A 5-year-old boy took a 20-foot-fall while riding a chairlift alone at a Pennsylvania ski resort last March and now both of his parents are facing a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

The fall took place while the boy was reportedly adjusting his goggles at Blue Knob Ski Resort, according to local news source WTAJ. According to WTAJ’s report, the child was flown to a Pittsburgh children’s hospital following the incident, with it taking resort staff 15 minutes to find the boy’s parents to let them know the fall occurred.

The boy’s mother reportedly told state police that he was a better skier than she was and was skiing faster down the mountain. She said she reportedly told him to wait for her at the bottom of the slope, but he wasn’t there when she arrived.

WTAJ reports that a lift operator saw the boy ride the lift multiple times that day prior to the fall, with the operator also noting that the boy’s father said his son was capable of riding the lift alone when asked. While the boy was initially placed in a neck brace and flown to a hospital after the fall, he was later released from the hospital uninjured.

Both parents were later arraigned and released on an unsecured bail.

While this incident took place in another part of the country, it’s still relevant to Coloradans as many of the state’s skiers and snowboarders take their children to the slopes. While winter slopesports tend to be viewed as fun family-friendly activities, they come with very real risk and potential consequences. This makes it crucial to supervise children.

This case also brings into question the practice of allowing children on ski lifts, especially when alone. While one might expect a policy that’s relatively standard from resort to resort, it tends to vary quite a bit depending on where a skier or snowboarder is at.

Here’s the Breckenridge policy, for example: “There is no minimum height or age requirement, but your child must be able to load and unload the lift under their own power.”

Meanwhile, here’s the one at Montana’s Big Sky: “There is no age requirement to ride our chairlifts. It is up to the parent’s or guardian’s discretion if their child can ride lifts alone. Infants riding scenically should sit in an adult’s lap rather than in a baby carrier.”

Other resorts take an approach that more strict – Sugar Bowl, for example: “ALL children under 55” tall must be accompanied by an adult on the chairlift.”

It’s unclear if Blue Knob Ski Resort had a policy in place regarding a chair lift height requirement or children riding alone at the time of the boy’s fall. Any such policy does not appear to be addressed on the Blue Knob Ski Resort website.

Find the full report about the child’s fall from the lift and the subsequent charges for the parents from WTAJ here.

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