Avalanche strikes crowded Mammoth Mountain: 'Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose'

LA Times ^ | 03 March 2018 | Louis Sahagun, Harriet Ryan and Andrea Castillo

[blueplum]

An avalanche at Mammoth Mountain early Saturday forced the closure of the popular ski area and triggered search and rescue efforts, officials said. There were no reports of serious injuries or missing people, but emergency crews were activated, officials said.{snip} "Shortly before the slide, that area was very crowded," Maynard said. "Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose in a major avalanche."{snip} "We hiked about 15 minutes to the parking lot, where local emergency mayhem had broken out," Williams said. "There were people trying to get out any way they could; some were waiting for buses, others were sharing rides and more than 100 just started skiing down Minaret Road, the main highway to the bottom of the mountain. {snip} Details of the avalanche were hard to come by throughout the day, even for residents of nearby communities that are home for the ski resort's staffers. "There was nothing on local police, fire or emergency websites," said Stephanie Cooper, who lives in the area during the winter.

[Karoo]

I remember them days!

[tomkat]

I remember them days!

Me too, quite fondly .. many days when the call of the slopes could not be ignored .. sigh

[RoadGumby]

BEST time to ski, during or after a good snow. Skiers know that snow can be fun, or dangerous, depending. If you don’t know or understand that, it’s cuz youve never been. No need to be snarky about it.