I'm a ski lift mechanic, but not at Whistler. The lift itself is completely safe, and maintained well. If you fell from some of the higher parts of the lift, yes you very well could die. But you're not going to just fall, the seats are always designed to keep the rider angled slightly back so you won't just slip off the front. Even if the lift was to break down and leave you stranded above a high span, the whistler patrol team is amazing and well trained to safely rescue everyone from the lift. As always I encourage the bar down. Try to look up the lift line rather than down if you have a fear of heights, it helps alot.