Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe ASPEN, Colo., April 15 (UPI) -- A chairlift at Colorado's Aspen Mountain ski resort broke on its way up the mountain, dumping one passenger and leaving two others hanging. A break in one of the metal supports on one of the chairs on the Ruthie's Express lift caused one man to fall 10 feet to the ground Saturday, but his two friends managed to hang on until the ski patrol showed up, the Aspen Daily News reported. Advertisement The break was reportedly caused over time by stress from loading and takeoff vibration, said Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle. He said an inspection showed the fracture did not occur at a piece of the metal that was welded. "It's something no one has ever seen or heard of before," Hanle said, calling the failure "metal fatigue." The man who fell was not injured and skied away on his own, Hanle said.
