“Fatal Lift Accident in Val Gardena/Gröden Ski Area: Victim Identified as 82-Year-Old Erna Perathoner”

A tragic accident took place in the Seiseralm/Alpe di Siusi area of the Val Gardena/Gröden ski area in Italy on Thursday, January 25, 2024. Two women fell from a chairlift around 11:40 a.m., shortly after boarding the four-seater Doppelmayr. Unfortunately, they were unable to lower the safety bar, and as the chairlift accelerated out of the base station, they were ejected from the chair near the third pilon. Falling from a height of approximately 7 meters (23 feet), one woman died at the scene while the other sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Bolzano/Bozen.

The chairlift involved in the accident is known as the “Goldknopf/Punta d’Oro” (English: gold button) chairlift, a detachable Doppelmayr 4-CLD-B. This particular chairlift, installed in 2002, was recently renovated for the 2023/24 season and equipped with new chairs featuring leather seats with seat heating and a bubble. The Goldknopf chairlift has a capacity of 2,000 people per hour and operates at a speed of 5m/s.

The two women involved in the accident were local residents from Sankt Ulrich/Ortisei, a town in the valley of the ski area. The deceased has been identified as 82-year-old Erna Perathoner, while her injured friend is 68-year-old Sandra Comploj. Both women were experienced skiers who had previously ridden the same lift multiple times. Eyewitness reports suggest that one of the women leaned forward to reach for the safety bar and slipped, causing her friend to instinctively grab for her and subsequently be pulled from the chair. However, the incident is currently under investigation by the local police, and an official statement from the Castelrotto Carabinieri is awaited.

Following initial investigations, the Goldknopf chairlift resumed operations on Thursday afternoon. Helmut Sartori, managing director of lift operations at Seiseralm/Alpe di Siusi, confirmed in interviews with local Italian newspapers that the incident was not caused by technical issues but rather a tragic accident. The ski resort typically experiences six to seven accidents per year, but fatal accidents have been rare in recent years, making Thursday’s incident even more heart-wrenching.

The Seiseralm/Alpe di Siusi ski area is part of the larger Gröden/Val Gardena ski area, which is included in the Dolomiti Superski area. Dolomiti Superski is among the ski areas in Europe that are part of the Ikon Pass, granting passholders seven days of unrestricted access to any of the 15 resorts in the ski area. Ikon Base Pass and Base Pass Plus holders receive five days of access at the Italian resort.

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– Woman Dies after People Fall from Chairlift at Val Gardena/Gröden Ski Resort, Italy
– Chairlift Accident at Val Gardena/Gröden Ski Resort, Italy: Woman Fatally Injured.