One heck of a ride

Chairlift test gone wrong

That's a high speed double chair! Seriously though, that happened at White Pass a number of years ago with people on it! And they got it stopped before it self-destructed.

This was actually just a part of a destructive ski life test at Winter Park. You can see the full video of the testing here.

The short story is that it is _extremely_ unlikely that a lift would ever fail in the manner depicted and you should definitely not assume you'd be safer if you jumped off.

video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-1734472502795274450

What a shame. Those things make great porch swings when they retire without disability.