18-03-2025
"Strong" Winds Are Suspected Cause of Fatal Ski Lift Fall in Montana
Red Lodge Mountain, Montana, said on Saturday, March 15, 2025 that an initial inspection suggested that a gust of high wind was the cause of the 'unusually aggressive' derailment of the Triple Chair that led to the injuries and eventual death of Billings resident Jeff Zinne, 37. The ski area said it's investigating the incident alongside the U.S. Forest Service, the Carbon County Sheriff's Office, and Iron Mountain Engineering, an independent professional lift Triple Chair will remain closed until it is repaired, tested, and evaluated again by inspectors and regulatory agencies, Red Lodge added. There is no estimated timeline for its reopening, but the ski area said that it anticipates having more information to share in the coming days. Zinne was riding the Triple Chair alone when he fell from an unspecified height on Monday, March 10. Ski patrol was notified of the accident at 11:51 a.m. and arrived on the scene minutes later at 11:53 a.m., according to a statement shared by Red Lodge last week. Zinne was transported to a Billings hospital, where he was eventually pronounced dead.
'On behalf of the Red Lodge Mountain team, we would like to send our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zinne, and to everyone impacted by the tragedy that occurred on Monday,' said in the statement shared to social media. On the day of the accident, some of Red Lodge's lifts were stopped in the morning because of high winds, and gusts around 50 miles per hour were recorded in the area. Following Zinne's fall, more than a hundred guests were evacuated from the Triple Chair by ski patrol using ropes. The mountain was closed for the rest of the the accident closure, Red Lodge has fully suspended its lift operations twice due to winds, including today, Tuesday, March was a father and husband, according to a GoFundMe created to support his family. The fundraiser has raised over $40,000 so far from more than 500 donors.'Jeff was a devoted husband to his loving wife, Meghan, and a caring father to his 2-year-old son. His passion for life, infectious laughter, and kind-hearted nature touched everyone around him,' the GoFundMe page reads.
