[VIDEO] 2 Hospitalized at Beech Mountain, NC, After Water Line Violently Sprays Skiers on Chairlift

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[Updated January 11, 2022]

According to Beech Mountain officials, two people were hospitalized after being sprayed with cold water on Friday, January 7, after a water line appeared to break at Beech Mountain Ski Resort in North Carolina. Tim Williams took video of the incident and shared it with local news outlets, capturing the moment a violent geyser of water erupted beneath a moving chairlift.

It’s being reported that some skiers were blown off the lift when the high-pressure water hit them. A skier allegedly collided with a snowmaking hydrant while it was actively in use, damaging the equipment and sending a forceful jet of frigid water roughly 40 feet into the air — directly into the path of the double chairlift above. The air temperature at the time was reported to be around 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

The two riders on the chair that took the direct hit were blown off the lift entirely, falling roughly 25 feet to the ground. Two more people riding in the chair behind them chose to jump rather than risk being struck by the water themselves.

Injuries among the group reportedly included a broken arm, spinal compression, and bruising from the force of the impact and fall, according to GearJunkie. One of the injured skiers, 19-year-old Emma LaPinto, was among those transported to the hospital. Another rider, Ivy-Elise Ivey, said she broke her arm jumping from the chair alongside her boyfriend. She later told WSOC-TV that she felt the resort could have shut off the hydrant sooner. “Everyone was in shock,” Ivey said. “You’re not going to jump from 25 feet, if you don’t think you have to.”

Beech Mountain management disputed the suggestion that guests were instructed to jump, saying in a statement that staff worked to get remaining riders safely off the lift once the problem was identified: “As soon as we became aware of the problem, we took action as quickly as possible to shut off the water and assist the remaining skiers in disembarking at the top of the lift. This was a very difficult situation for both our guests and our staff. We very much regret that the incident occurred and we again offer our apologies to the guests that were adversely affected.”

The resort’s initial statement on the incident read: “The hydrant was under a loaded chair, resulting in several patrons getting wet. Our operations and safety team worked diligently to unload the lift and drain the system safely. Avery EMS transported two patrons to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. We believe everyone is okay outside of the unfortunate situation, and operations are on a regular schedule.” – Beech Mountain Ski Resort on 1/7/21

According to WCNC Charlotte, the guest who collided with the hydrant was not injured. The North Carolina Department of Labor confirmed it was investigating the incident, sending an inspector from its Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau to the resort the following day. The affected lift was reportedly back in operation by the following Monday, January 10.

Beech Mountain, a 17-trail ski area located in Avery County, is one of the highest-elevation ski resorts in the eastern United States and relies heavily on snowmaking to maintain conditions throughout the season — infrastructure that includes the network of pressurized water and air hydrants used to feed snow guns across the mountain, one of which was involved in this incident.