Just months back, Arapaho Basin made national news when a guy who'd fallen and was hanging from a chair lift, unconscious, was saved by a professional slackliner.

This year, we didn't make it past opening day without someone taking a plunge from their ski lift chair, but this time all the way to the ground, about 19 feet below.

No malfunction could be found with the chair lift, nor was any other cause discovered.  However, the 21-year-old appeared drunk, according to several onlookers.  As a precautionary measure, he was taken to a local emergency room, but refused treatment, and walked out.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area CEO Alan Henceroth says falls typically happen "a few times a year," usually during loading or unloading; but that it's almost always due to human error, and that riding an elevator is more dangerous than a ski lift.

 

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