A snowboarder has died two days after falling from a chairlift at a Montana resort in high winds. The accident occurred on the same day a gondola cabin detached and fell to the ground at a different North American resort.
On the morning of Monday, March 10, Jeffrey Zinne, 37, of Billings was riding the Triple Chair – which does not have a safety bar – at Red Mountain Lodge Ski Resort when he fell. Zinne was pronounced dead on Wednesday, with the cause of death listed by the Yellowstone County Coroner’s Office as blunt force trauma. A GoFundMe account established for Zinne describes him as “a man who always put others first,” and says he leaves behind a wife and two-year-old son.
The area was experiencing extremely high winds on Monday and other lifts at the resort had been closed for safety reasons. Red Lodge Mountain spokesperson Troy Hawks tells ABC News the case is under investigation, and that the mile-long lift was operating within safety parameters on the day. It remains closed.
On the same morning, a gondola cabin carrying eight people fell to the ground at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden in British Columbia.
“Based on preliminary findings, a lift hanger broke while this carrier was leaving the bottom station, causing it to fall approximately one meter to the ground. Our patrol team and first responders were rapidly dispatched on scene,” says the resort in a statement.
No one was seriously injured, but all remaining passengers had to be evacuated for safety reasons. The resort closed for the remainder of the day and the gondola remains closed while the incident is under investigation.
Last month, a skier was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the chairlift he was riding at Attitash Mountain Resort in New Hampshire detached and fell 20 feet to the ground. Parent company Vail Resorts hasn’t released any further details on that incident.
Despite the recent spate of accidents, lift and gondola malfunctions remain relatively rare. According to the National Ski Areas Association, between 1956 and 2024, there were 35 fatalities related to lifts and gondolas – six from falls and 16 involved technical malfunction. To protect yourself from user error-related injuries, read our articles on skiing safety and riding a chairlift.
