Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIFT

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Captain Hafski
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by Captain Hafski »

Agree with Jim re: the Palavaccini double. Worth it for the terrain !!

Scarier one for me is the top chair at Loveland. Expecially if you ski with a backpack on.

Agree with all re: CO attitude; they normally complain if you do lower a safety bar while on a lift with them.

Between our lawyers and our media, I wouldn't be surprised if this event changes things.
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HomeStretchFan
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by HomeStretchFan »

As suspected, it appears the safety bar was not down.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/lo ... -in-granby
It's not clear what led to the fall, but a witness says the chair the family was on did not have its safety bar down when it began to swing side to side. The swaying caused the chair to hit a pole, ejecting the three passengers.
GlacierBoy
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Preliminary report identifies chairlift electrical problems

Post by GlacierBoy »

REPORT SAYS CHAIRLIFT MALFUNCTION RESULTED IN COLORADO FATALITY

JANUARY 10, 2017 9:48 AM First tracks online Media

Granby, CO – A preliminary report finds that a chairlift’s electrical problems resulted in a collision with a lift tower, propelling a mother and her two daughters from the lift at Ski Granby Ranch in Colorado on Dec. 29 and killing the adult.

Texas resident Kelly Huber, 40, and her two daughters fell an estimated 25 feet to the ground. The impact with the ground ruptured Huber’s aorta, killing her. Both daughters, ages 12 and 9, were injured by the fall and transported to area hospitals.

A preliminary report Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board released on Monday cites a problem within the chairlift’s electrical drive/control system with causing a “rare dynamic event” that resulted in the chair upon which the three were riding striking a lift tower, knocking the occupants off the chair. The report ruled out environmental factors, and found no fault with the passengers’ behavior. The chairlift, a detachable quad built by Leitner-Poma in 1999, was last load tested on Dec. 5 and inspected by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board on Dec. 8.

The Quick Draw Express chairlift, which has been closed since the incident, will reopen today under specific conditions agreed to between the resort and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. It will operate on auxiliary diesel power instead of the primary electrical drive, which is to be disconnected, and rope speed will be gradually increased over the next five days to 800 feet per second, somewhat below the lift’s typical 900 fps speed. If lift operators detect any abnormality, it will again be closed immediately.

“Granby Ranch would again like to extend its condolences to the family of our guest who lost her life, and her family members who were injured in this tragic event. Granby Ranch places the highest value on the safety of our guests and the safe operation of all lifts and equipment at the resort,” resort officials indicated in a prepared statement released late Monday. “This is the first incident of its kind that the resort has experienced in 22 years of operation. The Quick Draw Express has been operating safely at Granby Ranch over the 16 seasons since its installation. Granby Ranch strictly adheres to all policies, procedures and regulations for safe lift operation.”

Officials with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety have declined any further comment pending release of the final investigative report
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Re: Preliminary report identifies chairlift electrical probl

Post by SnoBrdr »

GlacierBoy wrote:REPORT SAYS CHAIRLIFT MALFUNCTION RESULTED IN COLORADO FATALITY

JANUARY 10, 2017 9:48 AM First tracks online Media

Granby, CO – A preliminary report finds that a chairlift’s electrical problems resulted in a collision with a lift tower, propelling a mother and her two daughters from the lift at Ski Granby Ranch in Colorado on Dec. 29 and killing the adult.

Texas resident Kelly Huber, 40, and her two daughters fell an estimated 25 feet to the ground. The impact with the ground ruptured Huber’s aorta, killing her. Both daughters, ages 12 and 9, were injured by the fall and transported to area hospitals.

A preliminary report Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board released on Monday cites a problem within the chairlift’s electrical drive/control system with causing a “rare dynamic event” that resulted in the chair upon which the three were riding striking a lift tower, knocking the occupants off the chair. The report ruled out environmental factors, and found no fault with the passengers’ behavior. The chairlift, a detachable quad built by Leitner-Poma in 1999, was last load tested on Dec. 5 and inspected by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board on Dec. 8.

The Quick Draw Express chairlift, which has been closed since the incident, will reopen today under specific conditions agreed to between the resort and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. It will operate on auxiliary diesel power instead of the primary electrical drive, which is to be disconnected, and rope speed will be gradually increased over the next five days to 800 feet per second, somewhat below the lift’s typical 900 fps speed. If lift operators detect any abnormality, it will again be closed immediately.

“Granby Ranch would again like to extend its condolences to the family of our guest who lost her life, and her family members who were injured in this tragic event. Granby Ranch places the highest value on the safety of our guests and the safe operation of all lifts and equipment at the resort,” resort officials indicated in a prepared statement released late Monday. “This is the first incident of its kind that the resort has experienced in 22 years of operation. The Quick Draw Express has been operating safely at Granby Ranch over the 16 seasons since its installation. Granby Ranch strictly adheres to all policies, procedures and regulations for safe lift operation.”

Officials with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety have declined any further comment pending release of the final investigative report
Talk about few details.

Did the chair jerk or swing sideways?

Was their's the only chair so effected ?

It has a rope, not a cable or is it just poor reporting.
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GlacierBoy
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by GlacierBoy »

Few details are available since it's a preliminary report and an on-going investigation, etc. etc. I think the key release is that there was no evidence of user error but that the lift "had problems with its electrical drive-control system that contributed to a “rare dynamic event”". Fault and liability is pointing to the Granby ski area.
The Denver Post on 1/9 reports even fewer details but with interesting stats about prior deaths on CO chairlifts:
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/09/sk ... l-problem/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Huber’s death was the first resulting from a fall from a Colorado chairlift since 2002. Of the more than 250 chairlift falls since then, most have been attributed to skier error, according to state data.

According to an October report by the National Ski Areas Association, the last death on a chairlift attributed to a malfunction was in 1993. As of the 2015-16 ski season, the annual fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled on ski lifts was 0.14.

In 1976, two cars from Vail’s 7-year-old gondola – each carrying six skiers – plummeted 125 feet, killing four people in one of the most deadly lift incidents in the United States. In 1985, a bullwheel at Keystone Resort failed, sending waves down the line that threw 60 people off the Teller Lift, two of whom later died from their injuries.

The ski industry stresses that chairlift falls — especially fatal ones — are extremely rare considering the millions of rides taken each year."
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by boston_e »

How stupid do you have to be to not bother lowering the safety bar on a chair that has on? Especially with your kids on it?
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by Woodsrider »

boston_e wrote:How stupid do you have to be to not bother lowering the safety bar on a chair that has on? Especially with your kids on it?
Riding alone, I partnered up with a father and adult daughter on the Snowshed quad over the holiday week. I dropped the bar as I always do, saying heads up bar coming down and the father told his first time skier daughter that I don't live as dangerously as they do. Apparently he didn't lower the bar for his daughter all day. I said to both of them that I take lots of crazy risks going down this mountain and have plenty of titanium in my body to prove it. But only idiots risk life and limb going up the mountain with the safety bar up. It was a quiet ride after that.
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Dickc
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Re: Preliminary report identifies chairlift electrical probl

Post by Dickc »

SnoBrdr wrote:
GlacierBoy wrote:REPORT SAYS CHAIRLIFT MALFUNCTION RESULTED IN COLORADO FATALITY

JANUARY 10, 2017 9:48 AM First tracks online Media

Granby, CO – A preliminary report finds that a chairlift’s electrical problems resulted in a collision with a lift tower, propelling a mother and her two daughters from the lift at Ski Granby Ranch in Colorado on Dec. 29 and killing the adult.

Texas resident Kelly Huber, 40, and her two daughters fell an estimated 25 feet to the ground. The impact with the ground ruptured Huber’s aorta, killing her. Both daughters, ages 12 and 9, were injured by the fall and transported to area hospitals.

A preliminary report Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board released on Monday cites a problem within the chairlift’s electrical drive/control system with causing a “rare dynamic event” that resulted in the chair upon which the three were riding striking a lift tower, knocking the occupants off the chair. The report ruled out environmental factors, and found no fault with the passengers’ behavior. The chairlift, a detachable quad built by Leitner-Poma in 1999, was last load tested on Dec. 5 and inspected by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board on Dec. 8.

The Quick Draw Express chairlift, which has been closed since the incident, will reopen today under specific conditions agreed to between the resort and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. It will operate on auxiliary diesel power instead of the primary electrical drive, which is to be disconnected, and rope speed will be gradually increased over the next five days to 800 feet per second, somewhat below the lift’s typical 900 fps speed. If lift operators detect any abnormality, it will again be closed immediately.

“Granby Ranch would again like to extend its condolences to the family of our guest who lost her life, and her family members who were injured in this tragic event. Granby Ranch places the highest value on the safety of our guests and the safe operation of all lifts and equipment at the resort,” resort officials indicated in a prepared statement released late Monday. “This is the first incident of its kind that the resort has experienced in 22 years of operation. The Quick Draw Express has been operating safely at Granby Ranch over the 16 seasons since its installation. Granby Ranch strictly adheres to all policies, procedures and regulations for safe lift operation.”

Officials with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety have declined any further comment pending release of the final investigative report
Talk about few details.

Did the chair jerk or swing sideways?

Was their's the only chair so effected ?

It has a rope, not a cable or is it just poor reporting.
The cable on any chair lift is known as a haul rope. Wire ropeways is another way of describing a chair or even a t-bar.
eagle628
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by eagle628 »

I'm more amused by the feet per second bit. I could get a lot more vertical a day if that were the case.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by Big Bob »

I would think that this incident shows the importance of using a safety bar. What I find amusing is most people will rush to lower the bar when you are 2' off the ground at the bottom, but can't wait to raise the bar at the top when you are 30' in the air! It only takes a few seconds to raise the bar. Wait till you are close to the unloading platform or at least over the safety net before raising the bar. A sudden stop can send you flying off the seat.
Last edited by Big Bob on Jan 12th, '17, 22:17, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by skiadikt »

Big Bob wrote:I would think that this incident shows the importance of using a safety bar. What I find amusing is most people will rush to lower the bar when you are 2' off the ground at the bottom, but can't wait to raise the bar at the top when you are 30' in the air! It only takes a few seconds to raise the bar. Wait till you are close to the unloading platform or at least over the safety net before raising the bar. A sudden stop can send you fling off the seat.
the skye peak quad in particular is one we wait until we're over the net. that thing gets pretty high.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by madhatter »

skiadikt wrote:
Big Bob wrote:I would think that this incident shows the importance of using a safety bar. What I find amusing is most people will rush to lower the bar when you are 2' off the ground at the bottom, but can't wait to raise the bar at the top when you are 30' in the air! It only takes a few seconds to raise the bar. Wait till you are close to the unloading platform or at least over the safety net before raising the bar. A sudden stop can send you fling off the seat.
the skye peak quad in particular is one we wait until we're over the net. that thing gets pretty high.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by RENO »

Woodsrider wrote:
boston_e wrote:How stupid do you have to be to not bother lowering the safety bar on a chair that has on? Especially with your kids on it?
Riding alone, I partnered up with a father and adult daughter on the Snowshed quad over the holiday week. I dropped the bar as I always do, saying heads up bar coming down and the father told his first time skier daughter that I don't live as dangerously as they do. Apparently he didn't lower the bar for his daughter all day. I said to both of them that I take lots of crazy risks going down this mountain and have plenty of titanium in my body to prove it. But only idiots risk life and limb going up the mountain with the safety bar up. It was a quiet ride after that.
My problem is idiots dropping the bar without a warning and smashing you in the head before you even sit back on the chair! Glad I have a helmet on.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by daytripper »

RENO wrote:
Woodsrider wrote:
boston_e wrote:How stupid do you have to be to not bother lowering the safety bar on a chair that has on? Especially with your kids on it?
Riding alone, I partnered up with a father and adult daughter on the Snowshed quad over the holiday week. I dropped the bar as I always do, saying heads up bar coming down and the father told his first time skier daughter that I don't live as dangerously as they do. Apparently he didn't lower the bar for his daughter all day. I said to both of them that I take lots of crazy risks going down this mountain and have plenty of titanium in my body to prove it. But only idiots risk life and limb going up the mountain with the safety bar up. It was a quiet ride after that.
My problem is idiots dropping the bar without a warning and smashing you in the head before you even sit back on the chair! Glad I have a helmet on.
Exactly, how hard is it to say coming down? Common courtesy seems to be a forgotten lesson that people teach there children these days.
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Re: Mother dies after falling out of Colorado ski resort LIF

Post by skiadikt »

RENO wrote:
Woodsrider wrote:
boston_e wrote:How stupid do you have to be to not bother lowering the safety bar on a chair that has on? Especially with your kids on it?
Riding alone, I partnered up with a father and adult daughter on the Snowshed quad over the holiday week. I dropped the bar as I always do, saying heads up bar coming down and the father told his first time skier daughter that I don't live as dangerously as they do. Apparently he didn't lower the bar for his daughter all day. I said to both of them that I take lots of crazy risks going down this mountain and have plenty of titanium in my body to prove it. But only idiots risk life and limb going up the mountain with the safety bar up. It was a quiet ride after that.
My problem is idiots dropping the bar without a warning and smashing you in the head before you even sit back on the chair! Glad I have a helmet on.
been hit both coming down and going up.
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