MONTHALL, Billings – A 37-year-old man died after falling from a chairlift that had been suffering from mechanical problems in the Montanaski area, according to a spokesman for the local government and Red Lodge Mountain.
The man was riding alone in three chairs carrying skiers onto the mountain as they fell from an unspecified height, they said. The accident happened on Monday just before noon in the ski area southeast of Billings in the Beartooth Mountains.
Jeffrey Zinne of Billings was taken to Billings Hospital and was declared dead from injuries earlier Wednesday, according to Carbon County Sheriff Josh McKillan and Rich Hoffman.
The lift, known as the triple chair, stopped after the accident, said the Troyhawks, a spokesman for Red Lodge Mountain. Over 100 people on board at the time were evacuated by ski patrols who used ropes to lower them to the ground.
The Hawks said there were mechanical issues with the lift when Zinne fell but declined to comment further, saying the situation is being investigated. Weather conditions and the behavior of the victims were also seen, he said.
On the morning of the accident, other chairlifts at Red Lodge Mountain were not operating due to strong winds. According to the National Weather Service, gusts of wind were recorded in areas just before and after the accident.
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The Hawks said the triple chairlift, built in 1983, almost a mile long, was operating within safety parameters. He said it will remain a shutdown until the engineers fully appreciate it.
Ski area staff inspect chairlifts daily, Hawks said. Professional testing is conducted annually, he said, as requested by the U.S. Forest Service to lease land to Red Lodge Mountain insurance companies and ski resorts.
Jinne, who was snowboarding Monday before the accident, married his two-year-old son and owned a Montana Aircraft Cargo Transportation Company, according to a post on the GoFundMe fundraising site set up on behalf of his family.
“He was more than just a boss for many people here. He was a friend and mentor,” said Jessice Sande, manager of Montana Air Cartage, who recalls Zinne’s infectious laughter.
Fatal lift accidents at ski resorts are relatively rare, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Between 1956 and 2024, 35 people were killed in accidents involving a chairlift and an air ropeway. Data collected by the group showed that 16 deaths were associated with mechanical malfunctions.
The latest death during that period came in 2020, after a man died at a Colorado Bail Resort, unable to breathe after the clothes were intertwined in parts of the chairlift.
By Matthew Brown
