Government Camp, Oregon — Mt. Hood Skibowl had a rough and short ski season. It was made worse by a fatal lift incident that occurred following its closure. A traditional mechanical check turned into tragedy following the death of one maintenance worker. The state has responded with a fine, but the ski area clearly doesn’t agree with the allegations.
The Oregonian reports that the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) fined the Oregon ski area $43,180 for workplace safety violations.
In April, two workers were doing maintenance on the Upper Bowl chairlift. This work was being done on a two-level CH-61D Superior Tramway Co. carrier that the ski area purchased last year. These individuals were both on the upper and lower portions of the platform. The new carrier had two key rules: don’t have people on the carrier when the pitch is more than 35 degrees, and have both workers remain on the lower platform while the lift is moving. The report alleges the workers did not follow those rules because the ski area did not properly train them.
The carrier crashed into a tower-mounted chair guide hanger assembly, causing it to fall around 30 feet to the ground, then stumble a little over 100 feet down the mountain. One worker was killed, while another was injured. The report argued that the two weren’t sufficiently trained, which would have led them not to be in the situation.
“We would like to emphasize that, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, penalties that Oregon OSHA imposes are not based on the occurrence of a fatality,” said Brandi Davis, Oregon OSHA Health Enforcement Manager, in the approximately 1,700 page report. “Instead, the gravity of the violation, which factors in severity of injury and probability of occurrence, is one consideration in penalty calculation.”
Mt. Hood Skibowl disputes the findings and has appealed the fines. They are requesting a meeting with OSHA to explain their side of the story. Here was a statement that Mike Quinn, the Vice President and GM of Mt. Hood Skibowl, gave to KGW:
“Mt. Hood Skibowl extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Greg Hunter. The accident on April 30, 2026 was truly tragic. We are extremely thankful that Evan Parsons continues his recovery and our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of both employees.
The safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve has always been a top priority and we take those issues very seriously. We continue to regularly assess our safety practices and procedures, and to then take reasonable steps to improve our safety programs. Mt. Hood Skibowl disagrees with numerous factual representations laid out in Oregon OR-OSHA’s inspection file and has appealed the validity of the resulting citations.
We also recognize there has been significant public interest in this matter. We would like to note that the current public reporting does not reflect all of the material facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Because litigation related to this matter is currently pending, Mt. Hood Skibowl is unable to comment on the specific circumstances of the incident or provide further details at this time. While we cannot now provide further input on the OSHA inspection and citation, we want to again express our sincere sympathy both to the families as well as all others affected by this tragic accident.”
Since the incident, the ski area has reportedly updated its safety practices. This includes not being on the upper platform while the lift operates, and not using the carrier when the lift’s haul rope angle exceeds 35 degrees.
Image/Video Credits: Soren Jones, Mt. Hood Skibowl
