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Astonishing footage has surfaced, showing a heart-stopping moment when a 12-year-old girl fell to the ground after briefly hanging from a ski lift in California.
The alarming event unfolded on a Saturday at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, where the young snowboarder appeared to lose her security on the lift.
The viral video depicts her clinging to the chairlift with a desperate grip, her legs swinging in the air with her snowboard still attached.
Quick to react, several resort employees rushed to the scene, hurriedly arranging padding and a safety net beneath to cushion her impending fall.
Staff members at the ski resort can be seen scrambling to position a safety net under the chairlift, as the child hangs precariously above the snow at Mammoth Mountain on January 31, 2026.
The girl then crashed to the ground, tragically missing most of the safety net, according to the footage. Rescuers appeared briefly in shock before scrambling over in alarm.
A woman claiming to be the girl’s mother commented on the post, saying her daughter “miraculously walked away with no broken bones or major injuries.”
“As the mother of my 12 yo daughter that fell today I really want to thank everyone who came out to help her,” she said. “The mammoth team did their best to get to her as quickly as possible. It was an incredibly traumatic experience and everyone supported us.”
A 12-year-old girl dangles from a ski chairlift moments before falling at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California on Jan. 31, 2026. (Kristen Tellez via Storyful)
Addressing questions about why the chair’s safety bar was not lowered, the mother emphasized that no one was at fault. She indicated that the chair slipped almost immediately after her daughter got on, leaving no time to secure it.
“As to the bar – we had no chance,” she added. “She slipped down right away. There was nothing that anyone did wrong. It was a series of small choices that happened quickly that led to a fluke accident.”
In the video, the girl appeared to be sitting next to two other people before falling. According to her mother, the group held onto her as long as possible, which gave rescuers time to respond.
Ski patrol respond after a 12-year-old girl fell from a chairlift at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California on Jan. 31, 2026. (Kristen Tellez via Storyful)
“As a mother I know it is my job to protect my child,” she said. “We held on as long as we could. Long enough to have people get into position to allow her to walk away.”
Despite the traumatic experience, she said the family will not be deterred from skiing and “will be riding again when she’s ready.”