Dozens Injured by Freak Ski Lift Failure in Spain

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 10:39 AM ET

A chairlift collapse at a ski resort in Spain sent three people to the hospital over the weekend.

On January 18, around 11:30am, a mechanical malfunction on the Canal Roya chair at Astún Ski Resort caused several lift chairs to drop to the ground, tossing their passengers off the lift. Around 15 people were injured in the incident and three were taken to the hospital, according to a statement from the resort. Some local media numbers report that closer to 30 skiers were injured.

Two of the critically injured passengers were airlifted to a hospital in Zaragoza, Spain. News outlets reported that one of the airlifted skiers is stable and the other is improving, but remains under observation. The remaining passengers on the lift were evacuated from chairs in about two and a half hours.

The resort closed shortly after the incident to direct resources to evacuation and speed up rescue efforts. It has since reopened. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sànchez posted to social media to say he was "shocked" by the accident and offered his support and resources to those affected.

Astún is located in the Spanish Pyrenees, near the border of France, and is a popular destination for Spanish skiers. The resort has 2,000+ feet of vertical drop serviced by 12 lifts.

While the resort is still investigating the exact cause of the malfunction, bystanders reported that a pulley on one end of the lift became loose when part of the structure supporting it collapsed.

The collapsing structure cause one side of the chair cable to de-tension and drop chairs. Images shared to social media show the lift's bullwheel sheared off and laying sideways against a lift tower. Canal Roya is a 1989 fixed grip quad chair manufactured by REAC.

Although it's hard to say for sure, (and I'm no lift mechanic,) the lift malfunction appeared to be similar to the Teller lift failure at Keystone in 1985 where the lift's bullwheel slipped out of position and dropped to the ground causing the lift cable to de-tension throwing passengers to the ground.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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