Freak chairlift accident at Thredbo as skier plunges to the ground

A skier is lucky to be alive, after a chairlift he was sitting on was hit by a “freak” gust of wind, sending the man crashing to the ground.

A snow skier has plunged 10 metres from a chairlift while at Thredbo resort, after strong winds caused the chair to become dislodged.

The man was travelling on the Gunbarrel quad chairlift on Monday afternoon when a “freak gust” caused the terrifying incident, which dropped the man into the snow below. The chairlift itself has a base elevation of 1365 metres, and runs for 1679 metres.

Skier falls from Thredbo chairlift after one of the chairs fell to the ground. Picture: snowsbest.com

In a statement sent to news.com.au, a Thredbo spokesman said the isolated incident caused minor bruising to the man involved only.

The Gunbarrel chairlift itself has a base elevation of 1365 metres, and runs for 1679 metres. Picture: Alamy

“Thredbo can confirm there was an isolated incident affecting a single chair on Gunbarrel chairlift at approximately 3pm on Monday July 22, 2019 caused by a freak gust of wind,” the statement read.

The man fell around 10m to the ground below. Picture: snowsbest.com

“The guest involved in the incident sustained minor bruising only. No other guests or chairs were affected. Thredbo is committed to the safety of our guests and our people.”

The incident happened near the top of the ski lift towards the top of the mountain. It is understood the man was the only person involved in the accident.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, winds at Thredbo received gusts of around 110km/h on Monday, and averaged 80km/h.