5 Critical Facts About The Attitash Mountain Ski Lift Accident That Shook New Hampshire

The tranquility of a winter Sunday at Attitash Mountain Resort was abruptly shattered by a terrifying mechanical failure, thrusting the issue of ski lift safety back into the national spotlight. This recent incident, which occurred on the mountain's Flying Bear Express lift, saw a chair detach mid-line, sending a skier plummeting to the snow below. As of today, December 10, 2025, the investigation into the precise cause of the malfunction is ongoing, raising serious questions about the maintenance of aging detachable chairlifts across the ski industry and the oversight provided by owners like Vail Resorts.

The event, which took place in early 2025, resulted in one injury and the immediate closure of the lift, drawing investigators from the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office and the Passenger Tramway Safety Board to the scene in Bartlett, New Hampshire. While the injured skier was fortunate to escape with non-life-threatening injuries, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking high above the slopes and the critical importance of rigorous inspection protocols for all mountain operations.

The Flying Bear Express: Anatomy of the Accident

The focus of the investigation quickly centered on the Flying Bear Express, a high-speed detachable quad lift that services a key section of the mountain. Understanding the specifics of this lift and the event itself is crucial to grasping the gravity of the situation.

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Key Facts and Timeline of the Incident

• Location: Attitash Mountain Resort, Bartlett, New Hampshire.
• Date of Incident: A Sunday in early 2025.
• Lift Involved: The Flying Bear Express, a detachable quad chairlift.
• Lift Manufacturer/Age: A Doppelmayr lift installed in the 1995-96 season, making it nearly three decades old.
• Incident Description: A single chair, carrying one male passenger, detached from the haul rope between towers.
• Height of Fall: Approximately 20 feet to the ground.
• Victim Status: The skier was conscious following the fall and was transported off the mountain with a neck brace before being released from the hospital.
• Immediate Response: The lift was immediately stopped, and resort personnel safely evacuated all other riders remaining on the line.

Detachable chairlifts, like the Flying Bear Express, are designed to slow down significantly in the loading and unloading areas to allow skiers to get on and off easily, then speed up for the ride up the mountain. This technology relies on a complex grip mechanism that clamps and unclamps the chair from the main cable, and a failure in this critical component is the likely cause of the chair detachment.

The Investigation and Preliminary Findings

Following the accident, a joint investigation was launched by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office and the state's Passenger Tramway Safety Board. Their primary goal is to determine the exact mechanical failure that caused the chair's grip to release from the cable.

The Passenger Tramway Safety Board is the state agency responsible for overseeing the safety and maintenance of all ski lifts and tramways in New Hampshire. Their involvement is critical, as they are tasked with ensuring compliance with stringent safety standards.

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Key Points of the Ongoing Investigation:

• Focus on the Grip: Investigators are meticulously examining the detached chair's grip assembly, which is the component responsible for securing the chair to the haul rope.
• No Prior Indicators: A longtime member of the Passenger Tramway Safety Board noted that there was "no indicator" of a problem with the Flying Bear lift prior to the accident, raising concerns about the potential for sudden, unexpected failure.
• Maintenance Protocols: Vail Resorts, the owner of Attitash, confirmed that the resort conducts daily lift inspections in addition to the mandated annual state inspections. The investigation is reviewing the records and thoroughness of these internal inspections.
• Lift Closure: The Flying Bear Express remains closed indefinitely while the investigation continues, a necessary step to ensure the safety of the public and to allow for a complete forensic analysis of the lift's components.

The findings of this investigation will not only determine liability but will also inform potential changes to ski lift inspection and maintenance protocols across the entire state of New Hampshire. The safety of the public on all detachable chairlift systems is paramount, and the board’s final report is highly anticipated by the entire ski industry.

Attitash and Vail Resorts: A Question of Safety Records

The incident at Attitash Mountain Resort cannot be viewed in isolation. Attitash is one of several ski areas owned by Vail Resorts, a Colorado-based company that operates a vast network of resorts across North America. This ownership context adds another layer of scrutiny to the maintenance and safety standards in place.

Vail Resorts has faced increased public and media attention regarding lift safety in recent seasons. For instance, the Attitash incident followed a separate, highly publicized mishap at the company's Heavenly resort in California, where five people were hospitalized after two chairs collided.

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Critics argue that a focus on cost-cutting or a lack of investment in modernizing aging infrastructure at acquired resorts may contribute to these issues. The Flying Bear Express, being a 1995-96 model, represents an older generation of detachable lift technology. While age alone does not equate to danger, it necessitates a heightened level of lift maintenance and vigilance in replacing wear-and-tear components.

The Broader Context of Ski Lift Safety

While ski lift accidents are statistically rare, those caused by mechanical failure—like the one at Attitash—are often the most severe and preventable. The common causes of lift accidents are generally categorized as:

• Mechanical Failure: Issues with the grip, cable, sheave wheels, or drive system.
• Human Error: Mistakes by lift operators during loading/unloading or maintenance.
• Improper Maintenance: Failure to replace worn parts or conduct thorough inspections.
• Design Flaws: Though rare in modern lifts, older systems can have inherent design limitations.

The Attitash accident underscores the importance of the detachable quad lift inspection process. Resort management must not only meet the minimum requirements of annual state inspections but also ensure their daily and weekly protocols are robust enough to catch incipient failures in complex components like the chair grips. The safety of every skier at Attitash, and across the entire Vail Resorts portfolio, depends on it.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Lift Safety in New Hampshire

The final report from the Passenger Tramway Safety Board is expected to provide definitive answers regarding the cause of the Flying Bear Express failure. Depending on the findings, the outcome could have wide-ranging implications:

• Mandated Upgrades: The state may mandate specific component replacements or upgrades for all similar-vintage Doppelmayr or detachable lifts operating in New Hampshire.
• Increased Inspection Frequency: New regulations could require more frequent, in-depth, and possibly third-party inspections of critical grip mechanisms.
• Lawsuits and Liability: The resort and its ownership, Vail Resorts, could face significant legal action from the injured skier, with the investigation's findings playing a central role in determining liability.

For skiers planning a trip to Attitash or other New Hampshire resorts near North Conway, the best advice is to remain informed. While the vast majority of ski lift rides are completed without incident, the Attitash accident serves as a powerful call for transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to safety across the entire ski industry.