Copper Mountain confirms snowboarder fell from American Flyer chairlift
Copper Mountain said in a statement that there were no significant injuries reported from the fall
Liz Copan/Summit Daily News
Copper Mountain Resort ski patrol responded to an 18-year-old snowboarder who fell from a chairlift Monday, Jan. 6, according to a statement from the resort.
The fall occurred on the American Flyer chairlift as the snowboarder was preparing to unload. No significant injuries were reported, the statement says.
The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board said the fall occurred between towers 25 and 26. The fall was caused by the snowboarder scooting forward to prepare to unload and sliding from the chair after the restraint bar had been raised, according to the state tramway safety board. The chair was inspected, and no issues were found.
This is the fourth fall from a ski lift documented in Summit County so far this season. In December, a snowboarder was airlifted after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express chairlift at Keystone Resort, and in separate instances two people on the Beaver Run Chair on Peak 9 at Breckenridge.
While falls from chairlifts injure skiers and snowboarders every year in Colorado, the state tramway safety board says the compared to the number of people who ride on chairlifts.
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Most chairlift falls are caused by user error, while mechanical failures resulting in falls are extremely rare, with only one known fatal fall caused by a mechanical error in the past 39 years, according to the tramway safety board.
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