Colorado State Investigation Finds 19-Year-Old Installation Error Caused January 2026 Chairlift Incident at Vail

A Colorado state investigation has determined that the January 2026 chairlift accident at Vail, which saw two skiers ejected from the Little Eagle #15 chairlift, was caused by an installation error dating back nearly two decades. According to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB), a component installed incorrectly when the lift was relocated in 2007 left insufficient clearance at one of the lift’s towers, allowing a chair to snag during a routine stop and eject its passengers.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:56 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, 2026, on the Little Eagle #15 lift near Tower 1. According to the investigation, a child missed the chair while attempting to load. Both lift attendants immediately pressed the normal stop button to slow and stop the lift so the child could be safely seated. As chair #22 decelerated near Tower 1, the adult passenger turned around to check on the child who had missed loading. Investigators concluded that the combination of the passenger’s movement and ski drag caused the chair to swing outward.

That swing set off an extremely unusual sequence of events. The chair’s swing guide contacted a cable catcher mounted on Tower 1, preventing the chair from continuing its natural movement. As the haul rope continued moving through the terminal stop sequence, the chair’s grip slipped along the haul rope, creating tension within the system. When that tension suddenly released, the chair lurched violently forward, ejecting both passengers from the lift. Remarkably, neither passenger suffered injuries. According to the report, both landed with their skis still on the snow below.

The lift was immediately shut down, and approximately 40 remaining passengers were evacuated by Vail Ski Patrol using rope rescue techniques. The evacuation was completed by approximately 1:30 p.m., and the lift remained closed until February 10 while investigators examined the incident.

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The CPTSB determined the accident resulted from insufficient swing clearance at Tower 1. Testing performed after the incident found chair swings of only 7.6 to 9 degrees before the swing guide contacted the cable catcher. ANSI B77.1 standards require a minimum outward swing clearance of 15 degrees, meaning the lift had been operating with significantly less clearance than required.

Investigators traced the problem to the Little Eagle lift’s relocation in 2007. The Little Eagle fixed-grip triple chair was formerly the Sourdough #14 lift but was relocated when Sourdough was upgraded to an express quad-chair. According to Skiresort.com, the 308-meter (1,010-foot) lift rises just 34 vertical meters (112 feet) from 3,126 meters (10,256 feet) to 3,160 meters (10,367 feet), travels at 2 meters (6.6 feet) per second, and can carry up to 1,358 passengers per hour.

According to the report, a component known as the 4N pair bar should have been installed in a different orientation at Tower 1, a depression tower that requires additional clearance for chair movement. Installing the component in the proper orientation provides approximately 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) of additional swing clearance. Instead, the part was installed in the standard orientation used at support towers, leaving insufficient clearance between the chair’s swing guide and the cable catcher.

According to the CPTSB report, investigators were able to recreate the interference during post-incident testing, confirming that the chair could contact the cable catcher during an outward swing — something that should not occur on a properly configured lift. Investigators found that the visual difference between the correct and incorrect configurations is extremely subtle. The report states the problem cannot realistically be identified through visual inspection alone and instead requires physical measurement of chair swing clearance. According to the investigation, that measurement was neither part of the original acceptance testing when the lift was relocated nor part of routine annual state inspections. Instead, swing-clearance verification falls under the responsibility of the lift’s design engineering process.

As a result, the incorrectly configured assembly remained in service for nearly 19 years without any reportable mechanical incidents.

Before returning the Little Eagle lift to service on February 10, Vail Resorts completed several corrective measures identified during the investigation. The company reinstalled the Tower 1 sheave train in the proper configuration using the 1990 Doppelmayr’s original engineering drawings, restoring the required swing clearance. Post-repair testing confirmed the lift now exceeds the ANSI minimum requirement of 15 degrees. During the repair process, maintenance crews also inspected and replaced hardware associated with the main axle assembly. Investigators noted that one clamp bolt had developed a loose nut over time. Although the report concluded this was not a contributing factor in the accident, Vail welded and double-nutted the assembly to prevent future loosening.

Following the repairs, the lift successfully completed multiple operational tests, including slow-speed operation, full-speed operation, and repeated stop-and-start cycles, before being approved to return to service.

While Little Eagle returned to service, the investigation has prompted the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board to consider whether future inspection procedures should include additional swing-clearance verification to help prevent similar issues elsewhere. While routine state inspections currently verify the operational condition of lifts, the report stressed that engineering measurements such as swing clearance are generally considered part of the original lift design and acceptance process rather than annual inspections. The original Sourdough lift by YAN was installed in Vail in 1975, then upgraded with Doppelmayr components in 1990, before being relocated in 2007. The investigation illustrates how a small installation detail can easily be overlooked in a 50-year-old lift that underwent upgrades and a relocation.