Cal/OSHA investigated the December 2025 avalanche that killed ski patroller Cole Murphy and seriously injured a second patroller on Lincoln Mountain. NBC Los Angeles, citing Cal/OSHA, reports the Division issued three citations to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, LLC after a nearly six-month investigation that opened December 30, 2025. One item is classified willful. Two are classified serious. The resort contested all three on July 22. The inspection record remains open. NBC states Cal/OSHA reported the three items as corrected during the inspection.
DIR has not published a numbered news release for this case. DIR’s public list of inspections with initial penalties of $100,000 or above (activities entered through July 21, 2026) does not show a Mammoth Mountain Ski Area row matching this investigation. OSHA’s public inspection-detail page for this specific case was not on the establishment-search results I could verify. This post therefore omits dollar figures. Do not treat press round-numbers as a DIR table.
A prior Cal/OSHA investigation into the February 2025 death of patroller Claire Murphy is a separate file. Do not collapse the two.
What the citations track in Title 8
NBC quotes the willful item as a failure to “assure that the employee was instructed and used protective equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.” That is the text of Title 8 §3380(c): the employer shall assure that the employee is instructed and uses protective equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Reporting on the citation describes avalanche airbags.
NBC quotes one serious item as failure to maintain “constant communication during avalanche control activities.” That is Title 8 §5351(g): constant communication during avalanche control — voice communication among crewmembers, visual contact or awareness of physical location at all times, and continuous two-way communications with the avalanche control coordinator.
NBC quotes the other serious item as failure to check the “runout zone for personnel, before attaching the igniter to a hand deployed charge.” That is Title 8 §5357(b)(4): before attaching the igniter, the blaster shall determine the deployment target, check the runout zone for personnel, and check the blast area for personnel. When both zones are clear, the igniter is attached and immediately activated, and the charge is deployed within 20 seconds.
I am citing those sections because they match the language NBC attributed to the citations, and because the regulations say that on dir.ca.gov. I am not inventing inspection numbers. Pull the file for the inspection number and the exact citation text.
What the labels mean
Serious (Title 8 §334(c); Labor Code §6432): a rebuttable presumption if Cal/OSHA shows a realistic possibility that death or serious physical harm could result from the actual hazard.
Willful (Title 8 §334(e)): an intentional and knowing violation, or knowledge of an unsafe condition with no reasonable effort to eliminate it. NBC quotes Cal/OSHA’s willful definition in those terms. A willful label is an allegation. It is not a criminal conviction and not a final Board finding while the case is on appeal.
Citations on appeal are not final
Fifteen working days from receipt to contest at the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board. Mammoth contested July 22. Until a final order, proposed penalties — whatever the live file lists — can be reduced, reclassified, or withdrawn. Employees may participate as third parties.
What you can do next
- Get the inspection file. Public Records Act, Government Code Division 10 (commencing with §7920.000). Ten-day clock, optional 14-day extension: §7922.535. Identify Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, LLC, Lincoln Mountain / Mammoth Lakes, avalanche control, December 26–30, 2025 through citation issuance. Ask for citations, the inspection report, photographs, and appeal status. Search OSHA’s establishment search by company name and California. Do not rely on a dollar figure until that record shows it.
- File a Cal/OSHA complaint if the hazard is still on the hill. Communication failures, uncleared runout zones, airbag training that does not match the manufacturer’s instructions — describe what you see. District office for that zip, or 833-579-0927, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Name confidential unless you ask to be named.
- Retaliation is a different filing. Labor Code §§6310, 6311, 6312, 98.7. One year. Federal OSHA whistleblower: 30 days. Call 833-526-4636.
FAQs
Why no dollar amount in this post? Because the instruction is to verify dollars on dir.ca.gov news or OSHA establishment search. This case is not on DIR’s 2026 news list and was not on the $100k table I pulled. News outlets published figures they attributed to Cal/OSHA. Until DIR or OSHA’s public inspection record carries them, they stay out.
Is this the same case as Claire Murphy? No. Separate fatality, separate investigation. Quote each file on its own terms.
Sources
NBC Los Angeles, “Citations, fines issued to Mammoth ski resort,” reporting Cal/OSHA’s three items, willful/serious classifications, July 22 contest, and corrected-during-inspection status: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/mammoth-ski-resort-citations-fines/3930116/. Title 8 §§334, 3380(c), 5351(g), 5357(b)(4). Labor Code §§6310, 6311, 6312, 6319, 6432, 98.7. Government Code §§7920.000–7931.000, 7922.535. DIR $100k list (no matching Mammoth row in the July 21, 2026 data cut): https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/statistics/Penalties-100K.html. OSHA establishment search: https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.html. Complaint: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Complaint.htm. PRA: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/pra-Requests.html. OSHAB: https://www.dir.ca.gov/OSHAB/oshabappealpro.html. Snow avalanche blasting article: https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/sb7g18a121.html.
*Educational use only — not legal advice, not a filing, and not a final-order finding. Proposed penalties can change on appeal. Verify current statute and docket status before you act.*
The Hedge 