A New Zealander's dream skiing holiday in Italy took a terrifying turn resembling a horror movie when she was almost thrown from a chairlift due to high winds. Stephanie Burt, 48, and her friend Barnaby Dunning were left "traumatised" by the ordeal and are urging the resort to take responsibility, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Burt had embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Cervino ski resort with her family and a family friend. However, the holiday quickly became a nightmare when strong 110km/h winds hit the chairlift they were riding on.
The incident occurred on Thursday while Burt and Dunning were skiing. Despite low visibility, there were no initial warnings about the lift being unsafe. Five minutes into their journey, the chairlift was deactivated as the winds intensified. Burt described how the chair began twisting in the air, forcing her to cling on desperately.
She credits Dunning for her survival, as his weight prevented the chair from flipping upside down. Meanwhile, the chairlift across from them started swinging and spinning erratically in the strong winds.
The situation was captured in a video that showed the chairlift appearing to collide with Burt and Dunning, whose skis were hanging from the seat. Burt recounted the harrowing experience, stating that the lone skier in the chair behind them was screaming in fear.
Burt admitted she considered jumping from the lift at times to save herself and began fearing she might not see her two children, aged 9 and 11, again. After about 20 minutes, resort employees arrived to climb the pylon next to them in an attempt to fix a sensor that would allow the lift to operate again.
Upon reaching the summit, Burt collapsed to her knees in horror, only to realise she would have to ski back down the hill. She and Dunning have been deeply affected by the incident and are calling for the resort to take responsibility.
Burt expressed her dissatisfaction with the resort's response, claiming that staff told her she "was not in any danger" and only apologised for frightening them. She emphasised the lack of safety protocols and insisted that if her nine-year-old had been on the lift, he might not have survived.
The traumatic experience has left Burt and Dunning shaken, highlighting the need for increased safety measures at ski resorts to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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