Ski staff catch child dangling from chairlift at Rabbit Hill near Edmonton

Officials with Rabbit Hill Snow Resort, south of Edmonton, said staff had to perform an emergency rescue Saturday morning after a child on the triple chair came off the seat of their chair.

Skiers at the hill shared video with Global News which shows a child’s legs appear to slide off the seat of the chairlift.

The hill’s general manager said the incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Patrons noticed what was happening and quickly alerted staff.

“From the time the guest loaded the chair to the time our staff had her on the ground was 3.5 minutes,” said Derek Look, general manager, Rabbit Hill Snow Resort.

Look said staff were able to use specialty equipment under the chair and catch the child.

“Our first aid team checked out the guest and it was determined she had no injuries,” Look said. “We do emergency training with our staff throughout the year. Our staff did an amazing job getting to the guest quickly with our specialty equipment.

“Lift incidents are rare, but they do happen, which is why we train for emergency situations. I am grateful for the outcome due to the quick actions of everyone.”

A further investigation into what happened will be conducted by staff, Look said.

Staff said the family was able to continue skiing for the remainder of the day.

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