A 32-year-old snowboarder was airlifted to a Colorado hospital after he fell from a chairlift at Keystone Resort on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
The rider fell while he was trying to tighten his bindings on the Ruby Express lift, Colorado Public Radio reported.
The chairs on the Ruby Express lift quickly gain elevation after departing the loading area. The trail the rider fell onto had not yet been opened for the season, and was primarily covered by rocks aside from a thin layer of snow. The Passenger Tramway Safety Board, a state-run inspection agency – reported that the rider fell 47 feet after holding onto the armrest. The restraint bar was not down, and the rider was wearing a helmet, Summit County Daily reported.
The board deemed that the fall “does not appear to have been caused by a lift malfunction,” CPR reported.
Photo: Keystone Resort
According to an officer with Summit County Sheriff's Office, chairlift falls in Summit County are “uncommon.” The sheriff's office responds to one fall every other ski season or so. Despite that, a spokesperson with St. Anthony Hospital told CPR News, “Sadly, we see a number of skiers airlifted to St. Anthony Hospital this time of year,” in a statement.
Unfortunately, though rare, falls from chairlifts are not completely uncommon. The father of a 16-year-old girl sued Vail Resorts after his daughter was paralyzed at Crested Butte Mountain Resort after falling 30 feet from a chairlift.
In March, a child was rushed to the hospital after falling from a chairlift at Steamboat Ski Resort. In 2023, a man died after falling from a lift at Breckenridge. However, a National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) report revealed that from 1973-2020, only 2% of falls from a chairlift were due to mechanical error.
To ensure that you’re having the safest experience possible while riding the chairlift, make sure you take off any backpacks or bags while loading the lift. There’s obviously a lot of debate on whether or not to put the restraint bar down or to leave it up, but on particularly windy days or at ski areas in which you feel less confident or familiar with the conditions, remember that the bar is your friend. Especially if you're going to be leaning one way or another on the chairlift, adjusting equipment.
Remember that if you're alone on a chairlift, the distribution of weight will also be wonky, and small movements could also have greater consequences.
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