Court Awards $150,000 to Mountain Biker Who Fell From Chairlift

Oct 1, 2019
by James Smurthwaite  
Jon Lefrancois sending the rock slabs on the old World Cup part of the course.
The Bromont chairlift as seen from the World Cup track. Photo: Andy Vathis

A Court has awarded a mountain biker more than $150,000 in compensation after he fell from a chairlift at Ski Bromont in 2014.

Vincent Jauvin wanted to take one last run just before the chairlift closed on Aug 7, 2014 so he boarded the lift at 6:30pm but it stopped 10 metres above a dirt road halfway up the mountain. Jauvin, who was 23 at the time, waited for 15 minutes but to see if the lift would move but it stayed in position. He knew the lift would not reopen until 10 am the next morning and had no water, food, warm clothes or phone on his person. Waiting would have meant exposure to the elements and possible hypothermia so he attempted to climb along the cable to the nearest pylon and climb down from there.

The chair apparently stopped around 10 metres away from the nearest pylon, a distance which Jauvin apparently felt he could cross comfortably. However, while climbing, a group of hikers passed underneath. Jauvin called down to the hikers to call 911, which they did, but he lost his grip about a metre from the pylon and fell to the road. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, two dislocated elbows, a broken wrist, sprained ankle, cracked ribs and broken eye socket.

Jauvin sued Ski Bromont for $198,545 arguing that operators forgot he was on the lift and that meant he had to take drastic action. Bromont argued that Jauvin was at fault for attempting to climb down and that if he had waited the hikers would have been able to help him. Quebec Superior Court Judge Francois Toth rejected Ski Bromont's argument and ordered them to pay $152,579.39 plus legal fees

The ruling reads: "Ski Bromont failed in its obligation to ensure that the rider mounted on a chair of the ski lift arrived at the landing stage so he could get off. Clearly there was a communication error between the boarding attendant and the loading dock."

The full court ruling is here.

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263 Comments
  • 256 5
 If the judge was a rider: "One last run!?" Case dismissed.
  • 39 0
 Oh man. Those dreaded last runs. I had the worst of my accidents on one of them. Zygomatic bone fracture and lots of other nice things. From then on I never tell myself that this will be the last run. I decide when I'm down there already.
  • 10 1
 There is always one but last run, he should have been accused of blasphemy.
  • 82 1
 That’s why you never call it last run. You either call it the second to last or you clap twice and say „bonus run“.
  • 11 2
 @Upduro: exactly, you always do a last run but never say the words !
  • 31 0
 I always go for a blue last run. It doesn't help. Last time I crashed anyways
  • 13 0
 Bikers last run and surfers one more wave - best friends...
  • 73 1
 The real bone braking crashes happens with 100% certainty on the last run of the day. Even if it was not planned as the last run.

Its like when you are searching for something, you always find it on the last place you look.
  • 6 0
 They're called party laps
  • 1 0
 @Upduro: So f*cking true.
  • 31 0
 two more runs, skip the last.
  • 11 0
 @Upduro: two more skip the last
  • 4 0
 @Upduro: LOL my friend and I have an agreement, we never say last run we just ride and have known each other long enough that when we get to the bottom, just look at each other and know it's time to go.
  • 7 0
 @RedBurn: Exactly. Always TWO more runs knowing full well this is the last!
  • 5 0
 @Upduro: clap twice. That is awesome. I'm going to use that for every stupid sports superstition.

Going to be a lot of clapping this year, people. . .
  • 4 0
 If you want to be extra careful call two more skip the second. Don’t even utter the L-word @laxguy:
  • 1 0
 @rkstar: exact tup
  • 4 0
 "Another lap!" - you're golden!
"Last run!" - you're broken.
  • 8 0
 "Two more... skip the last."
  • 1 0
 I always ask if the boys "want to go left" instead of last run....
  • 1 0
 @brand-new: every lap is a party lap
  • 2 0
 @goroncy: It's never the last run for me. The posse calls two more skip the last. Hoped your healed up!
  • 1 0
 @mikaeljc: So in order to break the rule and therefore free everyone from this curse I should die on my last run and then do another last run.
  • 2 0
 @SupraKZ:

No, just skip the first and the last run of the day.
  • 2 1
 runs are in the winter, laps in the summer
  • 1 0
 @Upduro: Bang on - you say "let's do two more", then, "I think I'm going to call it early".

I haven't destroyed the saving power by explaining, have I?
  • 3 0
 @mikaeljc: Idk man, I broke 3 fingers on a run and went back for one last lap after.
  • 137 4
 Now he can afford a yeti
  • 19 4
 never mind getting a job in dentistry, just injure yourself severely on a ski lift
  • 3 3
 @T4THH: what about his insurance? I bet he got some money from it as well.
  • 3 2
 @mihauek: man's rolling in it
  • 5 0
 Almost. ..
  • 8 0
 @mihauek: It would just pay his medical bills if he is lucky. We dont have coverage for missing work unless you buy it separately.
  • 5 0
 @skerby: Medical bills are funded by taxpayers here assuming he's Canadian. Physio to some extent but usually I've found that injury rehab comes out of pocket or private insurance.
  • 2 2
 Hang on, is this what you all think dentist salary equates to? A one time payout of $153M?
  • 2 0
 @gerhards: $153K.
  • 1 0
 @gerhards: yes... is it not that???
  • 100 0
 In France they put a flag on the chair once the queue is shut and run it to the top so they are sure nobody is left on it. They also do a full circuit in the morning before anyone is allowed on it (presumably to check for and remove corpses frozen on from the night before). Is this not the case in North America?
  • 421 15
 Is it a white flag?
  • 79 1
 @Larkey1: Savage
  • 2 0
 Circuit in morning is obligatory visual inspection.
  • 5 0
 @Larkey1: Hahahaha
  • 3 0
 That was basically our protocol at the mountain I worked at as a lifty in the winter.
  • 10 0
 @Larkey1: Oh man, I almost pissed myself reading that. Priceless.
  • 5 0
 @Larkey1: Zing!
  • 21 41
flag OllyR (Oct 1, 2019 at 5:25) (Below Threshold)
 I think the old "Elf and Safety" is a bit lacking in america.

I have a friend who Skydives at competition level, he was scathing of diving in america. Lots of deaths, and its seen as a dangerous "extreme sport", where as in europe there are very few deaths (i dont think there has been one for years, but would need to check). the only difference is rules and regs in place to keep people safe.

Similarly, look at that "log men" show on Channel 5. "these guys are doing one of the most dangerous jobs in america, lots of fatalities every year" and the daft chaps are running around on uncleared brush with 5ft bar chainsaws and operating sky cranes at a high speed. Same attitude for their drilling rig crews.

We also cut down trees and drill over here in Blighty, and deaths are rare. this stuff isnt actually that dangerous if you're sensible.

Dont think they have MOTs on their cars either?

rant over.
  • 33 2
 @OllyR: this happened in Canada
  • 8 0
 Similar here. The seats on the chairs are hinged. At the end of the day the lift operators at the top start flipping the seats up and don't stop running the lift until every seat has been turned up.
  • 9 0
 That is normal in the US from what I hear. Cone or flag on the last chair, then run it up. They've all got a phone between top and bottom and are usually in pretty constant communication.
The staff at winter park/trestle are all winter staff also, so they work year round and seem really dialed, but most resorts rely on a lot of seasonal staff, could be where procedures get missed and safety issues like this pop up.
  • 2 0
 @BlackVR: The 2 resorts I worked at in Alberta & BC did the same thing. I thought it was the S.OP. for every lift in Canada...
  • 8 30
flag BeKwik (Oct 1, 2019 at 7:11) (Below Threshold)
 @NHMTNBIKERIDER: last time I checked, Canada is in America. North America.
  • 5 6
 @OllyR: Rules and regs are a huge barrier to accomplishing anything, and are ultimately going to make cycling illegal. I live around the area that stupid show is filmed, that show is staged, scripted, and everything is made up. Very few people die logging here,although it is pretty dangerous. But loggers are known to put their lives in peril on their days off anyways.
  • 2 0
 @Larkey1: Hahaha good one
  • 8 1
 One thing I think everyone is overlooking is that lifties are often high. I think it's a job prerequisite.
  • 1 0
 Depends on the park, I've talked my way onto the gondola after 'Last Load' because they were still loading staff at the top to descend for another 30 minutes or so, so easily another hour of turn time.
  • 8 0
 @Larkey1: no, because you can't see a white flag when it's snowing silly!

Oh...
  • 3 1
 @Larkey1: so savage and I love it.
  • 1 0
 @Larkey1: loooooooool
  • 2 0
 @skerby: ha..logging has one of the highest rates of deaths of any job in the US...i wouldn't say there are "very few deaths".
  • 2 0
 @Larkey1: LMAO
  • 1 0
 @ridestuff: Yeah, but Quebec. Liftees were probably off for a smoke break.
  • 2 0
 Doesn't a white flag mean put in it reverse.
  • 4 5
 @Larkey1: that is the best comment I've ever seen
  • 10 10
 @pigman65: steady on, I chuckled briefly, but it's a pretty tired trope so not really "best comment ever" material. Best comments ever need a scintilla of originality and to avoid cheap xenophobic digs like those I used to hear from 15 year old bully boys as a French kid in a British school and which cannot be separated from the attitudes that have led to the UK's current predicament. Sorry to be a boring c*nt, but you got me more triggered than the original gag.
  • 3 0
 @Larkey1: ouch hahaha
  • 6 0
 @BenPea: Stop taking a Mountain Bike website comment thread so seriously- it'll be good for your health.
  • 2 0
 @TheOriginalTwoTone: I'm sorry. I've let the community down. I surrender. Hopefully we can all learn from this.
  • 98 0
 What about the bike?
  • 28 0
 Asking the real questions here!
  • 7 0
 I heard he bought the newest enduro downhill and xc bike...the old one is still on the chairlfit
  • 1 0
 He's not even able to road bike so I guess he doesn't have any mtn bikes anymore...
  • 85 2
 So ski bromont argument was the hikers would of saved him? What if the hikers had taken a different path? Morons!!!!
  • 23 0
 Ironically he mightve made the extra 1m if he wasn't distracted by the hikers
  • 5 1
 that is maybe the dumbest argument anyone has ever made! the lawyers that came up with that as the cornerstone of their case should be disbarred. lol
  • 5 0
 @conoat: what position would you have taken if you were tasked with defending Bromont here?

Didn’t sound like they had much of a leg to stand on...
  • 3 0
 @nvranka: if I had been the lawyer the only thing that I would of said is who do I make the check out to?
  • 3 5
 @deli-hustler: so if you were hired as Bromont’s representative, you would be the first one to start offering to write checks?

I think we can ignore the oddity of your response and agree that there is clearly a reason you are not a legal representative.

I’m not saying Bromont had much of a case, but the attorneys had to make due. It’s their job to mitigate damages.

Two letters...OJ.
  • 3 1
 @nvranka: If the glove doesn't fit, you gotta acquit... Jailbreak
  • 2 0
 Wink
  • 4 0
 @conoat: Ya. No phone bud? No whistle? No shouting for 10 minutes? ... before you do a Flying Wallenda?
  • 2 0
 @nvranka: they paid out 77% of what the plantiff sued for. that is abysmal. they could have simply offered that amount before a trial and it wouldve been accepted 100%. they proved themselves to be less than worthless. they are a net negative. mitigating 40k while biling 140k isn't much of a benefit! lol
  • 2 0
 @nvranka: Lol, and good job they did of mitigating PR damage.

Out of court, out of press, sign a release with terms for no disclosure of the settlement. No legal fees for hauling the obvious loss through court and no one hears about it. This should not have hit the media at all.

They could have paid the whole amount and been ahead. Bromont got bilked by their lawyer is what happened. I've seen this with contracted lawyers in insurance, "Yeah yeah, we have a great case." Has no case, but generates a ton more billable if it goes through court. I've even seen a defendant lawyer hold back an offer from the prosecution in hopes the case would go to court (defendant had to directly contact prosecution's lawyer to ask why they hadn't responded to the offer).
  • 41 1
 I would have probably fashioned my backpack into a makeshift harness and not only got to the next pylon but all the way over to the next chair to get my bike... Then done some kind of rampage style 360 out of the chair and ridden all the way back down. no problems.... I would have been $150,00 worse off though so on second thoughts the fall worked out well.
  • 54 0
 Exactly. That's why I always duct tape a 30m rap line, harness, and belay device to my downtube whenever I ride park. You never know...
  • 8 0
 @VtVolk: Great thinking. I keep mine in the steerer tube, myself. Keeps the clean look.
  • 1 0
 @VtVolk: I put all that in the swat box
  • 40 0
 Easily would've been $1 million if it happened in the states.
  • 28 2
 Nah they'd of sued him for sueing them
  • 51 0
 Was thinking the same thing...though his medical bills alone would have been $3.87 million
  • 1 0
 The guy already got a pretty big amount for a civil suit in the Quebec province. This is clearly not like in the states here!
  • 2 1
 @sewer-rat: only specialized does that.
  • 1 0
 Sad but true. His own damn fault, IF he choose to climb off he should have also chosen to not fall! To "self rescue", and then screw it up, and THEN sue?
  • 55 26
 I understand the lift operator messed up, but IMO, the guy should have waited far longer than 15 mins before taking such "drastic action" with likely high consequences, and instead should have kept shouting for help. He was 10m from a dirt road, so the chances somebody would have heard him were pretty high - which appearently is actually what happened while he was trying to resuce himself.
  • 74 6
 We weren't there. Maybe it was cold enough that he felt that another 15 minutes would render his hands useless and he wouldn't be able to rescue himself. I think that this short article is not enough to draw any personal conclusion. Other than that court did most probably the right thing.
  • 23 2
 The guy had obviously seen what happens to the people in Frozen the ski movie, and decided to act fast!
  • 28 0
 How cold does it get in early August in bromont?
  • 17 0
 I totally agree, he probably should have waited a little longer than 15 minutes but the resort is still at fault for not following proper safety protocol. If they had, he would have never been in that situation in the first place.
  • 2 0
 Read carefully: „last run”... It can’t wait.
  • 1 0
 double
  • 4 1
 @panzer103: It doesn't he would have been fine in the off chance he had to overnight
  • 23 3
 Indeed, waiting longer would have been clever.

Putting a phone in your pocket (especially when riding alone) would have been clever too.


At the same time, a similar kind of dork seemed to have been operating the lift.
Dork + dork = desaster.
  • 31 1
 @panzer103: it is very warm at night in Québec in mid summer.

Here's the thing with the ruling. I don't want to second guess the court ruling but 10 minutes is a ridiculously short amount of time to wait on a downed lift. I bet buddy knew he'd snuck on while the lifty wasn't looking and that he was likely not known to be on the chair. Fair enough that the lifty needs to be especially alert after having called last chair.

To claim that after 15 minutes he thought his only method of survival was to pretend he was in an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is absurd. who the f'uck climbs along the haul rope? like ever, but especially after such a short time? What if they started the chair up again?
  • 4 0
 @panzer103: climat.meteo.gc.ca/climate_data/generate_chart_e.html?StationID=51157&timeframe=1&type=line&MeasTypeID=temp&Year=2014&Month=8&Day=7

20c so maybe 70f? ahah
  • 4 1
 @nickel: and he didn't have a cell phone that he could call some one on?
  • 12 0
 @nickel: Chair starts up again, that's where I thought the story was going.
  • 3 0
 @laxguy: Clearly, which i bet he regretted but that's no reason to cliffhanger your way along a haul rope.
  • 3 0
 @nickel: oh no, i don't think he should have gotten off the chair at all... just curious why he wouldn't have a cell phone with him
  • 3 0
 @nickel: he saw the operators leave so he knew they wouldn’t restart the lift.
  • 4 1
 @panzer103: if it is windy it can be as warm at 60° f outside if you are wet and you can catch hypothermia.
  • 3 0
 @panzer103: hi of 75 low of 55 that day
  • 3 0
 @OliChando: If he saw the operators leaving (and where did you read that?) - why didn't he call out to them for help??????
  • 17 1
 I've been stuck on a lift that had stopped running and 15 minutes can feel like a loooooong time in that situation.
  • 3 0
 I got the similiar situation. I got the flat tire at the upper station of Chavannes Express. The operator said they are closing but in the end he let me go in. In the middle of forest ski lift stopped, 20 or 30 minutes later they turn it back on and apologized me after that. Now I would definitely jump off from this lift
  • 1 0
 @trillot: the operators would have been driving down the hill driving a quad with a helmet on. They wouldn’t have heard him.
  • 1 0
 He’d watched Cliffhanger the night before lol@nickel:
  • 1 0
 @rojo-1: "Let it gooo, let it gooooo"
  • 1 0
 @mattwragg: especially if you don't have a cell phone...
  • 1 0
 @trillot: I read it on some french news article you can also find the full judgement here: bit.ly/2ok4s2B
  • 1 0
 Ha!!@panzer103:
  • 1 0
 @rojo-1: That film is hilarious! How is this the only comment about it?!
  • 1 0
 @mattwragg: yeah... we probably all have. But did you go Tarzan and start swinging from the cable?
  • 26 1
 The court weren't ruling on his actions, they were ruling on whether there were adequate procedures in place to ensure that someone wouldn't get left on the lift at night which is enough to state that the accident was their fault as they created the conditions for it. The decisions this biker made, rightly or wrongly, in a legal sense only occurred because the lift operator failed in their duty of care. He could have stayed on, he might have survived the night, who knows but that isnt why they paid out.
  • 14 0
 Down with your common sense! We don't take kindly to that in these parts.
  • 21 2
 Shimmy the cable? I think I would have risked the hypothermia.
  • 6 4
 hypothermia?? it was mid summer
  • 20 4
 Hypothermia starts when your body temp drops below 95F. If it gets down to 50F and is windy and you're just wearing your sick TLD tank top, and can't really move around too much to stay warm cause you're sitting on a chair, hypothermia is a very real possibility. Still, probably worth more than 15 minutes of waiting and planning!
  • 15 0
 Surely using the phrase "one last run"" makes you solely responsible for any Voodoo that comes your way?
  • 2 0
 right! 2 more skip the last!
  • 21 8
 Going to mountains, not having a phone to call for ER if needed... what a noob
  • 13 26
flag honda50r (Oct 1, 2019 at 4:21) (Below Threshold)
 I purposely don't take my phone to the mountains
  • 40 1
 @honda50r: Speaking as someone who lives in the mountains, that's a really bad idea
  • 13 7
 @Landonop: whatever did people do before 1996?
  • 45 2
 @jaame: Die more often, probably... and venture into the mountains less recklessly. That's like asking why we need seatbelts when people got along just fine before they were mandatory. Sure, most people were probably fine, but why not utilize modern technology that makes an activity considerably safer.
  • 5 25
flag jaame (Oct 1, 2019 at 5:24) (Below Threshold)
 @Landonop: funny you say that because I never used to wear a seatbelt until I got a car with that annoying beeping noise. Now I wear it all the time because it's too f*cking annoying not to.

At least with phones in the mountains, you still have the choice. That will probably change though. Give it a few years.
  • 9 0
 @jaame: Died in the woods alone with no one wondering what happened to them for days. Not having a means of communication in the mountains is a bit daft for the sake of it and risk management should be treated accordingly.
  • 16 2
 @jaame: You sound smart.
  • 7 0
 @jaame: they noted where they are going in the place they stay at, put info about what, where, when and when they are not back in time, the others knew... old fashioned, but working till nowadays, its called mountain safety
  • 8 11
 People have been going into the wilderness for millions of years. Phones have been around for a little over 20.
Added to that, he was on a ski lift in a well known ski resort. I hardly think not taking a phone on a ski lift somewhere like that can be classed as reckless. The lifts were running there before phones, weren't they?
My point is, he was not behaving in a way I would consider dangerous. The lift operator f*cked up, he deserves the money.
  • 5 7
 @jaame: You can turn your phone on silent so its like not having a phone but you do just in case! OMG was that common sense you just heard? OMG it was!
  • 4 2
 @Landonop: What mountains do you have where cell phones work? Yeah they work at ski resorts, but 5 minutes into the backcountry and there's no service here.
  • 4 2
 @dthomp325: Honestly almost everywhere I've ridden in Colorado has had enough reception to at least make a call, whether that's Fruita, Crested Butte, Summit County, whatever. I live in the big big mountains, too. Data connection practically disappears a mile into the forest, but if you don't have service in a particular spot it's fairly easy to get to another area close by where you've got a connection.
  • 4 5
 @jaame: Totally, agree. He definitely wasn't begin reckless, but a phone certainly could have saved him some pain. Regardless, total responsibility on the resort.
  • 2 0
 I take it you have never been to Bromont. Nobody would call Bromont going to the mountains. It is a little bump on a flat plain. Good mountain bike park though.
  • 3 0
 @WhatAboutBob: okay, but you consider it fine to not take your phone with yourself when you are riding alone? I don´t think they do sweep runs like in Whistler
  • 3 1
 @dthomp325: +1, worthless were I ride. They are a crutch, people rely on them WAY too much and dont follow proper safety protocol...
  • 1 5
flag lightsgetdimmer (Oct 1, 2019 at 12:00) (Below Threshold)
 @jaame: you should youtube how to shut off that annoying seatbelt chime in your car. I did and it was super easy, for me at least.
  • 1 3
 @lightsgetdimmer: I didn't think of that. The only one I've seen is what taxi drivers do, and that's to have a spare buckle in the central console to plug in when they don't want to wear a belt.
  • 2 0
 And what about Strava?
  • 1 1
 @jaame: for my ‘06 Outback I had to literally turn the key on, push the red buckle release like 20 times in a minute, turn the key off and it shut off the chime. Or something weird like that sequence. It seemed weird but worked. My buddy did close to the same thing on his ‘16 WRX
  • 1 0
 @lightsgetdimmer: aha! It can be done! Thanks for the enlightenment!
  • 1 0
 @jaame: you're welcome. Glad it worked out. Now why so many downvotes on my comment....?
  • 2 0
 @lightsgetdimmer: I think it's down to basically a lot of people are used to being told what to do, and like being told what to do, or expect to be told what to do. Most people lack the ability to think freely. Yhat's why I've had the seatbelt/helmet/jaywalking arguments so many times.
Also I don't like being told what to do, especially by people I have never met.
I understand the safety benefits of wearing a seatbelt, but at 30mph or under if I crash I'm going to see it coming and brace myself on the steering wheel, and let the airbags do their thing. I guess some people haven't thought of that, or something. I do wear a belt when I'm hooning. I don't wear one to drive down to the mini mart at 20mph late in the evening. Why? Because I don't want to. I'm big enough to decide for myself.
Same goes for riding a motorcycle without a helmet (I always do it but only because I don't want points on my licence. I don't do it on holiday unless it's the law in that country). Same goes for crossing the street. I'm lucky that in the UK it's still legal to decide for yourself when it's safe for y9u to cross the street if you're an adult, but if we keep going the way we have been it's only a metter of time until that's illegal too. And then the booing and hissing will start if you dare to suggest people should be free to choose for themselves where to cross the road. There is this societal pressure that we must all strive to not put ourselves in any danger at all, and if you advocate something so blatantly irresponsible like not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle (or even a pushbike for that matter) you must be a moron worthy of everyone's judgment.
Let the sheeple keep following, and ingore the down votes!
  • 1 0
 @jaame: " I understand the safety benefits of wearing a seatbelt, but at 30mph or under if I crash I'm going to see it coming and brace myself on the steering wheel, and let the airbags do their thing."

are you aware of the fact it is a system that is working together? So it is counting with that you are in the right position, which is operated by the seat belt...
  • 1 0
 @jaame: I saw a woman ejected from her truck out the window onto the pavement ending with a fractured skull from a collision at 25mph. The idea that you could "hold on and brace yourself" in a 30mph collision is completely ridiculous even if you "saw it coming", not to mention the other vehicle maybe travelling faster and forces are double when vehicles collide in opposite direction.

Your lack of personal responsibility makes me pay more for my car insurance, and here in the US it was conclusively shown that seatbelt laws lower injury and death rates and insurance costs because the laws were gradually implemented over different states.
  • 2 0
 blah blah blah.
I have never told anyone to not wear a seatbelt. If you want to wear one, by all means do so. I also wear one most of the time. On times I don't, I have assessed the risk associated with not doing so and deemed it an acceptable one.

Not that it matters, because you've already decided to always wear a seatbelt, and judge me for deciding for myself when it's necessary and when it isn't, but when two vehicles collide in opposite directions, the force is not doubled. Look it up if you don't believe me.

You can say what you want. You can believe what you want. It's not irresponsible to choose for myself. One could argue it's exactly the opposite.

If I die in a car crash, so what? You don't know me. Why do you care? You'll never even hear about it. And I will die of something if not a car crash. It probably won't be a car crash because I'm a f*cking great driver but if I had the choice I'd take a car crash over cancer, a heart attack, tuberculosis etc...

I don't share society's appetite for trying to protect everyone else. I think it's a bit silly if I'm honest. I'll do me, you do you, and leave it at that.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: blah blah, it's not only about you, you selfish moron, easy to fly thru the window and kill someone else with you smart head
  • 1 0
 Oh dear.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: I shut off the mine off on both sides but mainly because my 17lb Boston Terrier sets off the passenger side when he’s sitting on it and it’s annoying AF. So once again ppl on PB, if you don’t know the whole story, quit being a nanny to everyone! Not directed at you jaame.
  • 1 0
 youtu.be/vAl3iQupaFU
  • 1 0
 @jaame: all the haters on here pissing about a persons choice to shut off their seatbelt chime should watch the above video. Haha, great song!
  • 1 0
 @jaame: I don't know you and could care less if you die because of your actions. What I care about is having to pay more in car insurance/short term disability/social security/taxes to fund first responders to cover dumbasses like you, supporting any family you leave behind, plus the the physiological toll on first responders and witnesses of seeing your split open head. It's not at all about you.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: the physiological toll?
  • 1 0
 @jaame: autocorrected, meant psychological
  • 12 0
 No phone = no Strava = ride didn’t happen = he wasn’t on the chairlift. Geez, it’s like the defense lawyers weren’t even trying
  • 9 0
 A woman at Killington got into the gondola at the end of the night and rode it all the way down after they had shut it down . She made it within sight of the base lodge when it stopped. She hung in the gondola for 3 hours before some hikers passed by. She was then rescued and subsequently sued claiming mental distress(ptsd) and inability to perform her marital duties... courts awarded her more than what she sued for. Almost $700000. Horrendous
  • 16 1
 "inability to perform her marital duties" that's rich.
  • 11 0
 Haha, "only in America"...
  • 4 1
 233k an hour, and no more blowies either...
  • 9 0
 ptsd affecting marital duties from 3 hours in a roomy closet?.... wtf... was the husband like "imma pretend my junk is a passenger and you're the last gondola of the night??"
  • 14 2
 Is this like $75 US dollars?
  • 9 0
 You can tell this wasn’t in the states. His ER bill wouldn’t blown 150k out of the water, and the lawsuit would have be millions.
  • 2 6
flag JohanG (Oct 1, 2019 at 18:48) (Below Threshold)
 And he would have gotten competent medical care in a timely fashion.
  • 1 0
 @JohanG: Competent in a timely fashion... you mean let me google that charge you $175 for 10 min and give you antibiotics HAHAHAHAHA yeah really competent here in the states
  • 1 1
 @chadchandler7: In canadaland, won't even see you unless you produce a credit card. It's little better than a third world country in my experience.
  • 9 0
 See, if he had an e-bike...
  • 5 0
 My buddy and I were at Northstar on Labor day. He flatted toward sthe top at 4:48. Lifts close at 5. We fixed the flat, finished the run, got the the lift gate at 4:59. Dude gives us a thumbs up, luads our bikes, and hangs a 3 foot (1 metre) banner on the chair that says LAST CHAIR.

The moment we offloaded they shut down the lift. I feel like it's not that hard .......
  • 9 0
 Never call one last run!
  • 8 1
 Honest question - no mobile reception in the area? Bike park or not, I always carry a phone for emergencies.
  • 2 0
 There is reception, he must not have had a working phone on him.
  • 7 0
 Clever guys would do that for sure.

Clever guys also wouldn't try (and fail) to climb down a lift after only 15 minutes or shut down a lift without proper checking.
  • 8 0
 I blame water bottle mounts.
  • 2 0
 @FloImSchnee: I mean... you're not wrong. Having said that, clever guys would figure out a way to turn two broken wrists into $150 large I'd say.
  • 1 0
 @Rucker10: dem dislocated elbows.... oh my god that would be so painful.
  • 4 0
 Same exact thing happened to me at Fernie in 1997 or 98. The two high school girls running the lift shut it down and went home with me 200m from the top. Waited 3 hours for my friend and his father to hike up the downhill trail and eventually heard the banging of my seatpost on the metal chairlift, as they couldn’t understand my yelling about my location in the distance. Experienced lifties fired up the lift and got me down about an hour after that, just as the sun was going behind the mountain. There was no way I was going to try to climb down...death or paralysis if I fell. But hey, we got an all-expense paid dinner at their resort hotel restaurant...in our dirty biking gear, ha! In Canada, it was a free dinner...in the US it would have been a 5-digit settlement, haha. The Canadians were so laid back about their relatively wreckless and potentially grave mistake =P
  • 10 7
 Tough call, what if they had realized, after 15min and turned the lift back on. Don't know what this persons experience is, but it does highlight a lot of people go off into the outdoors with out much preparation or outdoors experience, particularly in places where there are staff etc, and overly rely on them. A whistle, a torch, warm clothing, charged phone, ability to read a map, not riding solo, first aid knowledge, general outdoor skills and letting someone know when you are expected to be back, sticking to the plan etc. A high percentage of outdoor tragedies happen due to a bad decision made much earlier in the day.
  • 4 13
flag Bedede (Oct 1, 2019 at 3:52) (Below Threshold)
 You can fit a nano puff, shell, a beanie, gloves, torch , phone, whistle, first aid, into a bum bag, takes no space, no impact on riding. The chairlift company messed, but his not being prepared forced him to make a tough call rather than sit it out. Mountains change in an instance.
  • 1 3
 shop.thebmc.co.uk/product/safety-on-mountains

shop.thebmc.co.uk/product-category/books/howtoguides/skills-technique/?perpage=-1&_sft_product_cat=skills-technique
  • 13 2
 Dude. If I'm reading the map correctly this place highest point is 500 meters and the bottom of the mountain is 200 meters. Give me a break.
  • 2 4
 @goroncy: even more reason to wait it out then, I don't say map reading in this instance would make any difference, of course not. Just in general having some mountain skills.
  • 12 1
 He was riding at big, popular ski resort. He was not out riding the backcountry. He should have taken his phone with him, assuming he had signal (which at places like Snowshoe it is better to take an FRS radio due to lack of signal), and probably a whistle. Riding solo at a resort is completely understandable.

This guy was in a controlled setting and got messed over. Nothing about this could have been 'planned' out. Your list makes sense for a trail ride, not a resort trip.
  • 16 3
 You're really calling someone out for not having a whistle, torch and outdoor skills at a fully serviced resort with a chairlift?
It's the obligation and responsibility of the corporation operating the facility to ensure that the lift is clear of passengers after closing. I really don't understand what survival skills have to do with this? The guy was stuck on a chairlift, he didn't get lost in the woods. I personally would have waited a little longer and I really don't get why he didn't have a phone, but that's beside the point.
  • 3 8
flag laxguy (Oct 1, 2019 at 5:33) (Below Threshold)
 @ssteve: and its your obligation to be prepared if something happens, seriously.
  • 11 0
 @laxguy: Never thought I'd see the day a German argues being prepared wasn't necessary and an American with the opposite point.
  • 4 1
 @laxguy: I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Are you saying he should have brought the necessary rigging to get down from the chair? Or that he should have brought enough food and clothing for the night? How do you prepare for a chairlift ride?

I have to say I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he had no phone, but seriously, what is the preppers list for riding the chair?
  • 4 2
 @brodoyouevenbike: 1. I'm not German
2. I never said "being prepared isn't necessary" - I just can't believe that the people saying "he should have been better prepared" (paraphrasing) have a mountaineering pack full of gear that they bring with them every time they get on a chairlift.
  • 2 0
 @ssteve: its simply really, have a cell phone. if cell service is bad, make a back up plan. yes maybe have a snack and some water or an extra layer. its really not hard/inconvenient or even asking a lot and most ski resorts/bike parks have signage and waivers saying the same thing
  • 3 0
 @laxguy: yeah, I agree he should have at least had a phone. Primarily because mountain biking is dangerous and you can get lost etc. We're talking about riding a chairlift, though. An activity that where the dangers are the responsibility of the service provider. You should be able to leave your phone in the car for that. All I said, in response to the op, was that you shouldn't have to prepare to survive riding a chairlift.

I don't agree with his course of action. 15 minutes and you decide it's worth the risk to climb?

I have never seen a sign nor signed a bike park waiver which stated I should be prepared to be forgotten on the lift.
  • 1 0
 @ssteve: ok
  • 5 2
 15 minutes?! The guy began to consider hypothermia and food rations after 15 minutes!? The fact that there IS a hiking trail alone should have persuaded him to have a bit more patience and perhaps a better yelling for help voice.
He won a court case for injury of pride if anything.
  • 9 3
 You didn't read the case then. He screamed until he lost his voice. Who's to say whether he was aware that it was a hiking trail below him? And even if he did know that, the case said that very few people remained on the mountain at that time. It's a small hill, on a weekday, he had reason to be worried. Sure, it was summer time (August), but on a cool cloudy day, in a t-shirt and shorts, he had reason to be worried about becoming cold, numb, and less able to act if needed. It might not have been his smartest move, but you can reasonably see why he acted the way he did.
  • 3 1
 I certainly don’t know what his physical condition was before the attempt, but climbing the cable after just 15 minutes was not a good idea at all! on the other side the night in the mountains are damn cold and the operators must communicate and wait until the full circle passes before closing the lifts
  • 29 0
 The court probably never took into consideration the actions of this biker. I wouldn't. It might had been panic, he had been cold, whatever. Or maybe even it was a non optimal decision. It doesn't matter. What matters is that they put him in a life threatening position and this wasn't by any means his fault.
  • 17 1
 The fact that he HAD to make a choice how to proceed was the only thing the court should have discussed. Not the choice itself. He had full right to be just plain stupid at that point.
  • 3 0
 @goroncy: Right. Lad was personally stupid but not a crime. Resort liable as they created situation for him to exercise his right to be stupid.
  • 3 0
 This is Vincent riding Bromont, he is one quick rider and a true gentlemen. He love Bromont, i havent spoke to him in years.. But him sure he did not enjoy one bit of this legal BS. www.pinkbike.com/video/218828
  • 4 0
 Ski Bromont's argument was that a rider is supposed to go back for two more runs, then skip the last one.
  • 2 1
 Here's why I believe the courts were fair and right in their judgment. It's upon their employees to do what they are paid and (hopefully trained to do) First and foremost. Safety at any recreational place is priority.

So, a stronger argument is what if no hikers or persons for that matter see him. What if he waits and waits and waits and decides he has to stay their over night. Are you telling me you would feel comfortable sleeping on a ski lift chair??? I don't care if the damn arm rest is lowered or not. THOSE CHAIRS WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR A PERSON(S) TO SLEEP ON.

Shhheeeeit, How to make a situation worse: wait because their employees messed up, freeze a bit when the temps drop, fall asleep and then fall (or cling if you wake up mid fall). Trust me that scenario just seems horrific.

I'm glad he won.
  • 4 0
 Vincent Jauvin wanted to take one last run........................
  • 3 0
 Famous last words
  • 4 0
 Quand te reverrais-je? pays merveilleux...
  • 1 0
 Big Grin
  • 4 0
 damn lifty’s, stoned outta their minds
  • 1 1
 there are so many factors and things the story doesn't tell us and no one knows but him it's hard to say what dude was going through. Was he diabetic and needed insulin? Did he have P.T.S.D. for a prev stuck on lift situation? etc. I'm just playing devils advocate here. Personally, I think it was a bonehead move and i'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done what he did to get off the chair but then again, I wasn't in his shoes.
  • 1 0
 This why I carry an emergency whistle. Sounds stupid until it saves your life.
Also, doesn't the patrol ride the lift at the end of the day to prevent this? No,? they should .
  • 1 0
 Cell phone too, but they can run outta battery, or no reception, so yeah get a whistle.
  • 2 2
 150k, the ski resort got off easy. Their idiotic argument alone that he should have stayed there is worth the money alone. The fact he fell and got busted up should be worth 7 figures.
  • 1 0
 There's now going to be people climbing up the masts, crawling down the cable and jumping to the ground when the lifts are closed. Easy way to make $150k.
  • 6 3
 And the Darwin Award goes to....
  • 5 0
 Not him...he's still alive! Smile
  • 1 0
 Penultimate Run. That's how we should call it. Because the of the profound simbology of the word, you don't really want it to be your "last" run.
  • 3 0
 When he fell.... did he make a lasting impression?
  • 2 0
 Someone already beat me to it buuut... What aboot yellin' for help??!! Eh?
  • 2 2
 "...closed on Aug 7, 2014.......Waiting would have meant exposure to the elements and possible hypothermia so he attempted to climb along the cable to the nearest pylon and climb down from there."


f*cking dumbass
  • 2 0
 I came here to rip the rider a new one but upon reading what happened that's definitely on Bromont.
  • 1 0
 Ah yes 'one last run' should always be avoided ...quit whilst you are ahead. I remember saying 'that was fantastic let's do that one more time'. Ouch.
  • 4 1
 Commitment
  • 2 0
 It's Bromont. Everything is normal.
  • 3 1
 Is this the only guy in the world without a mobile phone in 2014?
  • 2 0
 Cave man like toma van steemberger!!!
  • 1 1
 Who?
  • 2 0
 Seems like he could have waited a bit longer
  • 2 0
 Tecknicaly he climbed out of a chair lift and fell.
  • 1 0
 Homie is gonna spend all that on an Ebike now and say damn with the chair lift
  • 2 0
 Everything in Quebec is backwards. F that place.
  • 1 0
 Nunca fale a ultima descida isso e um perigo...Never speak the last descent this is a danger ...
  • 1 0
 I'm surised he almost made it to the tower. The haul ropes are lubed with castor oil and are very slippery.
  • 17 16
 A secondary court ruled that Vincent Jauvin is a moron.
  • 14 4
 The people downvoting this are silly; This man gets a nice shiny darwin award to go with his 150k. Life's not a movie, don't climb wires. wait for help. i looked it up, that night the low never went below 15 degrees C and it most certainly was still warmer than that at 630pm when dude was hung out to dry after getting on a closed lift.

this Vincent fellow made many bad choices. ski bromont did too, but less than this guy. I hope they appeal if they can.
  • 8 1
 @nickel: The lack of any sense of personal responsibility in this world is overwhelming.
  • 15 1
 @mdg3d: Big time. For sure the resort boned it by not paying enough attention to last chair protocol but I've seen lifts go down for over an hour. No one goes full moron and tries to climb the rope. Insanity.
  • 3 2
 @nickel: the waiver was defeated. Troubling
  • 2 1
 Ah it's straight Code Civil. Therefore of little relevance
  • 4 0
 And - what a great precedent the court has set. If you're stuck on a lift, why not just try and climb along the cable to the nearest pole, and whatever the outcome we'll hold the ski resort liable.
  • 1 0
 @trillot: the guy had just been watching "Where Eagles Dare"
  • 2 0
 Easy money
  • 1 0
 Can manufacturers now start fitting hot water bottle holders please
  • 4 3
 Darwin needs to practice more he keeps missing all these kill shots!
  • 1 0
 Thats what happens when u call last lap
  • 1 0
 Dudeeee he could buy so many bikes
  • 1 0
 In here to say the same thing...that one last run!!! Every time!
  • 1 0
 He's lucky the wolves didnt get him
  • 1 1
 How much does a pair of binoculars cost? Probably less than $150K.
  • 3 4
 Who can't climb a cable for 30 feet? Dude was a chump. No opinion on the court's judgement.
  • 1 0
 don't know man, after a full day of riding bikepark laps, my hands are weak as fuck
  • 1 0
 GOOD
  • 1 1
 Excuse me while I go fall off a lift for 150k
  • 4 6
 There's simply no excuse for this type of negligence by a business. He should have sued for a lot more.
  • 2 5
 Skied this place enough to not be surprised. The amount of attitude from staff, shitty facilities. Glad they had to pay him.
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