Three snowboarders have been injured after a chair detached from a lift at the Thredbo ski resort.
Two women in their 20s suffered back injuries and a man in his 20s suffered facial injuries after one of the chairs detached from the Kosciuszko ski lift on Saturday afternoon.
Images posted online showed the injured being assisted by members of the ski patrol and a chair lying in the snow nearby.
It is believed the incident happened as the chair reached the top station on the lift and was hit by a strong gust of wind. A storm system that swept through the ski fields on Friday had dumped fresh snow across the mountain.
The resort released a statement on Saturday confirming there was an “isolated incident affecting a single chair on Kosciuszko chairlift” at approximately 2.20pm on Saturday.
The incident was “caused by a freak gust of wind”, the statement said. “There were no major injuries caused, and the three guests involved are being looked after by the team. No other guests or chairs were affected.”
The incident was being investigated by SafeWork NSW and an independent engineer.
“Thredbo is committed to the safety of our guests and our people,” the statement said. “Thredbo assures guests that their safety is paramount and that we will continue to apply our high standards of safety and risk management.”
