotion to the life he chose.”
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