A big fall took place on Copper Mountain’s American Flyer lift on February 11, resulting in a guest of the resort being transported to an emergency and urgent care center.

The guest, a 27-year-old female snowboarder, was on the upper stretch of the lift when the fall occurred. The chairlift bar was not in use at the time, according to the resort. Those who have visited Copper Mountain in recent years will likely recognize the American Flyer lift thanks to its blue bubble enclosures that protect riders from the wind and other weather elements.

It was not noted how far the woman fell, though an OutThere Colorado reader that reportedly witnessed the incident described the fall as “at least 20 feet [onto] the hard pack below,” noting that the woman was then motionless after striking the ground and that ski patrol soon arrived.

While it sounds like the fall was indeed a significant one, the good news is that Copper Mountain says the woman was able to leave the medical clinic under her own power. Whether or not she sustained any injuries was not detailed in communications with the resort.

When utilizing ski lifts around Colorado, it’s recommended that riders put the chairlift bar down. The chairlift bar, however, will not prevent all falls, thus caution should still be exercised.

American Flyer is one of Copper Mountain’s main lifts, a six-person high speed chair that opened after replacing an older lift in January 2019. Per SkiResort.info, it’s quite long, traveling close to 10,000 feet (close to 1.9 miles). Because of its length, it takes about 11 minutes to travel from bottom to top.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)