Jack Clulee, 11, was left 10 metres in the air but quick thinking from supervisors at Mt Hutt ensured he got down safely.

When 11-year-old Jack Clulee found himself dangling off the side of a chairlift, several metres up in the air, he held his breath.

His dad and uncle had a firm grip on both his arms, and were trying to pull him to safety.

He began "slipping a little bit", and his dad screamed out "stop" to staff at Mt Hutt who were operating the chairlift.

SUPPLIED Jack Clulee, 11, with his father Kevin on the slopes shortly after he was left dangling from a chairlift.

Seconds later, Jack was falling through the air.

READ MORE: Chairlift evacuated at Canterbury's Mt Hutt ski area

A safety pad, that had been taken from a chairlift pole, was placed underneath him by staff to help cushion the fall.

He was left 10 metres in the air but quick thinking from supervisors at Mt Hutt ensured he got down safely.

"I was trying not to get hurt or anything," Jack said.

He made a decision to fall backwards, so he could land flat on the mat.

The incident, captured on video, resulted in claps and cheers from a group that had gathered on the mountain to watch.

General manger of operations James Urquart praised his staff following Saturday's incident, which he estimated did not last a full minute.

Jack's father, Kevin Clulee, thanked the staff for their help.

He said Jack had tried to sit down too early, and slipped, missing the chair.

Clulee initially thought he could pull Jack up with the help of his brother.

"It got to the stage where I probably should have let him go but it was too far down".

His brother, Ray, "yelled" and the crowd joined in.

Jack said he was "shaken up" for about 30 minutes following the incident. But he "bounced back", and was back up on the slopes skiing later on Saturday.

But, he said, from now on he would be especially careful around chairlifts.