VAIL - A 48-year-old man was caught on a chairlift in an unenviable position after getting on the lift last week.
A spokesperson for Vail Mountain wouldn't tell 9NEWS how the man ended up dangling from the lift with his pants around his ankles. But an e-mailed news release said lift operators immediately stopped the lift and got him down within seven minutes. The incident happened a little after 10 a.m. Jan. 1.
The ski patrol was called to the scene. Mechanics reversed the lift about 10 or 12 feet and rescued the man.
He was not injured.
Marty Odom just happened to be nearby to document what was going on.
"I turned around to see this guy hanging from the chair lift," Odom said, "which had apparently just stopped. I just missed the whole incident of him getting into that spot."
The 24-year-old had a camera in his backpack and started taking pictures.
"I had to do like a triple check to make sure I was really seeing what I was seeing," Odom said.
Odom said it took about 15 minutes to get to a place where the man could lowered. By Odom's estimation, the 48-year-old was about 30 feet away from the lift house and 20 to 25 feet off the ground.
"It was early in the morning. I guess one of the seats wasn't pushed down and I guess the guy wasn't looking and he sat and fell through the chair, getting caught by one of his skis, pulling his pants down in the process," Odom said.
Odom said he's been getting a lot of media requests for his photographs, but also some criticism for taking them.
"I would do it again," he said. "It's classic. I was just shooting the news. You don't see that any other day. That is something that only happens once, hopefully. I was there to document it. I felt I had an obligation to do it. I didn't think twice."
A spokesperson for Vail Mountain wouldn't tell 9NEWS how the man ended up dangling from the lift with his pants around his ankles. But an e-mailed news release said lift operators immediately stopped the lift and got him down within seven minutes. The incident happened a little after 10 a.m. Jan. 1.
The ski patrol was called to the scene. Mechanics reversed the lift about 10 or 12 feet and rescued the man.
He was not injured.
Marty Odom just happened to be nearby to document what was going on.
"I turned around to see this guy hanging from the chair lift," Odom said, "which had apparently just stopped. I just missed the whole incident of him getting into that spot."
The 24-year-old had a camera in his backpack and started taking pictures.
"I had to do like a triple check to make sure I was really seeing what I was seeing," Odom said.
Odom said it took about 15 minutes to get to a place where the man could lowered. By Odom's estimation, the 48-year-old was about 30 feet away from the lift house and 20 to 25 feet off the ground.
"It was early in the morning. I guess one of the seats wasn't pushed down and I guess the guy wasn't looking and he sat and fell through the chair, getting caught by one of his skis, pulling his pants down in the process," Odom said.
Odom said he's been getting a lot of media requests for his photographs, but also some criticism for taking them.
"I would do it again," he said. "It's classic. I was just shooting the news. You don't see that any other day. That is something that only happens once, hopefully. I was there to document it. I felt I had an obligation to do it. I didn't think twice."
