Falls from chairlifts injure skiers and snowboarders every year in Colorado but the vast majority of falls are caused by user error, rather than mechanical malfunction, according to the state鈥檚 tramway safety board.
Colorado, which hosts about one-quarter of all skier visits in the U.S. each year, has recorded an average of about 14 people being injured in lift falls each season since the 2019-20 winter season, data from the state tramway safety board shows. In that same 5-season period, the Colorado Tramway Safety Board has recorded two fatal lift falls. None of the falls have been reported to have been caused by a lift malfunction.
鈥淎erial ropeways (including chairlifts, trams and gondolas) and surface lifts (like a magic carpet) are the safest mode of transportation in the U.S.,鈥� National Ski Areas Association communications director Tonya Riley said in an email. 鈥淪ki areas across the United States have an excellent record for uphill transportation.鈥�
So far this season, there have been five lift falls reported to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, including four which occurred at ski resorts in Summit County.
On Dec. 11, a 32-year-old man was airlifted from Keystone Resort after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express chairlift. A witness sitting in the same chair as the man reported that he appeared to be adjusting his binding while the restraint bar was in the upright position, according to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board.
In December, two people also were also injured in falls from the Beaver Run Chair on Peak 9 at Breckenridge within a week of each other. Tramway safety board documents Summit Daily 暗黑爆料 obtained through a records request state that alcohol may have been involved in both of those incidents.
In another incident, a snowboarder fell from a chairlift at Copper Mountain on Monday, Jan. 6, while scooting forward to unload the lift and sliding from the chair after the restraint bar had been raised, according to the tramway safety board.
In spring 2023, a 60-year-old skier died after falling from the Zendo Chair at Breckenridge Ski Resort. The Summit County Sheriff鈥檚 Office said at the time that the man fell while he was attempting to remove snow from the seat surface.
Fatalities from lift falls remain 鈥渆xtremely rare,鈥� Riley said. Nationwide data show that over the past 10 years, there has been an average of 0.8 fatal incidents per year compared to the estimated 450 million passengers transported on chairlifts and gondolas annually, she said.
In fact, National Ski Areas Association data from ski area ropeway systems show an incident rate of one fatality per every 570 million lift rides 鈥� or less than one fatality for approximately every half billion chairlift rides, Riley said. Meanwhile, fatalities related to mechanical failures on chairlifts are even rarer, with one fatality for approximately every 1.5 billion lift rides, she said.
In Colorado, the only known falls related to a lift malfunction within the last 39 years occurred at Ski Granby Ranch on Dec. 29, 2016, according to the state tramway safety board. An adult woman died after a fall from the Quick Draw chairlift during that incident, which was caused by issues with the lift鈥檚 electrical drive and control system, according to past reporting.
鈥淎 skier or rider鈥檚 own behavior has as much to do with the safety of the sport as does any piece of equipment, from helmets to chairlifts,鈥� Riley said. 鈥淥ne of the key elements included within the industry Your Responsibility Code is that skiers and riders 鈥榤ust know how and be able to load, ride and unload chairlifts safely.'鈥�
Common behavior leading to falls from chairlifts includes dropping equipment, horseplay or taking selfies, bending over to check one鈥檚 bindings, boots or gear, and medical incidents like seizures, strokes, or heart attacks, Riley said. She noted that there have also been some instances of people jumping off the chair early, which is illegal.
Yet, even as lift falls are rare, many skiers and riders in Colorado could take an additional step to protect themselves from a potential fall: lowering the restraint bar. One study found that in the Rocky Mountain Region 鈥� which includes Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico 鈥� the restraint bar was used only about 40% of the time.
While that was higher than in the Midwest, where the restraint bar was used less than 10% of the time, and the Pacific Southwest, where it was used about 18% of the time, it was significantly less than in the Northeast, where the bar was lowered about 80% of the time, according to the study.
In the Rocky Mountain Region, the study found that use of the bar rose dramatically to about 84%, when children were present on the lift, compared lifts that had only adults riding.
While there are no laws in Colorado requiring the restraint bar to be lowered, the National Ski Areas Association and ski areas highly recommend use of the bar.