The skier died after they attempted an expert-level run known as “Dropout 2”
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NEED TO KNOW
- A skier died following an accident on California’s Mammoth Mountain on Feb. 5
- The individual attempted an expert-level run known as “Dropout 2”
- The skier’s death marked the fourth to take place at Mammoth Mountain this winter season
A skier died following an accident on California’s Mammoth Mountain, marking the fourth death there this winter season.
The individual, whose identity has not yet been shared publicly, attempted an expert-level run known as “Dropout 2” — one of the mountain’s steepest marked trails — on Feb. 5, the Los Angeles Times and the Mammoth Times reported.
“Dropout 2," the outlets said, descends from the summit ridge at an elevation of roughly 11,000 feet.
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Mammoth Mountain executives confirmed the skier’s death in an email to the Times. They said ski patrol got to the individual at 1:04 p.m. local time, about four minutes after the incident.
“Life-saving care was administered immediately, and the guest was quickly transported to the care of paramedics,” Mammoth Mountain officials told the Times.
The skier was transported to Mammoth Hospital for further treatment, but later died, the outlet reported.
“Notification of next of kin is still pending,” officials added to the Times.
PEOPLE reached out to the Mammoth Mountain Resort for comment on the incident but did not receive an immediate response on Saturday, Feb. 7.
The skier popped out of their skis when they fell and slid headfirst hundreds of feet downhill, according to witnesses on Reddit who had been on the trail’s three-person lifts when the tragedy took place.
One person said the skier “hit a rock” after sliding downhill and "then slid while unconscious about another 150 yards down the trail, leaving a blood trail the entire way, while the person [they were] skiing with was crying out and trying to catch up to jump on [them] to stop the slide."
The same person wrote on Reddit that they witnessed ski patrol doing CPR on the fallen skier. "It appeared very bad, and the [other person] was on the phone crying nearby.”
Another Reddit user said officials eventually shut down an area of the mountain where the individual fell.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
The Feb. 5 incident marked the fourth death reported on Mammoth Mountain during the current winter skiing season.
Raymond Albert, a 71-year-old known as “Every Day Ray,” died there on Christmas Day. He popped out of his skis and was found pitched forward, with his head in the snow and his feet in the air, according to a written report of the incident provided to his family, the Times reported.
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The following day, 30-year-old ski patroller Cole Murphy was killed after he became trapped in an avalanche. An unnamed snowboarder also was pronounced dead on Jan. 16, per the Times.
Elsewhere, a 12-year-old girl was videoed dangling from a ski lift at Mammoth Mountain before plummeting to the ground in California on Jan. 31. The girl suffered no broken bones or significant injuries, her mom said.
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