Brains
For the last several decades, there has been an ongoing debate across the United States on whether safety bars and lowering them should be a legal requirement on chairlifts. The 2024-25 season saw several incidents make national headlines, involving various resorts across the United States. While some of these incidents were due to a mechanical issue, some of these incidents are connected to the use of safety bars on chairlifts. This begs the question: is it time for a nationwide law in United States requiring safety bars being lowered while on the chairlift?
Just weeks ago, on May 2, 32-year-old Donovan Romero tragically died from injuries sustained after falling from the Ruby Express chairlift at Keystone Resort in Summit County, Colorado. The incident occurred on December 11, where Romero fell over 50 feet onto the unopened Diamondback Trail. State investigators, as well as Romero’s family, highlighted that the chairlift’s safety bar had not been lowered. The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board later determined that the accident was not caused by a lift malfunction.
Accidents like these have prompted many people across the United States to advocate for laws requiring the use of safety bars. Despite many lifts across the country containing safety bars, using them is not a standard practice by skiers and snowboarders. Many prefer to leave the safety bars up and unused, ignoring the apparent dangers of not using them. While many across the United States continue to leave up the safety bars, some areas have made strides to require the usage safety bars.
In 2024, Vermont became the first state to require chairlifts be equipped with safety bars and that they are lowered and in-use. This law was implemented by Vermont’s Department of Labor, with the Tramway Board setting the safety standards of the law. This came about as Vermont has seen a surge in the amount of people skiing the state’s resorts, as well as a surge in incidents involving chairlifts.
In resorts across Europe, pulling down the safety bar is a general practice that many take part in. In most European countries, there is no law requiring safety bars are lowered, but installing one is required. The resorts themselves, on the other hand, make the lowering of safety bars compulsory. This is oftentimes outlined in a resort’s terms in conditions as they have deemed the lowering of safety bars to be a basic measure to safely operate chairlifts.
Many resorts across Europe have gotten creative in ensuring the safety bar is pulled down. Zermatt Ski Resort in Switzerland has warning signs that flash and alarm when the safety bar is not in use. Efforts like these have prompted skiers and snowboarders in Europe to pull down the safety bars, and so far, it has worked.
As chairlift technologies continue to improve and increase the speed that they operate, it is time that the United States adopts a law requiring skiers and snowboarders to lower the safety bars on chairlifts. Skiing and snowboarding are continuing to popularize, and a law requiring the use of safety bars would dramatically reduce the likelihood of a chairlift-related accident. According to Summit Daily, Colorado alone records roughly 14 incidents of chairlift falls per season. By requiring the lowering of safety bars, resorts could see this number be reduced to nearly zero.
Skiing and snowboarding are viewed as some of the most fun activities in the world. To make the mountain experience safer and even more enjoyable, it is advisable to lower those safety bars.
