An inbounds avalanche occurred at Mammoth Mountain, California, on Tuesday, March 25. Ski patrollers were immediately on the scene and conducted a thorough search, and thankfully, found nobody had been buried or injured. Mammoth Mountain provided the following statement to SnowBrains:
“At approximately 1:00 p.m. today a natural rockslide triggered an avalanche on the northeast side of the mountain under Starr Chute. Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol was on-scene immediately and conducted transceiver, recco, dog, and probe searches which confirmed eye-witness reports that there were no guests or employees in the area at the time of the incident. All search efforts had concluded at 3:47 p.m.”
Just before 1:00 p.m., a natural rockfall came out of the cliffs to the skiers’ right of Starr Chute in the Whitebark bowl area off the top of Chair 23. The rockfall created a dry slab avalanche, gouging out a 20-foot-deep trough and debris field below. As a result, Mammoth closed Chair 23, 9, 12, 14, and the upper panorama gondola…