A snowboarder tragically lost his life after plummeting from a chairlift that suffered a mechanical failure. Jeffrey Zinne, 37, fell from the Triple Chair lift at Red Lodge Mountain in Montana, US, around midday on Monday.
Over 100 people who were on the lift at the time were evacuated by ski patrollers using ropes to lower them to safety. The father was rushed to hospital but sadly died early Wednesday from injuries sustained in the fall, as confirmed by police and the coroner.
Troy Hawks, spokesperson for Red Lodge Mountain, revealed that the lift had a mechanical issue when the snowboarder fell. He added that an investigation into the circumstances, including weather conditions and the victim’s actions, is ongoing.
Other chairlifts across the ski region were closed on the morning of the accident due to high winds, with gusts of about 50 mph (80.4 kph) recorded in the area around the time of the incident, according to the National Weather Service. Mr Hawks assured that the Triple Chairlift, nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) long and built in 1983, was operating within safety parameters.
It will remain closed until fully assessed by an engineer. He also stated that staff inspect the ski area’s chairlifts daily, with annual professional inspections conducted as required by Red Lodge Mountain’s insurance carrier and the US Forest Service, which leases land to the ski area, reports The Mirror.
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Jeffrey, a keen snowboarder who tragically lost his life in an accident on Monday, is survived by his wife and young two year old son. He was the owner of Montana Air Cartage, a freight hauling firm, as tributes have poured in on a GoFundMe page set up to support his bereaved family.
“He was more than just a boss for many people here. He was a friend, a mentor,” shared Jessice Sande, a manager at Montana Air Cartage, whilst reminiscing about Zinne’s unforgettable laughter.
Ski lift fatalities are quite uncommon, with statistics from the National Ski Areas Association revealing that from 1956 to 2024, only 35 individuals have died due to chairlifts and aerial ropeway mishaps. Out of these dreadful deaths, 16 were attributed to mechanical failures.
The last recorded lift-related fatality before now occurred in 2020 at Vail resort, Colorado, where a man tragically passed away after his clothing became caught in the chairlift machinery, which strangled him.