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Bad Day on the Lift


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#41 iwmmug

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 12:01 PM

I completely agree!

#42 Skiing#1

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 12:21 PM

http://newsfeedresearcher.com/data/article...skis.html#hdng0

very very long story.

I thought the lift opened at 9:00 a.m. and let public ride but it said the time was 10:12 a.m. One of Vail Resorts employees said that sometimes the strong windy blow seats up. I guess the lift opr didn't see the seat was up before that man who fell through the gap and dangled the chair, sat down. Maybe the man and the child didn't see the seat up bfore they sat down?

Story keeps talking about photographer marty Odom, the unidentity man, the unidentity child, ski patrols, skiers and photo company. No one talks about a lift operator's side. No one knows how the lift operator feels. The lift operator didn't share his feelings.

Marty Odom don't feel sorry about take pictures of naked man. He thought the photo is worth it. (for me I don't apprecaite it, I respect the naked man's privacy). Photo company and naked man didn't give permission to show everyone the pictures. I feel sorry for the naked man. I hope he is allright and child is allright.

#43 Kicking Horse

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 05:55 PM

Quote

Skier Gets the Bum Rush
(topic overview)

CONTENTS:

* An unlucky skier has been snapped in the most unflattering of positions, after losing his pants on a ski lift on New Year's Day. (More...)
* I feel for the guy, but I'm glad you shared the experience for two reasons: One, what can I do to never be in that situation, and the laugh. (More...)
* Minutes later, the pics were posted on the web for the world to see. (More...)
* Think about it. He works for a company whose client (probably their biggest) employs this company for a specific purpose. (More...)
* Photos taken by bystanders show the man's backside was bared in the incident. (More...)
* A skier falls through the Blue Sky Basin Chairlift last Friday losing his pants. (More...)
* One of the most successful, for example, was Ski the Summit, which promoted Summit County's Keystone, Breck, A-Basin and Copper. (More...)
* Here's a horrific reminder that at the end of the day, technology still has power over us. (More...)
* And, as if things couldn't get any worse, the whole cheeky incident goes viral faster than a flash of Britney's pikachu. (More...)
* Officials from the Colorado State Tram Board, which reviews lift incidents, could not be immediately reached Tuesday. (More...)


SOURCES

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An unlucky skier has been snapped in the most unflattering of positions, after losing his pants on a ski lift on New Year's Day. The man was left hanging around - naked from the waist down (or waist up, given the position he was in) - after he fell through the chairlift seat at Blue Sky Basin at Vail Ski Resort. The Smoking Gun carries more images of the incident, and reports the man's right ski jammed in the chairlift, forcing him to become suspended over the snow. [1] What's worse than dreaming about going to work naked? Losing your pants on a ski lift and having the photos appear on news websites. The unlucky man was left hanging in the cold on January 1 when he fell through the chairlift seat at Blue Sky Basin at Vail Ski Resort. Somehow his trousers got caught too. Apparently the 48-year-old man was stuck without his pants for around 15 minutes as fellow skiers took photos.[2]

Fellow skiers said the man boarded the Skyline Express high-speed lift Friday morning in Vail's Blue Sky Basin, but the lift's fold-down seat was not lowered, causing the man to partially fall through a gap, The Smoking Gun reported Tuesday. Pictures taken by witnesses suggest the man's pants became stuck on the chair and remained behind when he fell through. The man, who was kept in place by one of his skis that became jammed in the ascending chairlift, dangled from the lift with his nether-regions exposed for about 15 minutes before staff managed to reverse the lift and dislodge the man.[3] Leave it to those merry pranksters at the Smoking Gun to spot this moment of utter embarrassment and hilarity at Vail Mountain resort last Friday. It turns out a skier attempted to ride the high-speed lift at Vail's Blue Sky Basin, but when the seat didn't fold down all the way he somehow slipped through the crack and was left dangling upside down for 15 minutes, his ski lodged in the chair. Oh, and for some reason his pants fell down.[4] Thursday was a bad day for a man who dangled bare-bottomed from a Vail Mountain ski lift. The unidentified skier boarded the lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin, but the fold-down seat wasn't in its proper position, according to the website thesmokinggun.com ]] thesmokinggun.com. He fell through the gap, and his right ski got caught, leaving him dangling head down with his pants around his ankles.[5] According to thesmokinggun.com, a male skier and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It appears the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the correct position, and the man partially fell through the gap. Caught by his right ski, the bindings still gripping his boot, the man was rescued by Vail personnel who backed the lift up and successfully dislodged the unidentified man from the chair.[6]

According to reports, the unidentified man and a child boarded the Skyline Express lift at the luxury Blue Sky Basin resort at Vail last week expecting a swift ride up the mountain. Because the chairlift's seat was not in the correct position, as the man got on, he slipped through a gap between the chair and the seat back. His ski boot and ski became lodged in the lift, preventing him from falling. As he slid, his trousers and underwear became caught and were pulled down, exposing him to tourists at the crowded ski resort, some of whom took pictures of the helpless dangling figure.[7]

It is a position no one wants to be in, hanging upside down, a naked skier dangling off a ski lift in Vail, Colorado. To make it worse photos were snapped that made the man an instant celebrity, but now reports claim he is looking into legal action. According to a report from the Associated Press, officials at Vail Resorts in Colorado say the 48-year-old man was trying to get on the Blue Ski basin lift on New Year's Day when he would up naked and upside down.[8] Odom for News A chair lift robbed a skiier of his pants at a Vail, Colo. slope on New Year's Day. At least 2009 probably can't get any worse for him. VAIL, Colo. - The phrase "ski bum" took on new meaning for one unfortunate man who hit the slopes New Year's Day and ended up dangling from a chairlift with his pants down. The situation didn't work out any better for the photographer who snapped the image showing the man suspended by one boot with his bum bared to the world on a Blue Basin ski slope in Vail, Colo. Marty Odom ''' a photographer employed by the resort where the de-pantsing occurred ''' told the Daily News he was suspended indefinitely after the image was published in a local newspaper.[9] Odom, a photographer for Sharpshooters on Vail Mountain, caught a photo of a skier who fell through the chair while trying to upload Sky Line Express on New Year's Day. The skier was left dangling by his pants, hit buttocks completely exposed. Odom, who wasn't working at the time, snapped a photo of the incident with his own camera, which then got published in the Vail Daily. Other photos of the accident also made their way onto various Web sites. News of the incident has gone across the world, and Odom said he's received 75 to 100 calls from media across the world wanting to hear about the incident and buy rights to his photograph. 'I had 18 missed calls on my phone when I woke up this morning,' Odom said.[10] Marty Odom, resident of Vail Mountain in Vail, Colorado, shot this photo on New Year's Day at Blue Sky Basin near Vail. Odom, who works for SharpShooters, a photo service company in Vail, took this picture on his day off and had it published in the Vail Daily. News of the photo quickly spread around the world and Odom was bombarded with requests for his now-infamous shot. His contract with Sharpshooters has kept him from profiting, however, as the company owns the rights to the photograph and has said it would not be released. Even worse for Odom, he was suspended indefinitely the day after the photo was taken. Vail Daily News has quoted him as saying, 'There are a lot of people offering money for it, thousands of dollars worth.[11]

Vail Resorts officials today said they put no pressure on one of their subcontractors, Sharpshooters, which on Tuesday suspended the man who took the widely distributed photos of a man dangling half-naked from a Vail Mountain chair lift. Marty Odom told the Vail Daily News that he has been suspended until further notice from Sharpshooters, a company that takes pictures of skiers at numerous ski resorts.[12] We might win a contest or two, might even make a few bucks from the distribution of the photo, it might get featured in a few publications with a photo credit for us. Odom works for Sharpshooters, a Colorado-based corporate chain that takes pictures of skiers and he's been suspended until further notice. His bosses cited the no-compete clause he signed and said the photo reflected badly on the company. I think the reality of it is more along the lines of this: the dangling man has sued Vail Resorts (or has threatened to) and Vail Resorts is terrified of the bad publicity. They've come down hard on Sharpshooters who doesn't want to lose the business and they felt the best way to handle it was to "suspend" Odom. The no-compete clause is an excuse that really holds very little water in this case (I haven't read the wording of this particular one, but I've signed enough of them). As for reflecting badly on Sharpshooters, I suggest that they think about looking at every photo that any of their employees has ever put up on a photo sharing or social networking site. The only difference between this photo and those embarassing snapshots is that these reached a much wider and more aware audience than what Facebook or Flickr will reach.[13]

Fortunately, the man was unhurt. A professional photographer, Marty Odom, caught the incident with his personal camera while at the same resort. His heavily circulated photographs show the bare-bottomed man dangling from a seat on Vail Mountain's Skyline Express lift. Unfortunately, the popular photos have resulted in Odom's suspension from his employer, photo agency SharpShooters, for violating the company's non-compete clause.[14] Odom's photos showed an unidentified man dangling from a lift on Vail Mountain's Skyline Express lift. He apparently fell through the seat and was suspended by his ski. His pants had been pulled down in the mishap.[12]

Have you seen the naked skier? A man at Colorado's Vail ski resort found himself hanging from a ski lift, upside down and pantless, for a good several minutes last week. The "ski bum," as he's been dubbed, apparently got into a ski lift in which the seat was not fully lowered. He fell through the gap and ended up dangling from the Vail chairlift with no way out.[15] A 48-year-old skier was left hanging upside down, half naked on a chair lift at the Blue Sky Basin at the Vail Ski Resort in Vail, Colorado. His pants and underwear were apparently caught in the ski lift, leaving him bare bottomed and exposed.[16] ' Vail Resorts has released more information about the skier who ended up hanging upside-down and partially naked on Vail's Skyline Express Lift in the Colorado resort's Blue Sky Basin area last week. The 48-year-old man, who has not been identified, was attempting to load the chair Thursday when he got caught and was suspended for about seven minutes, Vail Resorts said in a press release.[17]

Specifics about how the man could have ended up hanging from the chair were not released by the Blue Sky Basin in Vail, Colorado. More details about how the Vail skier started his New Year as the naked skier, were reported by The Smoking Gun and the Vail Daily.[16] Talk about embarrassing. An unfortunate man has been forever enshrined in the red faced Hall of Shame after an incident that landed him on web pages around the world. It happened on New Year's Day as the unknown victim was heading out for what should have been a fun afternoon at the Blue Sky Basin resort in Vail, Colorado.[18] Officials at Vail Resorts in Colorado say the 48-year-old man was trying to get on the Blue Ski basin lift on New Year's Day. They haven't said what went wrong.[19]

VAIL, Colorado ' What skier Marty Odom thought was the ski shot of the season in Vail, Colorado might end up costing him his job. Odom, a Vail resident and photographer for Sharpshooters, was skiing in Vail on New Year's Day when he witnessed a skier caught in a compromising position on the Skyline Express Lift (Chair 37).[20] The photo of the so-called naked skier, who was really only half-naked, resulted in a suspended job for the photographer, Marty Odom. Odom was not working in a professional capacity when he shot the photos, although he is a professional photographer. He was at the Blue Ski Basin in Vail, Colorado skiing and he took the now famous photos of the naked Vail skier with his own camera. His images of the upside down skier were published in the Vail Daily, and Odom's employer, SharpShooters claim the suspension is due to the non-compete clause he signed.[16] When Marty Odom took his photo of the naked skier hanging upside down from a ski lift in Vail, his photography job was the last thing on his mind. He did what anyone would do. He grabbed his camera (his personal camera), snapped a few shots and sent them off to the Vail Daily. It's an amusing pic of a certainly dangerous situation that was resolved without incident (as far as I know), other than some embarassment and pride-bruising.[13]

The man's ski became jammed and his pants well, you saw it. The Smoking Gun reports the Vail chairlift accident caused no injuries. According to the official report cited by TSG, the man was upside down for about seven minutes before staff members were able to get him out. You can see more images of the pantless skier snapped by witnesses, including his rescue, here. His identity, thankfully for him, hasn't been released and can't be easily ascertained in any of the snapshots, either. (At least, not unless you can recognize a guy from his bum.) Update: The man who took some of the photos, who evidently worked for a company hired to get shots of people skiing at Vail, has reportedly been suspended from his job over the naked skier incident. Details here.[15] Vail Resorts confirmed Tuesday that a 48-year-old skier dangled upside down for about seven minutes from a Vail Mountain chairlift on New Year's Day before he could be rescued. Photos of the man on thesmokinggun.com and other Internet sites show that much of his clothing had been pulled off as others tried to free him.[21] The man was hanging upside down for approximately seven minutes on New Year's Day, a Vail spokeswoman Liz Biebl said.[14]

The Smoking Gun is reporting that an unnamed skier was the victim of a freak ski lift accident on New Year's day. This all went down at Vail's Blue Sky Basin ski slope.[22] January 6, 2009 -- The New Year's Day unveiling of an unfortunate 48-year-old skier's hindquarters in a chairlift-dangling incident on the Skyline Express chairlift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin was revealing in a lot of ways. It showed how quickly the casual act of getting on or off a chairlift can turn into a highly comic albeit truly frightening Warren Miller ski flick moment, how easily and completely that moment can be recorded and disseminated around the globe, and how little control ski companies have over either the local media or the ravenous beast that is the Internet these days.[23]

In an embarrassing and - quite frankly - scary way to start the year, a man almost fell off a ski lift in Vail, Colorado. Some poor 48 year old man vacationing with his son, was skiing in Colorado's ritzy Vail Blue Sky Basin Resort Friday morning when he decided to hop on a high-speed chairlift.[24] A mishap on the ski lift at Vail's upscale Blue Sky Basin resort last week left a skier dangling upside down, and exposed to the world, when his pants came undone.[25] These pictures show possibly the most embarrassing thing that could happen on a ski lift. A skier at Colorado's luxury Vail ski resort was left suffering from a double case of exposure after a freak accident left him dangling upside down and pantless from a ski lift.[26] An unfortunate skier in Vail, Colorado was left dangling upside down showing off his bum after a ski lift malfunction.[27] An unfortunate accident left an American skier dangling upside down with his trouser around his ankles after he became entangled in the ski lift. While only sustaining serious injuries to his pride the 48-year-old man was left dangling for until he was rescued from his predicament by the Vail Ski Patrol.[28]

A skier was left dangling from a chairlift at an American resort after he became stuck upside-down with his ski trousers round his ankles. Photos show the man naked from his waist to his knees, swinging from one leg, and still wearing both skis. He became entangled shortly after boarding the Skyline Express lift. The lift was stopped and reversed about 12ft (3.6m) before he was freed by the Vail Ski Patrol, Vail Resort said in a statement about the 1 January incident.[29] The unidentified man, along with a child, boarded the Skyline Express lift for a quick ride to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, the fold down seat that he was sitting on was not in the lowered, and locked, position, causing him to slide through a gap between the seat and the chair back. As he slid out of place, his ski pants were pulled down, while his boot simultaneously became lodged in the chairlift, leaving him dangling helplessly 20 feet above the ground. The resort staff were eventually notified of the incident, and backed the lift up so that they could assist the man out of his precarious, and embarrassing, predicament, but not before other skiers passing by could snap a few photos to capture the moment and share for eternity on the Internet.[25] The skier, who has not been identified, apparently boarded the chairlift only to find the seat had not been properly lowered. He then fell through a gap and would have plummeted to the slope below, but his right ski got lodged in the chair, arresting his fall. Unfortunately, his ski pants also caught on the chair and ripped down below his knees as he tumbled toward the snow. Tourists had plenty of time to whip out their cameras and snap a keepsake shot ''' the man was left dangling for about 10 minutes before resort staffers were able to rescue him.[9]

When the skier had tried to board the lift the fold-down seat wasn't in its proper position, according to the website thesmokinggun.com. He fell through the gap, and his right ski got caught, leaving him dangling head down with his pants down below his knees. Odom's semi-nude pictures of the skier - representing by his own account his best work of the season - were printed in the Vail Daily and extensively on the Internet.[30] The Denver Post reports this man was not working at the time he took the picture and used his own camera, why is he being fired? The photo is funny as hell and doesn't show the man's face. I saw a man in a ski lift chair ahead of mine at Heavenly at Lake Tahoe try to get off the chair at the top, fell, and the chair caught his pants from behind and dragged him clear around the lift before the lift attendee saw what was happening, funny, funny, funny! These things never happen to snowboarders, just dorky skiers.[12] Some poor skier in Colorado wound up upside down showing off his bum (and everything else) after a malfunction caused the chair on the ski lift to allow him to fall through. His pants caught on the lift and were pulled down and the 48-year old man was left hanging (oh the opportunities for the double entendre) until workers could free him.[31] The Web site said the man's right ski got jammed in the chairlift, the man's pants got stuck on the chair, so he ended up hanging from the lift with his pants down as the lift ascended the hill. Skiers near the Skyline Express lift took several pictures showing the half-naked man hanging upside down without his pants. Those uncensored pictures are on the Smoking Gun's Web site.[32] The Vail skier, being called the naked skier by online searchers was hanging upside down for approximately seven minutes, a Vail spokeswoman Liz Biebl said. (Associated Press) The Smoking Gun reports it was 15 minutes. He had fallen through a raised chair lift and his his pants got caught on the chair when he fell, according to FOX.[16] In one photo, the guy's bare derriere has been blurred out. Somehow when he was trying to sit down on a ski lift, he slipped, his boot got caught, and his pants ended up at his ankles. He's hanging upside down from his boot in another picture, one of many snapped by onlookers. Vail ski workers rescued him after a few minutes.[33]

The photo printed Saturday in the Vail Daily of a person hanging upside down from the chairlift at Blue Sky without pants was without a doubt the funniest picture I've ever seen in a newspaper. I'm sure that it was an unpleasant moment for the unfortunate person who put his or herself into this awkward position. Since its impossible to tell who it was or even their gender, in a sense they are Everyman.[34] Don Rogers raises an interesting thought in connection with the publication of the picture in the Vail Daily of a skier hanging from a Blue Sky lift. His paper is a reflection of the mores of the community the paper serves. Does this mean, however, the paper must emphasize the worst aspects of these? Is it not bad enough that the town of Vail has a council which needs to go bowling with Vail Resorts executives to improve 'communications'? Must the town paper publish a picture of an non-injury incident which puts VR in the worst possible light, particularly if picked up by the national media? I think not.[35]

Vail Resorts spokeswoman Liz Biebl confirmed that the pictures are of the victim. In a Tuesday night posting on Transworld Snowboarding, Odom said he was suspended the day after the photograph appeared in the Vail Daily and the man announced his intention to sue Vail Mountain. Odom explained that when he shot some pictures he was on his day off and was carrying his own camera.[30] "We all know what that means," Odom told the Vail Daily News. "I guess it embarrassed Vail Resorts, and they called (my) shop." Kelly Ladyga, director of corporate communications for Vail Resorts, said her company "absolutely did not" put pressure on Sharpshooters to suspend Odom in the wake of the incident. Ladyga did acknowledge that "we have talked to them since learning he is a Sharpshooter employee, and they informed us he was suspended due to their company policy." Odom said he'd been skiing on Jan. 1 and happened to run across the rescue attempt.[12] Odom was suspended from work until further notice the day after the photo was taken. He offered to buy the photos from the company, but Sharpshooters told him that they were going to announce they owned the photo and that it would not be released. Odom, who is now unsure of his job, said he had hoped the photo would bring in some income. 'There are a lot of people offering money for it, thousands of dollars worth,' he said. While the town is still abuzz about the photo, Odom said he's just worried about whether he'll be able to stay in the valley. 'I feel like now I'm on a blacklist with Vail Resorts and I won't be able to get a job anywhere now,' he said. 'That sucks, because I've been here for a few years.[10]

Marty Odom, the photographer who took the ski lift pantsless photos has been suspended until further notice from Sharpshooters, a company that takes pictures of skiers at different ski resorts.[27] Silver lining--the unfortunate individual now has photographic proof of the ski lift mishap. which could be used as evidence should he decide to sue Vail Resorts. Which, come to think of it, might be part of the reasons its subcontractor, Sharpshooters, suspended the photographer. Sharpshooters, after all, depends on keeping their customer happy to keep the money flowing their direction.[12]

The guy wasn't hurt, e.g. fell from the lift and end up in the hospital, therefore we can now look back at this incident and laugh. If he had been seriously hurt, then it would not have been funny. Can you identify the person from the photo? If not, then STFU! BTW, I have been caught in public in embarrassing situations, I get embarrassed and then I get over it. Anyhow, if the report in the Vail paper is correct, photographer on his own time with his own camera, then Sharpshooter deserves all the bad publicity that they can get. A phone call or email to the Vail resort expressing dismay on how one of their contractors treats its employees also would help. Companies understand that what their contractors do also reflects upon them.[12]

The lift crew stopped the lift right away and then managed to back it up and get the man down without injury, but in the meantime the poor guy's backside was happily snapped by hordes of amateur paparazzi with cell-phone cameras. Although it's an off-duty Sharpshooter photographer who's getting his 15 minutes for nabbing the shots that ran in the Vail Daily Saturday, spread like wildfire on the Internet and proved how futile it is for the ski company to try to contain embarrassing moments captured on the mountain.[23] My Fox Colorado reports that lift operators immediately stopped the lift and Vail Ski Patrol was called to the scene. The plan was to get the guy down without hurting him so they moved the lift to ten feet or so and were able to assist him. The Rocky Mountain News reports that declined to respond to reports that "the chairlift seat appeared to be up, which may have caused the man to fall partially through it before catching himself with his skis."[31]

The chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding. In a statement released this afternoon, Vail Resorts, which operates the ski area, reported that the skier was not injured after being "suspended for approximately seven minutes."[36] The chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding. Okay, but. why is he pantsless? This isn't explained. He was apparently suspended in the air for close to seven minutes, just enough time for passersby to snap enough photos that will surely haunt him and the small child sitting next to him for all eternity.[37]

The man fell partway through the gap. His right ski got stuck in the rising chairlift, suspending him for about seven minutes, with his ski trousers down to his ankles. Though this would be a humiliating circumstance for anyone, he is lucky not to have fallen all the way through. Shortly after, Vail Ski Patrol freed him after the lift was stopped and reversed about 12 feet, reported BBC. The man was not injured.[38] The chair was not lowered as it should have been and the Vail skier fell through the gap. A child who was with the man is shown seated in the chair lift, as the man dangles beneath the chair lift, suspended in place by his right ski.[16]

Actually, someone just suggested the best idea for an Ullr Parade float we've heard yet: A naked upside-down skier stuck in a chairlift and a big sign saying 'Ski Vail!' Of course, this would have been a lot more fun back in the old days before Vail Resorts owned two of our ski areas. On a more serious note, we can't help but remind all lift operators out there to keep an eye on the guests and the chairs at all times ' especially when they're loading and just leaving the ramp. For the love of cryin' out loud, what the heck are you standing there for if you aren't going to at least do that? We know detachable lifts leave little for the liftie to do, but saying 'hello' to people and checking to make sure the chair they're about to load isn't on fire or anything would be a good place to focus.[39] The Skyline Express lift was stopped and eventually backed up, and Vail personnel were able to help the man dislodge himself safely from the four person chair. In a statement released by by Vail Resorts, who operates the ski area, it was reported that the man was not injured, and they claimed he was only "suspended for approximately seven minutes." While he may not have been physically injured, I'm sure his pride was.[40] The man was boarding Vail Mountain's Skyline Express lift at 10:12 in the morning, said Liz Biebl, spokeswoman for Vail Resorts. The man was caught on the chair and suspended, she said.[21]

Vail Mountain officials released a statement that said the hanging skier, a 48-year-old man, was suspended on the chair for about seven minutes and was rescued without injuries. Onlookers said that before Ski Patrol arrived, others tried to throw ropes up to the skier to get him down.[20] A spokesperson for Vail Mountain wouldn't tell 9NEWS how the man ended up dangling from the lift with his pants around his ankles. An e-mailed news release said lift operators immediately stopped the lift and got him down within seven minutes.[41]

VAIL, Colo., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Witnesses said a skier at a Vail, Colo., resort spent about 15 minutes dangling upside down from a lift with his pants around his knees before he was rescued.[3] Re the man's age, thesmokinggun.com, one of the sites that posted the images (and is owned by Court TV, so is presumably quite law-savvy), posted: "In a bizarre incident that will surely lead to litigation (or an out-of-court settlement), a skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday morning.[12] It looks like a scene from a winter comedy movie: a man dangling from a chairlift, upside down, and his pants M.I.A. It really happened, however, in Vail, Colorado a couple of days ago.[6]

In a scary (and embarrassing) moment, a man dangles upside down and pants-less from a ski lift in Vail, Colorado.[40] Just Google " naked ski lift " and you will get the picture. Be warned it's not a pretty picture. It's a picture of a man with his pants (no underwear) around his knees dangling upside down from a ski lift. It's all over the place.[42] It doesn't help my paranoia about ski lifts much, either. You can't help but smile at Smoking Gun's pictures of the man left dangling, pantless, once you know he was rescued unharmed - save for some visibly red cheeks. The man dangled in the air for seven minutes before rescue crews brought him down.[43]

An unidentified 48-year-old man riding the lift at Blue Sky Basin wound up dangling by one ski, naked from the waist down, when the chair malfunctioned. A child riding with him had to cling to the upended seat until workers reversed the lift and rescued them several minutes later.[36] The man hopped onto the Blue Sky Basin and would soon learn his seat was not lowered properly, which resulted in man falling through the folding seat gap. The man's ski is what kept him dangling from the chairlift, saving him from a fall into the snow. Unfortunately for him, however, when he fell, so did his pants.[24]

A professional ski photographer who took snapshots of a middle-aged skier left dangling half nude from a Blue Sky Basin chairlift could lose his job. Marty Odom, a photographer for SharpShooter Imaging, said Wednesday that he is trying to save his job but when asked whether he'll be able to do so he said, "I don't think so."[30]

We had a lively Monday with responses to Don Rogers' column, 'Did we make wrong call with picture,' about a photograph Saturday of a skier who dangled upside down from a chairlift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin for a short time before being rescued unharmed.[35] VAIL - A skier was uninjured after falling through a raised chairlift seat in Blue Sky Basin at Vail Resort Friday.[44]

On January 1, a 48-year-old male skier and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin in Vail, Colorado.[38] VAIL, Colorado ' Marty Odom's now infamous photograph of an exposed skier in Blue Sky Basin in Vail, Colorado has made him more popular than he bargained for, and all the attention isn't paying off, he said.[10]

The January 1 mishap apparently occurred after the male skier, 48, and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin.[37] The man - who has not been identified - boarded the high speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky basin last Friday morning with a child.[26]

Resort officials have said only that the man was trying getting on the Blue Ski Basin lift on New Year's Day. They haven't said what went wrong.[45] The Smoking Gun, which carries photos of the embarrassing incident, reports that an unnamed skier was the victim of a freak ski lift mishap on New Year's Day.[27]

Back in the day, the PR handlers at the ski company would regularly call the local paper to chastise us for running pictures of skiers or snowboarders getting big air on Vail Mountain (inverted air was actually banned in the pre-terrain-park-and-half-pipe era). Or they'd yell at us for running pictures that were of questionable taste, in their opinion. Two incidents come immediately to mind: the time I published a front-page photo of local ski racer Sarah Schleper skiing topless with a friend (black bars strategically placed), and the time I ran a photo of a dad pulling his child out of a mud hole while skiing Vail's Golden Peak area. The caption read, "This mud's for you," and the ski execs were not amused. I got blasted both times around, because there was an unwritten rule everything in Vail, including the local paper, should be part of a seamless marketing brochure of good vibes.[23] The company posts photographers at the top of all Vail ski lifts so that skiers can commission photographs of themselves skiing down the mountain.[30] The identity of the photographer who took the by-now legendary Ski Lift Pantsless photos has been revealed. We know that, unfortunately, because he had been employed by Vail Resorts, which fired him.[46] Mechanics managed to reverse the lift about 10 to 12 feet, at which point the man was released, Biebl said. He was not injured. Vail Resorts officials declined to respond to reports that the chairlift seat appeared to be up, which may have caused the man to fall partially through it before catching himself with his skis.[21] I live in Vail and know a Vail Resorts employee who told me what happened - the lifts like this one have seats that are meant to fold up when windy - the wind blows them up - the lift op wasn't paying attention and didn't flip the seat down. The man and the child (don't know if they're related) both loaded the chair and the man apparently fell through.[22]

Boorish people just don't like to be called out on the carpet, I guess. People - this man could have been killed or paralyzed had he fallen head-first from this chair lift. Wouldn't be so funny had he died, now would it? Can you imagine the terror and the humiliation he experienced? Or the terror of the child seated next to him? Very funny, ha-ha-ha. I don't find this situation the least bit amusing. To make matters worse, some low-life creeps on the mountain made the cruel and tasteless decision to snap some photos of this man in serious peril and at his most vulnerable. Ask yourself - how would you feel if this were you, your spouse - or your child? Still funny? I bet you would be on the phone to your lawyer as soon as you got released from the chair lift. All I can say to those individuals is Karma is a. well you know. Vail is toast on this one.[21]

Marty Odom worked for Sharpshooters Imaging, the official portrait photography concession for the Colorado resort. what a portrait Odom captured on January 1, as a 48-year-old man somehow slipped partially off of his chair lift, sans pants. Odom was off duty at the time, but knows a good photo when he sees one.[46] Resort workers stopped the lift, backed it up about 10 or 12 feet and rescued the man. Bystanders snapped photos and posted them the Internet, showing a man who looks to be hanging by one ski boot, his ski pants and underwear apparently snagged in the chair and reaching no farther than his knees.[45]

With his boot remaining securely in its binding, his pants appeared to have also been caught in the lift as he fell - leaving him utterly exposed. The many tourists in the crowded ski resort promptly whipped out their cameras. He was stuck in the undignified position for about 15 minutes before Vail personnel were able to back the lift up and rescue him, according to The Smoking Gun website.[26] Odom said it took about 15 minutes to get to a place where the man could lowered. "It was early in the morning. I guess one of the seats wasn't pushed down and I guess the guy wasn't looking and he sat and fell through the chair, getting caught by one of his skis, pulling his pants down in the process," Odom said. Odom said he's been getting a lot of media requests for his photographs, but also some criticism for taking them. "I would do it again," he said. "It's classic.[41] The skier was trying to upload the lift, but the seat had been left up on the chair, and the skier fell through, according to Odom. The unfortunate skier's pants got caught, and he was left dangling by his pants in mid-air with his backside exposed, a moment that Odom caught on camera.[20]

In the event that a chubby skier is left dangling pantsless from one of our lifts, Vail Resorts shall retain exclusive rights to any photos, video footage and/or movie rights.[46] On another note, Vail Resorts is missing an opportunity here. They should have taken this as an opportunity to promote the professionalism and efficiency of their rescue workers and their commitment to their visitors. They could even have bought the rights to the image, used it in advertising down the road. There are plenty of clever taglines that would promote their resort. For more info: Check out the Denver Snowboarding Examiner's coverage of this ! For photos of this "ski bum" visit The Smoking Gun.[13]

The bizarre incident was snapped by fellow skier Marty Odom at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort, The Smoking Gun reports.[47] Whether you agreed or strongly disagreed with our decision, thank you for taking the time and making the effort to let us know what you think. Your headline treats this incident as a joke; as part of the rescue effort, we can assure you that for the gentleman, his family, and the rescuers, it was not at all humorous. Fortunately, the skier was pulled to safety, but if his pants would have torn and he would have fallen head first, the event could have ended tragically. I wonder how Marty Odom would have felt if he were hanging from a chair over the exposed rocks of a creek bank? Mr. Odom and the Vail Daily should apologize for their poor judgment and be more thoughtful in the future.[35] The press release did not explain how the mishap occurred, only that "the man was caught on the chair." TSG has photos taken by other skiers, one of whom may lose his job as a photographer, the Vail Daily reports.[36]

The exposed skier was stuck for about 15 minutes before Vail personnel backed the lift up and successfully dislodged the unidentified man from the four-seat chair.[48] Photographs of the man's Jan 2 ordeal ended up on the website The Smoking Gun. The pictures show the child sitting next to him on the lift. It took about 15 minutes before resort staff were able to reverse the lift and free the skier, who had been trapped hanging 20 feet about the ground, The Smoking Gun reported.[7]

Since no ultimate harm was done, the picture of the skier showed good humor in a difficult situation. It may have changed my mind about those who wear their pants about that low even when not hanging off a ski lift. In terms of its taste or lack of taste, it doesn't come close to the bad taste in the ads. that look more like an add for a brothel than a tanning salon most of the time.[35] If he can't laugh it off too bad for him and the rest of you with no sense of humor. Anyone who is "excruciatingly embarrassed" by their own naked body seems likely to have image issues. Since I don't have those issues, I think it's darn funny. Some of you seem to be more worried about his lack of pants then the fact that he nearly fell off a ski lift head first. For the record, if it were me I would make t-shirts of the pictures and hand them out on my birthdday every year so my friends could share my birthday suit. I'm glad neither of them were seriously injured.[21] The weather wasn't bad, it was just cold. He probably had his skis/board caught on the bars of the ski lift and just fell over and his pants came down. There was no harm since he was fine.so you really don't need to freak out about it.[22] While the man is now an Internet hit the situation could have been very tragic. His right ski is what caught and it jammed the lift. Once he fell his pants also got stuck and they ripped and went down to about his ankles.[31]

The chair has a fold down seat, which apparently was not in the correct position when the pair boarded. This caused the man to fall through the gap that resulted. Luckily, the man's right ski didn't fall through with him (and his boot never released from its binding), which kept him from falling to the mountain below. Unfortunately, however, the man's pants did not stay put, and he wound up dangling there half naked.[40] Since the chairlift's seat wasn't in the right position, the man partially fell through the seat, and was left dangling upside down. Somehow his pants fell down.[49] Apparently, the holiday traffic up to Vail was worth enduring last Thursday '''''if only to witness this poor fool who was left dangling upside down with his full manhood exposed to the winter winds. The Smoking Gun says, "It appears that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap.[50]

Unfortunately, according to reports, it appeared the chairlift's fold-down seat was not in the correct lowered-down position - causing the man to partially fall through the resulting gap as he attempted to board the lift. He was prevented from plummeting to the ground below by his right ski, which became jammed in the ascending lift. Whether he will be grateful for that fact or not remains to be seen.[26] The chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding.[48]

Apparently, the victim, a 48-year old skier, boarded the resort's high-speed chairlift and the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap.[22]

Re ". an attempt to make money off them is pretty low." The photographer probably didn't make a nickel from the images if he put them out there in the public domain. If he owned the images, he should have copied them onto a CD and FedExed the disk copyright office and sold them -- just as the aforemention paparazzi do. If Sharpshooter does own the images, the photographer had no right to sell them. Re "If "Everyone loses the right to privacy in the public domain" then why do people that don't give their consent have their faces blotted out on TV?" It wasn't his face that the world has seen. Re "How old is the skier? Did the photographer know his age before selling the picture? Did he assume the man was over 18 because of his size?" The dangling upside-down skier was reportedly the parent of the younger individual who was stranded on the chairlift while lifties, patrollers, whoever performed the "rescue" and the photogapher clicked away.[12] I don't think it was because he took the pictures, but what he did with them after the fact. If he was working for the company at that time, the company owns the pictures. If he is using company property to take the pictures (on his own time or not), the company more than likely owns the pictures. Was it Sharpshooters who sold the pictures to smokinggun and elsewhere, or was it the employee who did that man a "service?" If the company felt the employee brought discredit upon the company, it is entirely within their right to do whatever it wants. I can definitely see the humor in this situation because of its oddity, and if the man involved had no problem with the posting of the picture, then no problem. Did he have that choice? Doubt it.[12]

You've all been there at one time or another, partially disrobed on some sort of uphill ski conveyance. You likely kept such indiscretions to the confines of your own personal gondola car, joining the Two Mile High Club (basis of that mythical ski-skin flick "Cumming Down the Mountain), but it's enough to instill at least a little empathy for the man who has forever re-christened Blue Sky Basin as "Blue Moon Basin."[23] Pretty poor taste in showing the skier who got flipped on the Blue Sky lift. He was terrified and I am sure still not laughing about the 'cheeky' situation. As a correction, he did not ski away as mentioned, but he, and his family, where transported down the mountain for what I assume was the end of their vacation.[51]

An unfortunate skier at a ritzy Colorado resort found himself unintentionally flashing the world after he got tangled in a ski lift and ended hanging upside down with his trousers round his ankles.[7] VAIL, Colo. (AP) — The guy who ended up dangling upside down from a ski lift with his bare bottom whistling in the wind probably doesn't want to hear any "ski bum" jokes.[45] Does Vail have faulty equiptment the ski lift should have been put out of order.The camaraman did that guy a favor SUE VAIL. The proof is this pic, This gentleman can make a whopping big bucks for this happining to him, Vail is responsible for all accident's Unless he's a crybaby and taking it out on the camara man.[12]

Imagine that. Some of us are concerned about the child seated next to him who undoubtedly was scared silly and will never forget the horror he/she experienced on this ski lift. go figure - off-base and humorless, aren't we? Well I will accept those two descriptions any day over being lumped in with a bunch of voyeuristic creeps (the predator - oh, I meant, photographer, being the worst of the lot) who take jr. high level delight in this man's life or death predicament (you cannot deny that had he fallen from this position he would have done so on his head and surely have been paralyzed, if not dead - really funny, isn't it??)and ultimate exploitation. I shake my head at the world we are becoming with youtube, tabloid journalism and reality t.v., etc., etc. We are fast becoming a culture in which the private agonies and humiliations of our fellow human beings is the subject of entertainment across the globe via the worldwide web. and that is very disturbing. this man did not ask to be put in this situation - and as so aptly put by bluffsbrg - did not ask to become an "instant celebrity" via this incident. those of you getting off on this incident should be ashamed of yourselves. if this had been your child - even an adult child - or your spouse, you would be screaming from the rafters.[12] The man then winds up hung out to dry with his bare bottom hanging out for the world to see and as luck would have it a photographer just happened to have a camera at the ready and snapped away as the man dangled dangerously from the ski lift.[8]

How odd. sympathizing with the skier and the photographer, I don't think it's funny, just another reason to be glad I live in Florida, where I don't have to worry about ski lifts.[16]

The images on page four and five were taken by a local photographer who happened upon the rescue scene. In a statement released this afternoon, Vail Resorts, which operates the ski area, reported that the skier was not injured after being "suspended for approximately seven minutes."[48] Vail Resorts told Denver television station KMGH that the 48-year-old skier was "suspended for approximately seven minutes." Biebl did not explain what happened during boarding other than to say that the skier "attempted to load a chair" when he was "caught on the chair and was suspended."[32] Some, including Vail Resorts officials, thought the published photo was in bad taste, and disrespectful to the skier, who was in a dangerous and traumatizing situation while suspended.[20] Had the skier been physically injured in a serious manner, printing the photo would have been in poor taste. I would hope that photos and stories like this will continue to be reported in our daily paper. This is a resort community and some lightness in attitude should absolutely be allowed. We all live here for the relaxed culture and if Vail Resorts wants to draw the corporate line, they are appropriately located in Denver.[35]

"We all know what that means," Odom told the Vail Daily News. "I guess it embarrassed Vail Resorts, and they called (my) shop." Duh! Do ya THINK so, Einstein? Suppose Foley's had photographers taking pix of kids on Santa's lap, and one of the kids threw up all over Santa and the photog started snapping away and rushed out and put them in the internet.[12] Lift mechanics were able to reverse the lift approximately 10 to 12 feet, at which point the man was released. He was not injured," said Vail Resorts spokeswoman Liz Biebl in a news release issued on Tuesday.[32] Lift operators immediately stopped the lift, and mechanics reversed the lift about 10-12 feet, lowering the man to the ground, Vail Resort said.[17]

The incident happened about 10:30 a.m. on January 1, the man was suspended for seven minutes, then was rescued, said a statement from Vail Resorts. He suffered no injuries.[12] The report notes that the man was suspended for seven minutes, then was rescued, said a statement from Vail Resorts. He suffered no injuries, the paper notes a statement said.[8]

Vail Resorts said the 48-year-old man wasn't injured and was rescued after about seven minutes. His name hasn't been released.[45]

Vail Resorts issued a statement regarding the incident, part of which was carried on The Smoking Gun, claiming the man was not injured.[1] In a statement - part of which was carried on the Smoking Gun website - Vail Resorts said the man was not injured but did not explain how the accident happened. At least he wasn't identified.[2]

Vail Resorts says the guy was "suspended for approximately seven minutes," according to The Smoking Gun.[49] Im sure the guy will be suing the photographer, the company he worked for and the Vail resort soon. He'll more than likely will get alot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$(for his pain,suffering and humiliation) and in the end everything will be alright.[12] Five bucks says there is already a pending lawsuit against either Vail Resorts, the company that installed or is responsible for maintaining the lift (or do you call them gondola's?), and the photographer's company.[12]

So. despite having blatantly incorrect information, some of you wish to organize a boycott of sharpshooters. I happened to witness this incident firsthand and saw the Sharpshooter photographer standing there in uniform snapping away. I also saw this same photographer shooting action photos on this same day.Now I'm wondering if this guy simply lied to the media in order to claim ownership of the photos that he sold. The truth, according to some of the sharpshooters I spoke to in Vail, is that Odom was in fact working, did in fact take these photos with the company's equipment, stole the images (property of Sharpshooters), and then sold these images to the media.[12] I don't understand why this photographer would want to humiliate someone like this. I support Sharpshooters for suspending this guy. I think it is despicable that he sold the photos, if he indeed did. This guy wasn't a celebrity and wasn't thriving off people taking his pictures and he wasn't making any money off this, so the photographer deserves to be fired.[12]

Whatever partnership Vail has with Sharpshooters might be subject to review. Apparently the shooter was suspended for his indiscretion, but I've also noticed a heightened level of aggression by the tourist scrap-book photogs who now accost you at the top of every lift and shill like Mexican blanket vendors on a public beach in Puerto Vallarta. Can't blame the dude for snapping that photo, though, and for trying to get a little fame and fortune from his right-time-right-place moment. If you're a smug RealVail local who thinks something like this could never happen to you, think again.[23]

That sounds like the right thing to do as it was a developing news story and it did have a reasonably happy ending with the man unhurt (although he has been exposed in photos all over the World Wide Web with everything hanging out for the world to see). Should the snapper be in hot water? He says he is. Now the Rocky Mountain News from Denver is reporting that the photographer that snapped the shot works for an agency in the Rocky Mountains and the paper claims they have suspended the photog.[8] "I thought that you might like to know that I've sent the link to the Rocky Mountain News site that states that you fired the photographer that shot the photo of the half naked skier to all of my skier pals. Yes, yes, I know that you have every right to fire him and your (lawyers) can back that up in court.[12]

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I feel for the guy, but I'm glad you shared the experience for two reasons: One, what can I do to never be in that situation, and the laugh. How does this type of thing happen! Perhaps Vail Mountain was a little embarrassed that a lift op was not there or didn't do their job in putting down the seat. I don't always agree with a paper's decision to print certain items under the 'newsworthy' umbrella, but this was not harmful. The only people who will know the identity are those that the bared skier shares it with. [35] I'm guessing the pants caught on something on the chair. Lift ops usually work 4 ten hour days and it's a redudant, boring job, and they are often considered stoners, though Vail does drug test randomly, but the lift op is totally at fault. The guy needs to sue the crap out of them.[22] We can find no fault in what the Vail Daily did regarding including the photograph of the embarrassing moment for some young man. Maybe if he had been doing what he was supposed to do, he wouldn't have found himself in that position. You did not include his name. We looked at the photograph and article, and it was very hard to even distinguish for sure that his pants were down. Guys and gals walking around in the summer in their string thongs don't look much different! Keep up the good job.[35] My vote is for a kinder, gentler Vail Daily, at least during the ski season. Was this embarrassing? Oh my god, yes! I suggest the guy wear a belt or buy pants that fit. Since he was not identified and survived the incident with only a bruised ego, you had too.[35]

If ski conditions were less than optimal, you simply didn't discuss it, and people should be shown having fun (but not too much fun). Last Thursday's incident, in which an unidentified man somehow wound up hanging upside-down by one ski with his ski pants around his ankles was anything but fun for the man who was suspended anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes depending on which report you read.[23] The man, 48, was caught on the chair and was suspended for approximately seven minutes. His fall through the chair snagged his pants leaving the man naked while hanging upside down.[44] The man somehow slipped off the chair and wound up dangling from the mountain elevator by one boot. His precarious perch was made worse by the fact his pants and his underwear had somehow gotten snagged in the seat and were forced down, leaving the poor schlub dangling there for more than seven minutes with his bare bottom exposed to the world. This being the digital age, everyone grabbed their cell phones and began snapping pictures of the helpless hostage.[18]

A MAN on a skiing holiday with his son fell out of a chairlift and was stuck, dangling for nearly 15 minutes upside down '' with his pants off.[47] The man was seen hanging upside down from the seat for 15 minutes, penis and all exposed for the world to see before being helped off the malfunctioning seat. Don't worry, he'll likely be compensated for his embarrassment.[24]

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Minutes later, the pics were posted on the web for the world to see. Officials worked as fast as they could to get the man out of his unfortunate predicament, backing up the lift several feet and finally rescuing the would-be skier. They're still investigating what went wrong but say other than his pride being hurt, the man didn't have any physical injuries, although you might say he was suffering from exposure. The photos of this poor guy understandably don't feature his best side and we've chosen not to publish them. If you're curious, you can find them here. [18] "I pulled up to the lift line to see a naked man hanging from the chair lift. I shot the best photo that I'm going to shoot all year," he wrote in Transworld Snowboarding.[30] Marty Odom just happened to be nearby to document what was going on. "I turned around to see this guy hanging from the chair lift," Odom said, "which had apparently just stopped. I just missed the whole incident of him getting into that spot." The 24-year-old had a camera in his backpack and started taking pictures.[41] Well look at the pictures real close. It looks to me like the seat is up. I'm sure he didn't have time to turn around and lift it. Why would he? So blame this guy all you want but the facts of what happened needs to come out.[12] MGD, if I was just with my friends when something like that happened, I'd still be embarrassed as hell, but would probably laugh heartily over it at the same time. This guy was in front of a bunch of strangers for probably the longest seven minutes of his life, and with his child witnessing his mortification. Then it didn't stop there - now the entire Western Hemisphere is howling with laughter at his expense! But I do hope for his sake he has your apparently unshakable self-confidence and thinks the whole thing is the most hilarious event ever.[21]

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Think about it. He works for a company whose client (probably their biggest) employs this company for a specific purpose. Is that purpose to take pictures that embarrass both the client (Vail) and its paying customers (upside down/no pants guy)? Not a chance. This photographer must be an idiot to think he could take these pictures while '''on the clock''', post them to TheSmokingGun and not deal with any repercussions. [12] Take a look. Makes me wonder why everyone is so up in arms about this naked guy hanging upside down and what a jerk this photographer is. It's ok for the RMN to post pictures like that under the guise of "journalism", but you guys jump all over this one.[12]

Officials shut down a Brooklyn facility after a rare, deadly illness wreaked havoc on the city animal shelter system. A guy who dangled upside down from a ski lift with his bare bottom exposed probably doesn't want to hear any "ski bum" jokes. Queens state senator Hiram Monserrate was caught on security cameras dragging his scared, bleeding girlfriend.[9] Some of us are horrified by the danger presented by this man dangling by one foot from a ski lift.[12] MGD writes: "For the few taking this seriously, relax. He was okay, it's funny." I doubt he was laughing, and I doubt you would have been, too. If so, you're in the minority, because most people would be mortified (and terrified at the same time) to be dangling from a chair lift with their private parts exposed to a bunch of finger-pointing laughing hyenas, apparently with cell phone cameras in hand. It's disgusting this man's excruciatingly embarrassing moment is being broadcast all the world, but that's what you get I guess with a voyeuristic society who gets its thrills off the humiliation of others.[21]

VIEW SLIDESHOW VAIL - A 48-year-old man was caught on a chairlift in an unenviable position after getting on the lift last week. VIEW SLIDESHOW LITTLETON - Investigators say a 20-year-old man lost his life in August after running back inside a burning home to save his friends.[41] Every winter, skiers and snowboarders flock to the mountains to catch some air. When an unidentified man suffered chairlift and wardrobe malfunctions simultaneously in Vail, Colorado, he got more of a breeze than he bargained for.[14] Vail Ski Resort in Colorado is known for some of the best skiing in the world, and the 193 trails represented for the mountain is a large reason for it.[16] Vail Resorts Inc., owner of Breckenridge, Vail Mountain, Keystone and Beaver Creek ski areas, plans to release early-season visitation tallies in the next few days.[52] The National Ski Areas Association reported that visits to resorts have generally remained strong despite a struggling economy, with some mountains reporting visits increasing 40 percent from last year's holiday period. The Lakewood-based trade group said Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, Powderhorn and Winter Park have all experienced record-setting days this season.[52] The real story here is Ski Utah. Over the past two years, they started a popular blog that features video cut right from the resorts. They sponsored a cycling team. They found a dozen corporate sponsorships for their November Fat Flake Festival. Their central booking site does equal traffic to Colorado's, (even though Colorado's ski industry is four-times Utah's size).'' They do all this by''putting Utah ski resorts in the news day in and day out. They continue to launch groundbreaking ideas that other states can only copy. It seems to be paying off, Utah enjoys record numbers each year, while Colorado's actually shrank last season (in the face of a record season nationwide).[53]

The most visible entities now are Ski Utah and Colorado Ski Country (which Vail just quit last spring). This week, Ski Utah launched yet another groundbreaking program to promote state resorts. In a partnership with Southwest Airlines, site visitors can submit their Utah travel tips and enter to win a huge ski vacation. This comes at a critical time, when saving money is on the mind of every traveler.[53]

The photos appear to show that the chair's seat was in the upright position though Vail Resorts would not comment on the report.[17] Vail Resorts spokeswoman Liz Biebl confirmed that pictures posted on thesmokinggun.com., taken by other skiers, are of the victim. He wasn't hurt, she said.[5] "We all know what that means," said Odom, who has been working for Sharpshooters since the beginning of the season. "I guess it embarrassed Vail Resorts, and they called shop."[46]

Every lift ticket, season pass, etc, has a very strong disclaimer that you are barred for life from suing Vail for ANYTHING related to skiing or pretty much anything else. Remember the news story a few years back about the lady that was seriously injured on some construction stuff that Vail employees left on a slope? When she sued despite the ban, Vail countersued her for a ton of money for breaching her contract or some such malarkey with them, and SHE LOST. I love their resorts, but the corporation has attack sharks for lawyers.[21] Put it aside CRYBABY why did the seat break who own's the lift, contact the camaraman and say THANK YOU!! may the best man win CAMARAMAN YOU WAS DOING YOUR JOB !!!GREAT I SUPPORT YOU!!! If i got hurt in Vail i would want that camaraman there.[12] The mishap apparently occurred when the man, 48, and child boarded the lift and the fold-down seat was not lowered properly, causing the man to fall through the gap. How he lost his pants, though, is a mystery. It looks pretty certain he will sue, as he is in pole position to do so.[47] The chairlift's fold-down seat was not in the correct position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap, according to the Smoking Gun Web site.[32]

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Photos taken by bystanders show the man's backside was bared in the incident. Another skier sits upright on the chair as the man hangs by one leg. [17] The man was being helped, although not yet down from the chair lift when the photos were shot.[16] As seen in the photos on the following pages (which were snapped by fellow skiers), the Skyline Express lift was stopped shortly after the pair's botched boarding resulted in the man dangling from the lift.[48]

Seattlepi.com reported that the photo taken of the man hanging nude from the waist down received backlash from readers of The Daily News, which was the first site to publish the photo.[38] Odom told the Vail Daily News he'''s not sorry for taking the photos.[27] The bare bum hanging from the chairlift thing has turned into a little marketing jolt for VR. Was this planned or a New Coke moment? Whatever the case, from the Vail Daily's ongoing coverage to national news it sure can't hurt Vail's, um, exposure.[23] For all of you trying to defend this crap company Sharpshooters, check out the Vail Daily News.[12]

The photo was published the next day in the Vail Daily, and has now been posted on several major Web sites.[20] I find it amazing that Mr. Jarnot was 'furious' that the Vail Daily printed the article and accompanying photo.[35]

Odom said he'''s not sorry for taking the photo. '''I would do it all over again,''' he said. '''Except now I'''m on the job hunt, and this town isn'''t looking too good right now." If Vail were smart, they'd give Odom a raise and develop a promotional campaign around the photos.[46] Officials from Sharpshooters did not return a phone call seeking comment. Odom said he doesn't think he did anything wrong in taking the photo. He thinks he captured a priceless moment.[20] I don't really think the photo, the victim, threat of lawsuits, or any of the other reasons listed had anything whatsoever to do with the suspension. It seems to me that this guy stole company property, violated copyright laws, and sold the stolen property. I think Sharpshooter probably should have fired him immediately and called the cops. Their property was stolen and sold. plain and simple.[12] The Sharpshooter guys are usually standing at the top of the runs near good scenery without skis. These days anyone out in public has the possibility of having their picture taken; it's just life these days. I would think the naked skiier would welcome the pictures as proof of what happened for his day in court although I'm sure he would rather them not travel the internet around the world, but that's life these days.[12] Now it'''s all over the web! Perez Hilton, The Telegraph, BBC''' just Google "naked ski lift" and bam! You'''ll get the picture.[27] This is enough to make you think twice about securing yourself into the ski lift chair.[42] I've never been on a ski lift where it was someone else's responsibility to have the foot rest/safety bar down. That is something that you either do or don't do. I think the best part of this is that it was the adult who fell and not the kid.[21]

There are some ski areas that make using the bar mandatory. I think this would be a good idea for Vail. I thought it was great! It's NEWS. His/her name was not published. It wasn't obscene. It's also a wake up call.[35]

If your at Vail, three; a lift operator to forget to put the seat down, a ski patroller to call the mechanic and a mechanic to reverse the lift.[21] "Lift operators immediately stopped the lift and Vail Ski Patrol was called to the scene.[32]

You know, there are places in Denver where you can pay half the price of a Vail lift ticket to be hung upside down half-naked.[21]

Because you don't want to slip out of the chair like one skier in Vail did. Luckily he didn't fall to the ground. No, his pants caught on the chair and held him in the air.[42] You probably will get an e-mail today with a picture attached. Oh yeah, the dangler is OK. It took about seven minutes that must have seemed like an eternity to save him. You can say he suffered from exposure. He's alright unless you count the damage to his ego. The even better news is that it doesn't look like there are any photos of his face. He can go through life unrecognized. As long as he keeps his pants on.[42] You didn't run a news article on the incident, merely a headline and cutline, and the headline was 'cheeky,' like something we'd expect to see in Town Talk. You didn't present it like news so your argument of 'Yes, it's news,' falls a little short to me. The skier in question should cut out the picture and post it on his fridge.[35]

"Sharpshooters, a company that takes pictures of skiers at numerous ski resorts."[12] I also understand about the teen-age daughter also. I would of also not found this so entertaining had they given the name of the skier or you could see his face. Never stopped to think the pictures were the property of the company he worked for.[12] Had this been me dangling up there, I'd have been profoundly embarassed, but I also think I'd have wanted a copy of the photo. I wonder what company policy he broke, when he took the picture.[12] I understand that we live in an employment-at-will state, that the company has every reason to fire an employee for any reason (other than race, religion, gender, etc.), or for no reason at all; but it floors me that some people here think this photographer should be sued. Sued for what? Providing, for public consumption, a photo that might be embarrassing to someone? Are they suggesting that the flow of information in this Country should be restricted based on whether the potential exists for someone's feelings to get hurt? I don't want to think about the corrosive effect that would have on journalistic freedom.[12]

A private employer decided that the actions of its employee, which include taking pictures of someone in a compromising position and then posting them on the internet, did not meet the company standards. That is the right of every employer. I will not really cry for this guy. Paparazzi who make their living deliberately embarrassing people are pretty low. He has a legal right to take pictures and his bosses have a legal right to decide that someone with that level of morality should not represent their company.[12]

If I were to put myself in the "ski bum"'s shoes, I would laugh at the fact that my picture was taken in such a compromising position, and maybe secretly relish my 15 minutes of anonymous fame.[12] The photos above were taken by fellow skiers. The victim was stuck for about 15 minutes before the resort people were able to get him down.[22] Right Celebrity has a no-nudity policy, so I had to black out parts of the photos, which were snapped by another skier at the resort.[40]

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A skier falls through the Blue Sky Basin Chairlift last Friday losing his pants. [44] In terms of respecting someone's privacy and personal limits, would you be OK with your heiney on the printed page? I wouldn't. If he was skiing naked down Blue Sky Basin, then he might deserve a little 'coverage' in the paper. He wasn't. He was caught in an unfortunate accident.[35]

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One of the most successful, for example, was Ski the Summit, which promoted Summit County's Keystone, Breck, A-Basin and Copper. When Vail bought Keystone, Breck and the Basin in the mid-90s, they quickly disbanded the effort and left Copper out. [53] Note from Summit Up Staff Attorney: The previous remark was not intended as a criticism or indicator of blame regarding any recent incidents that may or may not have taken place on Vail Mountain. They should not be henceforth construed as such, irrespective of whatever Colorado state statutes may be in force at the time of said remark's publication and holds all such publishers and writers of said remark indemnified against all legal incursions, ibid.[39] Just an FYI: it took them 15 minutes to get him down. That's pretty good considering he had to go up to the top of the mountain like this and then they had to get him down. The lifts take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on if they stop it a few times and how big the mountain is. It was 13 degrees yesterday in the mountains, but that's usually not cold enough for frostbite.[22] I've seen these "Sharpshooters" as I get off the lifts at the top of the mountain. I wonder how the company would feel if I took a posterboard sign with me next time I go up and stand next to them with a protest sign. maybe we should all do our best to discourage patronage of their photographers.[12] Does anyone know for sure the photographer was actually "on the clock" for the company? The article says he was skiing and came across the rescue attempt. Sounds like he could have been on his own time. The pictures could have come from his cell phone.[12] 'We all know what that means,' said Odom, who has been working for Sharpshooters since the beginning of the season. Odom said his bosses told him that even though he wasn't working at the time and used his own camera, he had signed a no-compete clause when he was hired, and that the photograph reflected poorly on the company.[20] 'I was out on my own with my own camera, so I didn't think it was a big deal,' Odom said. When he arrived at work on Monday, he was told that he was suspended until further notice.[20]

I didn't think twice." Odom added, "It's just the news, embarrassing or not and people want to know how I would feel if it was me hanging from the chair.[41]

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Here's a horrific reminder that at the end of the day, technology still has power over us. This poor guy got trapped hanging upside-down by his pants from a chairlift for 15 minutes. That's embarrassing. [54] The lift was stopped shortly after the botched boarding but it took workers about 15 minutes to back the lift and rescue the man.[32] The man dangled like that, exposed to the elements, for approximately 15 minutes.[40]

The resort operator said the 48-year-old man was suspended for about seven minutes, but was uninjured.[29] A resort press release did not explain how the mishap occurred, only that "the man was caught on the chair."[22] The headline, combined with the brief and inaccurate 'reporting,' was lighthearted and less aimed at informing the reader than at providing a cheap laugh. The brief failed to answer what was wrong with the chair to put him in that dangerous position, why the lift operator was slow to respond, and how the resort is working to correct the situation.[35] I wish that picture of the guy almost falling off of the chair had been around when I was raising kids who were always goofing off on the lifts. It never hurts to be reminded that riding a chair can be risky and that picture, more than any amount of lecturing, emphasizes the point.[35] OMG what a nightmare!! Poor guy! I always get scared on the lift and now I will be thinking of this poor guy every time I ski.[22]

If you don't know how to safely get on and off of a lift, go over to the bunny slope where the operators slow down or even stop the lift for novices ALL DAY LONG. There's ZERO reason to lift your skis when you're waiting at the red line and EVERY reason to keep them flat on the ground. Anybody who picks up their skis while they know DANG WELL that a big ol' bench seat is swinging around behind their butt deserves whatever they get.[23] The 48-year-old was trying to get on board the ski lift when something went very wrong.[18]

Lift mechanics were able to reverse the lift about 10 to 12 feet to release the man. Odom said when he saw that the man's family was worried, he realized it was a rescue operation and put his camera away. He said the man seemed in good spirits when he got off the lift, and everyone applauded when the rescue was successful.[20] Odom was a complete jrk. He should NOT have taken the photos and he should NOT have put them on the freakin' WORLD WIDE WEB. That man's misfortune is not for Odom's profit. When he grows up he'll realize what an ugly thing he did to another person.[12]

The man has not been identified and is not recognizable in the photos on the Smoking Gun Web site.[32]

"I thought it was going to be the photo of the New Year." When he arrived at work on Monday, he was told that he was suspended until further notice.[46] Sixty years ago, Saul Bellow wrote a novel about man's search for meaning in an absurd world.'' It wasn't a particularly good book, but it did capture a certain sense of postwar frustration with the many embarrassments of life, beneath a heavy glaze of French existentialism. Maybe it's time for our man in Vail''to write a sequel.[55] What is the point of publishing the link to smokinggun, just so you (RMN writers/editors) can get some thrill out of adding to the humiliation or embarrassment this man experienced? Amazing how you can dedicate so much time and resources to report on the banal, but when a major or more relevant event takes place, you punt to a watered down version via AP, link to another paper's site, or totally boof the story on your own.[21] BAD WEATHER ASIDE -- 99% of the time -- modern chair lifts are extremely safe IF respected and extremely dangerous if NOT respected. There's a reason there's a big sign on the side of lift huts all across the country that says you're not allowed to ride if you don't know how to ride, and that it's your own dang responsibility to get-on/ride/dismount correctly, plus a whole bunch of other rules -- so you can't say you didn't know.[23] The skier's butt exposure was unintentional. Therefore, we need to be informed and prepared for the risks of chair lifts.[35] The seat might have been pushed up by the wind coming back down. Would the lift operator be responsible for not seeing this? There are usually two liftees working the chair.[12] I once was happily chattering with some Euro journalists while covering World Cup racing in Beaver Creek, riding the chairlift with my poles under my leg. I forgot to take them out before getting off the lift and wound up on my back with one of my poles headed down the hill still jammed in the chair.[23]

MTS, point taken. I still don't assume that level of embarrassment for the guy in this story that you do. If he was horrifically embarrassed than I do feel bad for him. Hopefully right now he is back in the Condo with a glass of Hot Whiskey in his hand and all his friends are still talking and laughing with him. I can't think of a single friend of mine who, while being quite embarrassed, would not find this funny if they were the naked chairlift ornament.[21] I don't know if the guy in the mishap should sue anybody or not, but I do know that would have been an extremely long and humiliating seven minutes for me, and I think the photographer is a schmuck for exploiting it.[12] I think this guy may be grateful to this photographer. There was a report that the seat was not down which caused this guy to fall through the opening.[12]

I hope this guy has a sense of humor. He should get lift tickets for life.[21]

Accidents happen, and the victim (if there is one) should be compensated appropriately. Lets face it, wanting to get rich from this type of thing is repugnant. It just drives up lift ticket prices and insurance rates for the rest of us. To the enterprising photographer, I say "Go for it!" Sure you risk angering your employer by embarrassing his customer, but if it's worth it to you, you probably don't give a rip about your job or other people's feelings anyway.[12]

Everyone said it'''s going to be a legend in Vail, hung up in every bar.''' '''I would do it all over again,''' he said. '''Except now I'''m on the job hunt, and this town isn'''t looking too good right now." If it's your first time here at The Daily Contributor, you might want to subscribe to our feeds or sign-up for an e-mail newsletter for free.[27] Is it an unwritten law that Vail Resorts approves of all things reported in the Daily?[35] Vail Resorts spokeswoman Liz Biebl declined to answer further questions about the incident.[17] I'm not sure what problem Vail Resorts has with it. They could use it in their marketing to replace that tired one of the bear in the gondola.[34] If it was a mechanical problem, the agency would have gotten a report. Vail Resorts is not required to report these types of incidents; just log them.[41]

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And, as if things couldn't get any worse, the whole cheeky incident goes viral faster than a flash of Britney's pikachu. Not only is the hapless skier the "featured document" on SmokingGun, but his plight has drawn a flood of comments on tmz ''and become fodder for roundtable jokes about ski bums on Chelsea Lately. Some outlets have even published his name, for no apparent reason other than -- hey, it was available. All of which says something about what the rabid, humiliation-surfing public wants these days: a little song, a little dance, a little ski-lift hanging''without pants. [55] When the chair malfunctioned, the man fell through and his pants were pulled down during the mishap.[14] Unnamed man's pants/underwear get ripped/fall off while hanging upside down.[12] UNDATED -- The tricks skiers can do on the snow these days are amazing, but one who ended up upside down and pantless on a ski-lift had no intention of ending up that way.[49]

If you choose to post pictures of yourself that is your choice but surprisingly, not everyone wants to be infamous. This skier did not get the choice, the photographer made it for him and that is offensive.[12] History and pop culture are filled with priceless photos taken by photographers in the right place at the right time.[16]

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Officials from the Colorado State Tram Board, which reviews lift incidents, could not be immediately reached Tuesday. [17] Like you said about your own memorable lift mishap: due to being distracted by conversation and NOT being mindful of your gear / location / riding responsibly.[23]

SOURCES

1. Skier gets caught with his pants down > World > LIVENEWS.com.au
2. Skier caught with his pants down | The Australian
3. Man dangles without pants from ski lift - UPI.com
4. Denver - The Latest Word - New ski move spotted at Vail: "The Pants-less Hangman"
5. Lift mishap exposes Vail skier to elements and photogs - The Denver Post
6. Southern exposure: man caught dangling pantless on skilift - Phoenix Arizona news, breaking news, local news, weather radar, traffic from ABC15 News | ABC15.com
7. Vail skier caught dangling with his trousers down on lift - Telegraph
8. National Ledger - Naked Skier Photos at Ski Lift in Vail May Have Snapper in Hot Water
9. Resort photographer axed for shot of naked skier on chairlift
10. Notorious Vail skier pic still causing problems | VailDaily.com
11. Was This Photo Worth His Job? Yes. Feature Story
12. Vail: No role in suspension of worker who shot half-naked-skier photos : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News
13. Photography Examiner: Naked skier: Skier loses pants, photographer loses job?
14. Naked Skier: Photo Op''' or, Not.
15. Naked Skier: Vail Ski Lift Mishap Leaves Man Hanging Pantless [Photo]
16. Ski Bum: Vail Skier Goes Bottom Up; an Upside Down Skier Wardrobe Malfunction - Associated Content
17. Vail skier left hanging, partially naked | AspenTimes.com
18. CityNews.ca - Toronto's News: Man Caught With More Than Just Pants Down After Ski Lift Accident
19. The Associated Press: Bummer: Man's bottom bared in Vail ski-lift mishap
20. Photographer suspended for Vail skier pic | VailDaily.com
21. Upside-down, half-naked skier rescued from Vail chairlift : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News
22. Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton » Blog Archive » Peen Exposed in Freak Ski Lift Accident!
23. Real Vail | The O. Report | Blue Moon Basin: bare-lift incident reveals naked truth about Vail's seamy underside
24. Video: Man's bottom bared in Vail ski-lift mishap - Strange & Interesting News: The Post Chronicle
25. Ski Lift Mishap Leaves Man Dangling Upside Down. and without Pants! - Gadling | travel blog | news, stories, deals, and tips. Go there.
26. Southern exposure: Man left dangling trouserless and upside down after Vail ski lift mishap | Mail Online
27. Photographer suspended over naked skier photos | Daily Contributor
28. Skier Forced to Bare all in Freak Skyline Express Accident.
29. BBC NEWS | Americas | Chairlift mishap strips US skier
30. Photographer could lose job after unVailing skier - The Denver Post
31. National Ledger - Naked Skier Photos From Vail, Colorado Ski Lift Leave Skier Exposed!
32. Skier Left Dangling Half-Naked On Lift - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver
33. Skier Gets Caught With Pants Down - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com
34. I'm keeping Vail chairlift picture in wallet as reminder | VailDaily.com
35. Vail chairlift picture draws mixed response | VailDaily.com
36. Northern exposure: Vail chairlift snafu leaves skier upside down, minus pants - On Deadline - USATODAY.com
37. Duan!: What The Mind Can Conceive And Believe, It Can Achieve
38. Man Dangles Naked Due to Chairlift Malfunction Feature Story
39. Summit Up | SummitDaily.com
40. Vail Skier Dangles Pants-less from Lift (PHOTOS) » Right Celebrity
41. 9NEWS.com | Colorado's Online News Leader | Man hangs half naked from Vail chair lift
42. Maine Outdoor Journal | I Would Rather Be Outdoors: Yeah, that would be a ski bum
43. Don't let the ski lift leave you dangling - Traveling Coach - MLive.com
44. MyFox Colorado | Naked Skier OK After Fall Through Vail Chairlift
45. The Associated Press: Bummer: Man's bottom bared in Colo ski-lift mishap
46. Skier Incident: Hero Photographer Canned By Fussy Ski Resort
47. Pantless skiier suffers exposure | The Daily Telegraph
48. Skier Suffers Exposure - January 6, 2009
49. Bare-butted skier ends up dangling from lift - wtop.com
50. Place To Be New Year's Day: Skyline Express Lift, Vail [6] - Examiner.com
51. Not laughing at Vail chairlift picture | VailDaily.com
52. Ski area visits stayed strong over holidays : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News
53. Marketing Wars: Colorado Ski Country v. Ski Utah
54. Nsfw: Guy Gets Trapped on Ski Lift, Hangs Bare-Ass Naked for 15 Minutes
55. Denver - The Latest Word - Pantsless Vail skier gets viral fifteen minutes of fame

Jeff

#44 DonaldMReif

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Posted 08 March 2009 - 10:46 AM

Now I just don't want to be in this position. I'm lucky this has never happened to me.

However, to prevent this type of incident, something should be done, like use the roller technology used to open gondola cabin doors, however, only on the down hill side, with the one at the top flipping the seat up as the roller goes up, and at the bottom, the same technology lowers the seat back to the correct position for people. But that will take years to come by.
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#45 floridaskier

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Posted 08 March 2009 - 01:00 PM

That would be a lot more expensive and easy to break than it would be to pay a guy to flip up the seat or brush it off at the bottom. There's no substitute for paying attention, on the lifties' part and for the riders
- Tyler
West Palm Beach, FL - elev. 9 feet

#46 DonaldMReif

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Posted 26 March 2009 - 10:53 AM

Now I would wonder, wouldn't it be easier to have just let the lift run because once the chair reached the top, an operator could then easily free him from the scary experience where he keeps going :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: and they wouldn't have had to try reversing the lift and it would be much faster although very embarassing to the guy.
YouTube channel for chairlift POV videos and other random stuff:
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#47 DonaldMReif

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Posted 21 April 2009 - 04:09 PM

Now, suffering that much is like the Rescue 911 episode "Dangling Skier," episode 203, about when a girl had a misload on (what looks like) the former Little Cat lift at Snowbasin before they replaced the bottom station. The point I assume is because if you pause the episode (available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUnMF4OcSYA...feature=related) at 23 seconds in, you see a lift which looks no doubt exactly like Little Cat. In fact, it might be Little Cat, only thing is Little Cat back then had a regular Thiokol drive station instead of a Doppelmayr UNI M terminal. Compare what you see in the episode to this picture of Little Cat's lift line. That's where I get my proof that this is about the January 1990 loading mishap on the Little Cat lift.

Posted Image
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#48 Kicking Horse

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Posted 25 May 2009 - 05:30 PM

View PostDonaldMReif, on Mar 26 2009, 11:53 AM, said:

Now I would wonder, wouldn't it be easier to have just let the lift run because once the chair reached the top, an operator could then easily free him from the scary experience where he keeps going :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: and they wouldn't have had to try reversing the lift and it would be much faster although very embarassing to the guy.



You my friend are crazy. I hope you never run a lift or get a supervisor position overseeing lifts.
Jeff

#49 Lift Kid

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Posted 26 May 2009 - 12:35 PM

View PostDonaldMReif, on Mar 26 2009, 01:53 PM, said:

Now I would wonder, wouldn't it be easier to have just let the lift run because once the chair reached the top, an operator could then easily free him from the scary experience where he keeps going :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: and they wouldn't have had to try reversing the lift and it would be much faster although very embarassing to the guy.

Ehh....I would say they should get him down instead of running the risk of him falling from much higher up on that lift, or suffering from being exposed in the cold for the duration of the lift ride. Just because he is being supported right after falling doesn't mean that whatever he is caught on will hold much longer. Assuming that the mechanics know what they're doing, reversing a lift shouldn't take very long at all.

#50 RibStaThiok

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Posted 27 May 2009 - 04:31 PM

I had to have been about 12 years old when that happened. I remember seeing it come on the Rescue 911 show and screaming out "It is at Snowbasin!!!" (My favorite resort, and where I learned to ski) It was indeed the old littlecat lift, a thiokol double, replaced last year with a Doppie HSQ, and I am proud to say that I own one of the old chairs which I am in the process of restoring. FYI the new Doppie/CTEC terminal cover at the bottom was installed in 1998, along with the upper and lower terminals of Wildcat & MiddleBowl. The drives themselves remained the same, it was just a cosmetic thing to make the resort look more modern. (Littlecat & Wildcat had/have Thiokol drive stations, MiddleBowl has a CTEC)

This post has been edited by RibStaThio: 27 May 2009 - 04:32 PM

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