Red Lodge, Montana — The Red Lodge community is reeling following a tragic death at the ski resort last week.
Last Monday, a freak gust of wind resulted in Jeffrey Zinne falling off the Triple Chair. The male, who was airflow to the hospital, was pronounced dead on Wednesday. After a review by the ski resort and independent investigators, they found that heavy wind gusts led to a deropement of the lift. This deropement led to Zinne’s fatal fall from the chair.
Red Lodge Mountain has been known by guests for historically having a funky lift layout, which has been a frequent critique of the ski resot. While there are three detachable (high-speed) chairlifts at Red Lodge, the main mountain and Willow Creek are served by slow chairlifts. In addition, some of the lifts are without restraint bars. It’ll be interesting to see whether Red Lodge moves to add restraints following this tragedy.
Currently, Red Lodge only has a limited amount of terrain and lifts open. The Red Stache and Palisades chairlifts are the only terrain pods currently operating, meaning that the upper mountain terrain is currently closed. Because of this limited offering, lift tickets are currently available at a discounted rate.
A GoFundMe has been started to assist Zinne’s family during this challenging time. The fundraiser, which has raised over $41,000, shows how much he meant to this Montana community.
Image Credits: Red Lodge Mountain
