Changes at Top of Mammoth Ski Patrol After Death of Two Patrollers
13th August 2026
Cole Murphy, 30 years old, died in an avalanche on 26th December 2025 as he was carrying out control work. A report found the resort “Wilfully At Fault”. It was…
Read more >
Cole Murphy, 30 years old, died in an avalanche on 26th December 2025 as he was carrying out control work.
A report found the resort “Wilfully At Fault”.
It was the second death of a patroller within a year after Claire Murphy (no relation) died in February 2025.
Mammoth has now changed the leadership and operations of its ski patrol.
Former ski patrol director Bobby Hoyt has stepped aside to a senior adviser role.
Mammoth has posted several job openings for leadership roles on ski patrol, including for a replacement director and new roles for assistant directors for operations and snow safety.
“These additions strengthen operational oversight, provide additional leadership support in the field, and reflect Mammoth’s ongoing commitment to continuously evaluating and improving mountain operations,” said a statement from the resort.
Mammoth Mountain. Image © PlanetSKI
At around 7.15 on December 26th 2025 Cole Murphy and a colleague set off an explosion and triggered a large avalanche in the Avalanche Chutes above a marked run.
They were swept him and the other patroller down the mountain.
We reported on it at the time on PlanetSKI:
Mammoth shut down operations, while ski patrol searched for Murphy using transceivers and probes.
He was found after 15 minutes and dug out.
Two of Murphy’s roommates were among the ski patrollers involved in the search.
Mammoth remained closed for the rest of the day.
Cole Murphy was taken to Mammoth Hospital and then flown to the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, where he was put on a ventilator.
He later died from his injuries.
Cole Murphy was the second ski patroller at Mammoth to be killed by an avalanche in less than a year.
On February 14th 2025, 25-year-old ski patroller Claire Murphy was buried in an avalanche.
She was dug out but later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the avalanche.
Both of the avalanches that killed the patrollers occurred in the Avalanche Chutes off Lincoln Mountain.
See here for the full story in SFGATE.
