UPDATE Short Hills Dad of 3 Dies In Ski Lift Accident At Vail

MILLBURN, NJ — A resident of the Short Hills section of Millburn, Jason Varnish, 46, died Thursday in an accident at the Vail ski resort in Colorado, according to media reports.

[UPDATE: According to his obituary, he was a father of three. Services have been set for this Sunday in Maplewood.]

“Vail Mountain confirms that ski patrol responded to a serious incident at Blue Sky Basin this morning involving a 48-year-old man from New Jersey," said a statement from the resort's chief operating officer, Beth Howard, in an initial Aspen Times story. (His age was later reported as 46.) "Upon arrival, they provided CPR and other emergency care on scene. The guest was then transported to Vail Health Hospital."

The Blue Sky Basin section of the resort was closed for the day following the incident.

According to a follow-up report in Vail Daily, the accident occurred on the chairlifts. The cause of death was positional asphyxia.

The Vail Daily story quoted witnesses as saying his ski chair might not have been properly prepared for use.

"[Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis] said that the chairlift’s folding seat was in the upright position, according to witnesses, instead of being folded down so riders could sit on it, leaving an open area which one could fall through if they did not notice the seat was not in place," the story said.

[A story over a week later said that Varnish did not fall through the chair, but did die of positional asphyxia.]

On Tuesday, Varnish's employers, Credit Suisse, sent a memo to staff:

<blockquote>We are deeply saddened to inform you that our colleague, Jason Varnish, has passed away unexpectedly.

Jason spent over 20 years at Credit Suisse, having joined in 1998. Most recently, Jason served as a Managing Director and Global Head of Prime Services Risk, having started his Credit Suisse career in Collateral and Valuations in London. Jason began his career in London as a currency trader.

Jason will be remembered for his dynamic personality, energy, desire to win, and significant impact with clients. He successfully struck the right balance between being commercially-minded with clients while maintaining risk discipline for the bank. After his family, he always put Credit Suisse first as he genuinely loved and cared about the bank. He was a fantastic partner to everyone he worked with across the industry, and the bank. His enthusiasm, camaraderie and friendship will be sorely missed by his colleagues at Credit Suisse.

We will share additional information including details of services and condolences in the coming days.</blockquote>

Spokeswoman Karina Byrne said Tuesday, “On behalf of all employees of Credit Suisse, we send our deepest condolences to Jason’s family and friends."

Conditions on the slopes

Just days before Varnish's accident, the resort's COO issued an apologetic statement after massive snow hit the area and people complained that chairlift lines were long. She wrote, "We were fully staffed — it was truly an all-hands-on-deck scenario — and we spared no expense to get the mountain open as quickly as possible. In fact, our patrol team used a record number of explosives in their thorough avalanche mitigation. But safety always comes first — and to ensure terrain is absolutely safe for guests and employees, it takes time. I want to thank our guests for their patience this weekend."

Several men have died in skiing-related accidents at Colorado resorts in the last two weeks, including a Philadelphia pizzeria owner who died Feb. 8 in an accident at Steamboat Resort, and an 83-year-old man who died Wednesday after a Feb. 10 accident at Snowmass Resort.

According to various news reports over the past six weeks, at least six skiers have died so far in 2020 at Colorado's resorts, many of which are open from November through April. An investigative report in the Summit Daily of Summit County, Colorado, said there have been an average of 13 to 14 skier deaths at the state's resorts each year for the last 10 years.

Videos of the chairlift can be found here.