Watch: Ski patrol catches 8-year-old boy dangling from Vermont chairlift
Witnesses say the boy was dangling ‘pretty far down’ and being held up by his arms. Ski patrol at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont caught the boy after attempting to rescue him with a sling.
Boy dangling from Vermont ski lift caught by rescuers
Video shows an 8-year-old boy dangling from a chairlift at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont who was rescued by the ski patrol on Feb.19, using a sling and a catch net.
An 8-year-old boy dangling from a chair lift at a Vermont ski resort was safely caught in a net after falling during a rescue attempt, video shows.
Steven Swain recorded a video on Feb. 19 at Killington Ski Resort showing the boy hanging from the lift, holding on by his arms. The boy's legs can be seen kicking from the Ramshead Express Quad Chair Lift about 20 feet in the air.
"This kid somehow managed to slip off the quad chair but had his arm behind the bar which was up when I came upon the scene," Swain said. "The other people on the chair had his other arm but he was dangling pretty far down."
An 8-year-old boy seen dangling from a chair lift in Vermont on Feb. 19, 2025. (Steven Swain via Storyful)
Ski patrol and mountain rescue responded and attempted to rescue the boy with a sling, but he slipped and was caught in a net, unharmed, according to the video.
"Happy ending to a hairy mishap," Swain said.
According to the National Ski Areas Association, fatalities from aerial ropeways and chairlifts are rare. Between 1956 and 2024, 16 fatalities involved a lift's mechanical malfunction, and 14 resulted from a fall unrelated to mechanical issues.