Snowboarder drops from chairlift on Whistler Mountain

Riding the chair lift at the ski fields is supposed to be the safe part, but it swiftly turned into a nightmare for one teen snowboarder.

The 14-year-old dropped eight metres after slipping from his seat on Whistler Mountain in Canada at the weekend.

Before the crunching fall he was left dangling with only a finger’s grip on the icy seat of the chairlift.

A video of the accident shows how staff ran underneath him with a net to break his inevitable drop.

When he finally lost grip he hurtled down to the ground and into the edge of the remarkably rigid netting.

He was treated for a lower back injury at Whistler Medical Centre, CBCB reports.

Whistler Blackcomb said the boy did not lower the safety bar.

"It is unknown at this time what caused the guest to slip from the chair lift," the statement read.