Tragedy struck a Montana family when a father died after a freak accident while snowboarding March 10, 2025. Jeffrey Zinne fell from an undisclosed height while riding the Triple Chair lift at Red Lodge Mountain in Billings. Emergency crews rushed Zinne to an area hospital. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries on March 12. He leaves behind a heartbroken wife and 2-year-old son.
According to the Associated Press, Zinne was riding alone on the Triple Chair when the lift had a mechanical malfunction. Red Lodge Mountain representative Troy Hawks declined to say what exactly happened. He shared that snow patrol rescued more than 100 guests from the lift.
The incident remains under investigation, and Red Lodge Mountain closed the lift until an engineer can fully assess it.
Red Lodge Mountain shared a message about the accident on Facebook that reads:
To our Red Lodge Mountain Community,
“Yesterday was an unfortunate day at Red Lodge Mountain as a guest was injured as the result of a chair lift incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and his friends and family, and all guests and employees impacted by this incident.
We place a top priority on the safety of all of our lifts and lift operations, and perform daily, weekly, monthly, and annual safety measures to better ensure the safe operation of our lifts. The Triple Chair will remain closed this morning as we continue to investigate the incident and will reopen only when we can ensure the continued safe operation of the lift.
Today we will operate the Stache Express and Palisades as well as the Magic Carpet and Sun Kid conveyor lifts for a reduced daily lift ticket price. Today’s lift tickets are only available at the ticket window.“
Someone who claimed to be on the lift when Zinne fell shared a scary account. “My my friends and I were on the lift for two hours waiting for them to get us. The crew were amazing in getting us down but the lift should never have been running,” the person wrote on Facebook. “I have snowboarded in several states and many resorts and even though the wind wasn’t crazy at the base, the top knew how bad it was. They had shut down all the other lifts but this one. Someone lost a husband and a little toddler lost their father. It could have been prevented.”
Esther Jensen created a GoFundMe account to support Zinne’s surviving family. “Jeff was a devoted husband to his loving wife, Meghan, and a caring father to his 2-year-old son,” she wrote in part. “His passion for life, infectious laughter, and kind-hearted nature touched everyone around him. He was a man who always put others first, whether it was supporting his family, being there for his friends, or bringing joy to those lucky enough to spend time with him. Jeff and his wife were also devoted local business owners of Montana Air Cartage.”
The fundraiser has surpassed its $30,000 goal with more than $36,000 in donations thus far.
