Red Lodge, MT – A chair fell from the cable of Red Lodge’s Willow Creek chairlift on Wednesday, injuring two Montana teens only a day after a similar incident occurred across the state at Montana Snowbowl.
The pair of 17-year-old snowboarders from Billings were riding Red Lodge’s chairlift when it dropped an estimated 30 feet from the cable without warning. Neither reported serious injuries.
The lift reopened two days later following a safety inspection by an independent engineer and Forest Service officials, and the resort reports strong holiday traffic despite the accident. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, although it’s believed that high winds may have contributed to the accident. Another Red Lodge lift was shut down due to high winds on Wednesday.
A day earlier, a chair on Montana Snowbowl’s Lavelle double chairlift struck an operator in the lift’s loading zone and dropped to the snow. No injuries were reported in the Snowbowl incident although it required an hour and 45 minutes to evacuate the lift’s passengers.
Reports state the 2 injured snowboarders were released from the hospital the next day.
The lift in question is a Riblet Triple chair-modified in 2008. Riblet’s have a clip inserted into the haulrope which has an extended shaft. That is where a chair is attached.