Crystal Mountain Ski Resort chairlift accident blamed on rope tension
Four people were injured when the chairlift rope came off the track, sending 3 chairs plunging to the ground
British Columbia's safety authority is pointing to poor rope tension as the main culprit behind a chairlift accident at a B.C. ski hill last year.
In March 2014 a chairlift at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort near West Kelowna, B.C., started swinging, then hit a tower, causing the line to go off the track and sending three chairs plummeting into the snow.
Four people were sent to hospital, two in critical condition.
A newly released report from the B.C. Safety Authority makes seven recommendations aimed at preventing a similar mishap. The bulk of those recommendations deal with the proper use of counterweight on a chairlift rope.
The safety authority said Crystal Mountain has received those recommendations but has yet to complete any work.
The hill's website says it plans to reopen for the 2015-16 ski season.