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The 2024-2025 ski season has seen an alarming number of ski lift failures worldwide, prompting concerns over the safety of aging lift infrastructure and the adequacy of maintenance practices at ski resorts. With multiple high-profile lift malfunctions and incidents, skiers and industry insiders are now questioning whether many resorts are pushing old lift systems beyond their limits while deferring necessary upgrades and maintenance.
Recent Lift Accidents Raise Red Flags
Several major lift incidents have occurred this season, pointing to structural failures, mechanical malfunctions, and possible deferred maintenance:
• Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, British Columbia (March 10, 2025): A gondola cabin detached and fell shortly after departing the base terminal, carrying eight passengers. Luckily, the fall occurred at low altitude, resulting in no serious injuries. The Golden Eagle Express gondola, built in 2000 by Leitner-Poma, serves as the resort’s main access point and is now closed indefinitely while investigations continue. (skimag.com)
• Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec (December 2022): Another Leitner-Poma gondola operated by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) saw a cabin detach and fall due to high winds. This followed multiple failures in recent years, including sudden stops injuring passengers in 2020. These repeated failures led to extended closures, legal disputes, and skier frustration over RCR’s lack of investment in lift infrastructure. (skitheworld.com)
• Astún Ski Resort, Spain (February 2025): A catastrophic lift failure led to a collapse, injuring 30 people and trapping 80 skiers mid-air. Investigations pointed to a malfunction in the lift’s return system, prompting emergency evacuations and a temporary resort closure. (people.com)
• Heavenly Mountain Resort, California (December 2024): A chairlift derailed, causing multiple chairs to fall from the cable, resulting in injuries to several skiers. High winds and poor maintenance were cited as potential contributing factors.
• Winter Park and Telluride, Colorado (December 2024): Both resorts suffered separate lift malfunctions that led to mid-air evacuations of skiers who were stranded for hours in freezing conditions.
• Attitash, New Hampshire (December 2024): A chair detached from the cable mid-ride, injuring the occupants and forcing the resort to shut down the lift for repairs.
Aging Infrastructure & Deferred Maintenance: A Common Thread?
A recurring theme across these incidents is the age of the lift infrastructure involved. Many resorts continue to operate lifts that are 20 to 40 years old, built with engineering standards that have since evolved. While older lifts can remain safe with proper maintenance, they require more frequent inspections and significant financial investment to remain reliable.
However, many resorts—particularly those owned by larger corporate operators like Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) and Vail Resorts—face increasing scrutiny over their lack of investment in infrastructure despite rising pass prices. Mont-Sainte-Anne’s prolonged gondola closures under RCR ownership highlight what many believe to be a pattern of deferred maintenance, with the company prioritizing profit margins over lift upgrades.
At Kicking Horse, locals fear a similar fate—especially given that Mont-Sainte-Anne’s gondola failure took over a year to fix. With RCR now facing yet another gondola failure at one of its resorts, concerns are growing over whether the company is neglecting its lift infrastructure across multiple properties.
The Need for Regulatory Oversight
Ski resorts worldwide operate under different regulatory standards, leading to inconsistent safety practices. Some regions mandate strict inspection schedules and upgrades, while others rely on self-regulation by resort operators. Given the recent string of failures, there is now a growing call for increased oversight, mandatory lift upgrades, and more stringent safety enforcement.
The Future of Ski Lifts: What Needs to Change?
To prevent future accidents and restore skier confidence, ski resorts and governing bodies need to prioritize:
• Modernization Programs: Investing in new lift systems rather than relying on aging infrastructure prone to failure.
• Rigorous Maintenance Schedules: Ensuring frequent inspections, preventive maintenance, and rapid response to identified issues.
• Standardized Regulations: Establishing clear safety protocols and oversight across all ski regions to prevent neglected maintenance.
• Public Transparency: Requiring resorts to disclose lift maintenance reports, providing skiers with insight into potential safety risks.
A Wake-Up Call for the Ski Industry
With the frequency and severity of lift failures increasing, this season should serve as a wake-up call for the ski industry. Operators must prioritize skier safety by ensuring their lift infrastructure is well-maintained, properly upgraded, and never pushed beyond safe operating limits.
Skiing is an inherently thrilling sport, but riding a ski lift shouldn’t be the riskiest part of the experience. The responsibility now falls on resort operators, regulators, and industry leaders to make the necessary investments and policy changes to prevent another season like this one.
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