A young boy who found himself dangling from a chairlift at Whistler this week is safe and sound, thanks to quick-thinking staff and bystanders.
Witnesses said the child somehow fell out of his seat Monday on the Peak Express, leaving him hanging on several metres in the air.
“It was scary because he was slipping through his clothes,” said Christopher Sakai, who filmed the tense rescue and uploaded it to YouTube.
Fortunately, the lift was still close to the station. The chairlift operator saw what happened, shut down the lift, grabbed a tarp and called on a half-dozen skiers to help stretch it tight beneath the child.
After a count of 1-2-3, the child let go and landed safely in the centre of the tarp, prompting cheers from onlookers.
Sakai, who was visiting Whistler with family from California, said the boy was back on his feet moments later and seemed perfectly fine.
“He just ran back and looked happy,” Sakai said. “It all happened so fast, and it was just great that he came out OK.”
