Two ski patrol members were trying to mitigate the threat of an avalanche after a storm had dumped about 6 feet of snow on the mountain in 36 hours.

Mammoth Mountain officials said the slide occurred during avalanche mitigation work following a significant Sierra Nevada snowstorm, during which about six feet of snow fell in 36 hours.

Two ski patrollers at Mammoth Mountain, California, were caught in an avalanche at approximately 11:30 a.m. today after roughly six feet of snow fell in 36 hours, according to a statement shared by the ski resort.