A widely shared video shows a 12-year-old girl clinging to a chairlift high above the ground before falling at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California, prompting renewed attention on chairlift safety procedures, as reported by The New York Post.
The incident occurred on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Mammoth Mountain, according to information shared alongside the video and confirmed by comments from the girl’s family.
The girl, described as a snowboarding teenager, was riding the chairlift when she was left unsecured, resulting in her dangling from the seat with her legs hanging in the air.
Girl, 12, dangles from ski chairlift in California before crashing to ground in terrifying video https://t.co/zkEDzcu9vY
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 4, 2026
Footage of the incident shows the girl gripping the lift as ski patrol and resort staff gathered below.
Mountain employees quickly responded by placing padding and a safety net on the ground in an effort to reduce the impact of a potential fall.
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Despite those efforts, the girl missed most of the net and struck the ground hard. The fall was captured on video by a bystander and later shared on Facebook, where it quickly spread across social media platforms.
The original post included a caption referencing the use of chairlift safety bars.
The caption read: “I wasn’t going to post this, but I know so many people who argue with me about putting the bar down. It’s mandatory in Europe, and it should be here.”
The girl’s mother later responded in the comments section of the same post, providing an update on her daughter’s condition following the fall. She confirmed that her daughter did not suffer serious physical injuries.
“My daughter miraculously walked away with no broken bones or major injuries,” the mother wrote. She also stated that “there was nothing that anyone did wrong.”
According to the mother, the incident, while frightening, did not result in long-term harm. She added that her daughter remains interested in returning to the sport in the future.
WATCH: This is exactly why safety bars exist.
A skier fell from a lift at Mammoth – she was OK after the fall – but the incident reignited the debate over why lowering the safety bar isn’t treated as mandatory in the U.S.
In many countries, this wouldn’t even be a discussion.… https://t.co/GWKYx2PSey pic.twitter.com/ysePyG0Fx2
— Tony Lane (@TonyLaneNV) February 1, 2026
She concluded that while the experience was traumatic, her daughter survived the fall and will ride again when she feels ready.
Mammoth Mountain has not released a public statement detailing the specific circumstances that led to the girl being unsecured on the chairlift.
No additional injuries were reported, and it remains unclear whether any procedural changes will result from the incident.
Chairlift safety bars are commonly recommended at ski resorts, though enforcement and usage requirements vary by country and resort.
The video has sparked renewed discussion online regarding safety practices and personal responsibility while riding ski lifts.
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