Passengers fell out of moving chairs in more than 40 per cent of mishaps
Fifty-one people suffered injuries last year during mishaps with ski lifts around the province, according to BC Safety Authority reports obtained through a freedom of information request.
Twenty-one individuals, or 41 per cent of the total, fell from moving ski lifts, mainly at the loading or unloading platform, but some also fell out of their chairs and onto the slopes, the highest from 5.5 metres.
Fifteen, or 29 per cent, involved individuals who were struck by chairs, mainly due to mishaps that occurred while loading. The other 15 injuries involved a variety of issues.
The safety authority recorded a total of 92 reportable incidents involving passenger ropeways at ski hills in 2009, including those that did not cause injury but not including injuries suffered while skiing.
That’s down from 106 incidents in 2008. The safety authority relies on ski resorts to cite incidents.
According to the Canada West Ski Areas Association, B.C. ski hills logged 5.8 million skier visits in the winter of 2008-09, down from 6.6 million visits in 2007-08 due to the economic recession. Visits are thought to have declined further in the winter of 2009-2010, although figures have not yet been compiled.
Among last year’s incidents, a skier was injured at Whistler Mountain on Jan. 19 when his “T-bar rope snapped, sending him tumbling backwards,” the safety authority report said. It added that “a number” of ropes broke over a two-day period due to low snow and the fact “some ropes were almost at their minimum length.”
On Jan. 10 at Whistler Mountain, two cabins on the village gondola struck each other at low speed “after a restart,” injuring one passenger.
On Jan. 29 at Red Mountain in Rossland, a boy on a T-bar lift “sustained possible neck injuries” as a result of his helmet becoming caught by the seat during a fall. He was dragged about 10 metres uphill.
On Jan. 31 at Big White near Kelowna, two passengers were loading onto a chairlift when the seat lifted up in the wind. The passengers “hung onto the chair, and fell off beyond the unload point.” One sustained injuries.
On Feb. 27 at Bear Mountain in Dawson Creek, skiers “heard a noise and then felt a shudder” during a “complete deropement of tower 10.” Cause of the incident was not determined. One person was injured.
On Aug. 31, during routine maintenance on a T-bar tower at Whistler Mountain, a “work carrier” fell to the ground. Two workers were injured in the incident, caused by “lack of attention,” the most serious requiring transport by helicopter to Vancouver General Hospital, the safety authority said.
Among the incidents that did not cause injuries last year, avalanche control work Jan. 7 at Fernie Mountain caused a class-three avalanche to strike towers 13 and 14. Class three is defined as big enough to bury a car, destroy a small building or break trees, weighing 1,000 tonnes and extending 1,000 metres.
The ropeway was closed at the time; no one was injured, and the towers were not damaged.
On Jan. 20 at Apex Mountain near Penticton, staff shut down the lift for the day with passengers still in the chairs. They were unloaded about 20 minutes later. The safety authority blamed miscommunication between the drive operator and the loading attendant.
Vancouver Sun
