Two snowboarders fell 37 feet from a chairlift at Breckenridge Ski Resort within a week — in nearly the same spot
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include new information from the Colorado Tramway Passenger Safety Board and Breckenridge Ski Resort.
Breckenridge Ski Resort has confirmed that two people fell from chairlifts within a week of each other.
Ski patrol responded Friday, Dec. 13, after a 31-year-old man fell from the Beaver Run Chair on Peak 9, Breckenridge Ski Resort said in a statement. In a separate incident, Monday, Dec. 16, ski patrol responded after a 21-year-old fell from the same lift, according to the ski resort. Both guests were transported to the Breckenridge Medical Center on Peak 9.
The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board said in a statement that initial investigations into both incidents do not appear to have been caused by a lift malfunction. Under state law, the board investigates any death or injury related to a possible malfunction of a passenger tramway, such as a chairlift.
Both incidents involved snowboarders and occurred between towers 30 and 31, where the fall from the chairlift is about 37 feet, according to the board.
The snowboarder who fell Friday did not have the safety bar lowered at the time and reported pain in his right knee and a possible injury to his left eye from the fall, the board’s statement said.
The board said that the snowboarder who fell Monday suffered a broken clavicle and likely a concussion but it could not provide information about whether the safety bar was down at the time.
Including these incidents, there have been at least three confirmed reports of people falling from chairlifts in Summit County so far this month. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, a man was airlifted to the hospital after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express chairlift at Keystone Resort, which is also in Summit County. No issues were reported with the lift in that incident.
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