Industry News
A chair plummeted to the ground at Thredbo Ski Resort, Australia, in the afternoon today, August 19, 2023, at approximately 2:20 p.m.
The chair in question was the Kosciuzko Quad Express. According to the press release received from Thredbo, the chair became detached when it was struck by a gust of wind. The incident occured just before the top station at Eagles Nest.
The three guests, one male and two female snowboarders, on the chair were thrown to the ground. According to NSW Ambulance Service, the two women in their 20s had suspected back injuries, while a man, also in his 20s, had facial injuries. The two women were flown by helicopter to Canberra Hospital while the man was taken by an ambulance vehicle to Cooma.
Thredbo Ski Resort confirmed the incident on Kosciuszko Chairlift and named the cause as “a freak gust of wind”.
“Thredbo is committed to the safety of our guests and our people. The incident is currently being thoroughly investigated by SafeWork NSW and an independent engineer. Thredbo assures guests that their safety is paramount and that we will continue to apply our high standards of safety and risk management.”
Unfortunately this is not the first such incident involving chairlifts at Thredbo. In 2019 a chair on the Gunbarrel lift became detached in a gust of wind.
