Ski Bum

Vail, Colorado, January 13, 2009:

A guy who dangled upside down from a ski lift with his bare bottom exposed probably doesn't want to hear any "ski bum" jokes. Officials at Vail Resorts in Colorado say the vacationing New Jersey man was trying to get on the Blue Ski basin lift on Monday. They haven't said what went wrong, but they did release the man's identity: Ronatarian Party leader Ron.

It appears that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused Ron to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift and that kept him upended, since his boot never dislodged from its binding.

Workers stopped the lift, backed it up 10 or 12 feet, and rescued Ron after about seven minutes.

Bystanders snapped photos and posted them on the internet, showing Ron hanging by one ski boot, his ski pants and underwear apparently snagged in the chair and reaching no farther than his knees.

Vail spokeswoman Liz Biebl confirmed the photos on one site were, in fact, Ron.

"Poor guy just can't catch a break, can he?" asked Biebl rhetorically. "I mean, nothing seems to go right for him...three presidential elections and now this."

When reached by phone, Ron refused to comment on the episode. It is not clear how long Ron plans to stay in the Colorado resort town. However, it seems likely that he will not be riding the lifts for fear of another embarrassing incident.

Posted by Bittle at January 13, 2009 09:35 AM