The man who lost his life in the tragic ski chair lift accident @PCski has been identified as 29yo Millcreek resident Christian Helger. Our prayers are with the Helger family as they grieve the loss of Christian. Hug your loved ones often and tell them you love them.#summitcounty pic.twitter.com/teZrKshGzZ
— Sheriff Justin (@SummitCountySO) January 4, 2023
The Park City Mountain Alert Twitter account reported Tuesday that Ninety-nine 90 and Super Condor Express were closed all day. The alert said the resort would open as much of the mountain as it could safely while some patrollers took time to process Monday’s tragedy.
These lifts are closed in support of patrol staff who lost a team member yesterday. We are opening as much of the mountain as we can safely operate while some of our patrollers take time to process this tragic event. @PCski
— ParkCityMtnAlert (@PCMtnAlert) January 3, 2023
Helger fell to his death Monday morning while riding the Short Cut lift. Investigators said they believe a pine tree fell onto the chair lift cable behind the chair he was riding in, causing nearby chairs to jump so severely he fell out. Helger fell somewhere around 50 feet, according to emergency crews, into a ravine of deep snow.
Ski patrollers attempted to save their colleague but they were unsuccessful. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office was requested to provide helicopter services to retrieve him and attempted to do so but the bad weather prevented it.
A man who said he was on the Short Cut lift and saw the accident praised the patrollers’ efforts, which included dropping into the ravine and facing a possible avalanche.
The Utah Department of Transportation oversees chairlifts and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is likely to investigate the event.
