Correction appended

A Mount Hood ski patroller was seriously injured in an avalanche Wednesday afternoon while working in a closed area of the resort, authorities confirmed.

The patroller, a member of Mt. Hood Meadows Pro Patrol, was one of three working in the area when the avalanche occurred, according to a resort spokesman. The unidentified patroller, who was partially buried, was taken to a hospital, the spokesman said.

Jason Mahle, operations manager for American Medical Response in Clackamas County, said the man had a period of unconsciousness during the slide but was otherwise conscious and alert. He was released from the hospital Thursday, said Meadows spokesman Dave Tragethon.

Tragethon said the patrollers were working in God's Wall, an area of the resort that hasn't opened yet this season. He said they were bootpacking — a technique patrollers use to stabilize the snowpack — in preparation for opening the area when conditions allow.

The patroller pulled the cord on his airbag — a backpack worn as a safety measure by winter sports enthusiasts who travel in avalanche terrain — and fellow ski patrollers dug him out, Mahle said.

Tragethon said Meadows for the past two years has been equipping snow stabilization and patrol teams with airbags.

The Northwest Avalanche Center -- a collaboration between a nonprofit of the same name and the U.S. Forest Service's regional avalanche center -- warned of "considerable" avalanche danger near and below the treeline Wednesday on Mount Hood.

The region is seeing the most extended period of snowfall this year. Meadows, as of just before 4 p.m. Thursday, reported a 99-inch base at 6,250 feet elevation and a 64-inch base lower on the mountain.

— Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

A previous version of this report included photos that were not associated with the avalanche and were accompanied by incorrect caption information. The photos and captions have been removed.