An 11 year old boy was unharmed yesterday after he was caught in a safety net after a 'controlled fall' from a chairlift at whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada on Monday.
According to media reports the boy half fell beneath the safety bar of the chair when reaching down to try to grab a dropped ski pole on boarding the lift.
The adults on the quad chairlift seat with the boy held on to him but were unable to get him back on to the chairlift seat.
The lift operator quickly stopped the lift and organised with a group of bystanders to hold out a fireman's net which a resort spokesperson told media was standard kit held at each lift station and something that all lift attendants and trained in the use of.
Having spread the net, the boy was allowed to fall the distance of approximately 7 metres/20 feet and was caught safely.
The event was captured on video and posted on YouTube by American Christopher Sakai who had boarded the chair behind the one the boy was on.
Mr Sakai told media the boy looked calm and was smiling after the rescue.