Industry News
[Updated noon on Friday, December 13]
More details have emerged of the incident at Keystone Resort in Colorado on Wednesday, where a guest fell off a chairlift. Initial police reports that it was a skier were inaccurate. Subsequent statements from the police and the Passenger Tramway Safety Board, reported by CPR News, state that a 32-year-old snowboarder fell approximately 47 feet from the Ruby Express chairlift at Keystone Ski Resort. The incident occurred shortly after the man boarded the lift and was attempting to tighten his bindings. The safety bar was up at the time, and the snowboarder briefly held onto the armrest before falling onto the Diamondback trail, which was not yet open for the season and covered with rocks and a thin layer of snow.
Keystone Ski Patrol and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, and the man was airlifted to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board initially investigated but determined that a lift malfunction did not cause the fall and did not require further investigation.
We will continue to update you as new information is available.
5:41 a.m. December 12: According to Summit County Sheriff’s Office public affairs Sgt. Mike Schilling, a skier fell from a chairlift at Keystone Resort, Colorado, on Wednesday, December 11. The incident occurred around 1 p.m., reports the Summit Daily, and the injured party was airlifted off the mountain.
Schilling confirmed his department’s response but directed further inquiries to Vail Resorts and the Colorado Tramway Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
“Keystone Resort confirms that on Wednesday, December 11, Keystone Ski Patrol responded to a report that a 32-year-old male guest fell from the Ruby Express lift. The guest was transported to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado.”
– Keystone Resort comment given to SnowBrains
The identity of the injured party and the extent of their injuries remain undisclosed, but the fact Flight for Life was involved would suggest the injuries were serious.
Unconfirmed eyewitness reports from Reddit suggest a significant emergency response, with multiple Flight for Life helicopters. The incident is believed to have occurred on the Ruby Chairlift between the first and second towers. Nearby runs were closed for an hour, and the lift remained closed for the rest of the day.
- Related: VIDEO: Bystanders Use Fence to Catch Kid Dangling From Chairlift at Diamond Peak Ski Resort, NV
SnowBrains will update this post as necessary.
