An “unexpectedly strong wind gust” caused the Triple Chair at Red Lodge Mountain to derope on Monday, leading to the death of a guest, the resort confirmed this morning. Thirty seven year old Jeffrey Zinne of Billings was riding alone when he was thrown from the lift following the “unusually aggressive derailment.” Zinne died from his injuries early Wednesday morning. 135 other passengers were rope evacuated without incident. “On behalf of the Red Lodge Mountain team, we would like to send our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zinne, and to everyone impacted by the tragedy that occurred on Monday,” the resort said in a statement.

“We are working in collaboration with the US Forest Service, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, and Iron Mountain Engineering, an independent professional lift inspector, to understand how this tragedy occurred,” Red Lodge Mountain said. The 42 year old CTEC Triple Chair did not have a restraint bar and this incident is sure to bring renewed scrutiny to the hundreds of lifts still operating without them throughout the west and midwest. In January 2023, a similar incident occurred at Park City Mountain when a ski patroller was thrown from a triple chair and killed when a tree fell on the line, causing the lift to violently de-rope. That chair did have a restraint bar but it is not known whether the patroller had it down. Even on lifts with bars, riders can still fall out, especially in the case of a violent deropement.

Although Red Lodge is a relatively small operation with an old school feel, the mountain is owned by San Francisco-based real estate investment firm JMA Ventures. JMA also operates Homewood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe along with numerous hotels, apartment complexes and mixed-use developments.

“Chairlift safety is a top priority, and something we take incredibly seriously,” Red Lodge said. “Until the lift assessment is complete, the lift is repaired, tested and evaluated again by inspectors and regulatory agencies, it will remain closed. Currently, there is no estimate as to when the Triple Chair will reopen.” The resort added the Willow Creek chair is also closed for maintenance. “We are optimistic that [Willow Creek] will reopen soon, however once maintenance has been completed, it will also undergo a full inspection before reopening as part of our standard operating procedure,” Red Lodge wrote. Two other lifts – Cole Creek and Grizzly Peak, have also remained closed since the accident. With limited terrain open, the resort has reduced ticket prices until further notice.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Mr. Zinne’s wife, Meghan, and their two year old child. The family would also like to spread awareness about organ donation. “Jeff spent his final moments donating his precious organs,” the family wrote.

A person was airlifted to a Montana hospital on today following an incident on the Triple Chair at Red Lodge Mountain. “Red Lodge Mountain Patrol Dispatch received a call at 11:51am regarding an incident that occurred with the Triple Chair,” the mountain said in a statement. “Patrol was on-scene of the incident at 11:53am,” the statement continued. “A patient was transported to the base area where the patient was loading into an emergency medical services ambulance at 12:23 pm.” A local TV station reported the person was later flown by helicopter from Red Lodge’s hospital to a larger one in Billings. The rest of the 135 passengers on the chairlift were evacuated by rope and the mountain was closed for the day.

It was windy today in south-central Montana and Red Lodge acknowledged the incident may have been wind-related. The resort posted on X at 8:45 am that all lifts would start the day on wind hold with gusts forecasted as high as 55 miles per hour. Three base area lifts, including the Triple Chair, began loading passengers at 9:30 am. After the incident a few hours later, Red Lodge Fire Rescue said strong winds prevented the patient from being airlifted directly from the ski area.

The Triple Chair was built by CTEC in 1983. It spans more than 5,000 feet from the base of the ski area with 195 chairs on the line. Owing to their age, the chairs do not have restraint bars. Red Lodge Mountain said the lift will remain closed while an investigation is completed. Unfortunately a parallel lift called Willow Creek has also been closed since February 23rd due to maintenance. That leaves just The Stache Express for out-of-base access.

Montana’s Board of Passenger Tramway Safety was disbanded in 1997 so there is unlikely to be any state investigation. Parts of Red Lodge Mountain are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and the Triple Chair runs partially within the Custer Gallatin National Forest. In addition to oversight from the Forest Service, ski areas like Red Lodge are also typically inspected by their insurance company.

Update 3/11 6:30 pm: The Carbon County Sheriff’s office reports the victim of this incident, a 37 year old male from Billings, died today of his injuries. Local media reports he was thrown from the chair he was riding on the upper part of the lift line.