YOUR AD HERE »

Ski chairlift modification at Ski Granby Ranch likely caused woman’s fatal fall

DENVER — Officials at a small Colorado ski resort say an independent contractor’s modifications to a chairlift likely caused a lurch that toppled a Texas woman 25 feet to her death.

RELATED STORY: Ski Granby Ranch chairlift underwent mechanical overhaul before fatal accident (Summit Daily News, Jan. 18)

Melissa Cipriani, CEO of Granby Ranch, said in a news release Friday that the contractor modified the electrical drive/control system of the Quick Draw Express lift before the ski season. A Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board report says problems with that system “contributed to a rare dynamic event that occurred on the lift at the time of the incident.”

The chair carrying 40-year-old Kelly Huber and her two daughters hit a support tower Dec. 29, causing the family to fall onto hard-packed snow. The San Antonio woman was killed, and her daughters, ages 9 and 12, were injured.
Resort officials didn’t specify what modifications were made.

Following a directive from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, the Quick Draw Express lift has been temporarily shut down for additional testing.  This lift has been operating on diesel auxiliary power since the lift restarted operations on January 10, 2017.  Granby Ranch is working with the Tramway Board to complete the new tests and re-open the lift under diesel power as soon as possible.  Additionally, Granby Ranch has now scheduled installation of a new electric drive on the Quick Draw Express lift in the near future.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.