Chairlift Detaches And Falls At New Hampshire Ski Resort
Another Day, Another Vail Disaster: Chairlift Detaches at Attitash
Vail Resorts continues to do what they do best: ruining ski mountains one cost-cutting measure at a time. This time, it's Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Over the weekend, a skier was sent on an unexpected 20-foot freefall when their chair detached from the Flying Bear lift mid-ride.
Yeah. Detached. Like, not “the lift stopped for a few minutes” or “it was a windy day.” The chair just decided it had enough and tapped out.
@fluffhead_phan
What Happened?
At around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday February 2nd, a skier was riding the Flying Bear Express when their chair completely separated from the haul rope, sending them plummeting to the ground. Attitash ski patrol responded immediately, and somehow, the skier walked away with non-life-threatening injuries (which is honestly a miracle). He was taken to the hospital, but by Monday, he had already been discharged.
Vail Resorts quickly shut down the lift and issued a statement about how they conduct “daily lift inspections” and work closely with the state’s tramway board. But clearly, those inspections missed something pretty important because last time we checked, chairs aren’t supposed to just fall off mid-air.
Is Anyone Surprised?
No. Not even a little bit to say the least.
This is classic Vail. Buy up a resort, make big promises, then run the place into the ground with budget cuts and bare-minimum maintenance. It’s a move straight out of their playbook.
Vail’s history of mismanaging their mountains speaks for itself:
Overcrowded resorts with insane lift lines
Underpaid, overworked employees (remember the Park City ski patrol strike?)
Lift infrastructure failures that are becoming way too common
Oh, and Attitash specifically? This is the same resort that’s been struggling to keep lifts open all season due to “mechanical issues.” So yeah, a full-on chair detachment? Feels like the natural next step lol.
Will Vail Actually Fix Anything?
Doubtful.
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office and the Passenger Tramway Safety Board are currently investigating the cause of the failure, but until then, the lift remains closed. Meanwhile, Vail will probably do what they always do—put out a generic PR statement, promise improvements, and hope everyone forgets by next season.
But for the skiers who have been dealing with Vail’s nonsense for years, this is just more proof of what we already know: Vail is in the business of making money, not running ski mountains.
If you’re heading to a Vail-owned resort anytime soon, maybe give that chairlift cable an extra long look before hopping on. Or, better yet, just ski somewhere else!! Support your local mountains!
David Gunzburger