Sugarloaf Chairlift Failure

**RShea** · 03-22-2015, 06:19 AM

One of the chairlifts at Sugarloaf had a brake malfunction and started into a roll-back. Seven injured, hundreds had to be evacuated off the lift.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...6rN/story.html

**The SnowShow** · 03-22-2015, 06:59 AM

Didn't something like this happen before at Sugarloaf?

**Benny Profane** · 03-22-2015, 07:11 AM

Yes, in 2010.

**The SnowShow** · 03-22-2015, 07:48 AM

Coldest day I ever skied was at that hill. -60f windchill

**zartagen** · 03-22-2015, 07:55 AM

This has a video of the rollback and people jumping off
http://unofficialnetworks.com/2015/0...t-at-sugarloaf

**Todds** · 03-22-2015, 10:39 AM

What are you supposed to do when that happens? Should you jump off?

**DasBlunt** · 03-22-2015, 10:42 AM

if it starts going really fast, I am jumping.

SB · 03-22-2015, 10:42 AM

That depends on how high up you are.

**alTAos** · 03-22-2015, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Todds

What are you supposed to do when that happens? Should you jump off?

yes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwPP4i7ENvQ

at a good height.

**uglymoney** · 03-22-2015, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by scottyb

That depends on how high up you are.

Yeah. Depends. Looks like in this case they shouldn't have but if that thing had taken off you have to jump assuming you are close enough to the ground.

**Todds** · 03-22-2015, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by alTAos

yes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwPP4i7ENvQ

at a good height.

Holy shit.

**Bromontana** · 03-22-2015, 12:33 PM

The lift entered people's backyards apparently

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**blazes_boylan** · 03-22-2015, 12:58 PM

scary stuff there. no major injuries though

**cat in january** · 03-22-2015, 02:01 PM

Lot scarier when the gondola bounced off the shims.

**alTAos** · 03-22-2015, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by cat in january

Lot scarier when the gondola bounced off the shims.

That looks like osha approved evacuation technique.

**twodogs** · 03-22-2015, 02:22 PM

Rog kept his hat and sunglasses on throughout.

**cat in january** · 03-22-2015, 02:30 PM

Think Rog was a tween then

**Shorty_J** · 03-22-2015, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by alTAos

yes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwPP4i7ENvQ

at a good height.

Holy shit!

**Shorty_J** · 03-22-2015, 04:05 PM

I got stuck on the lift at Silverton for 2 hours once when it broke down. I was on the steep uphill section and entertained jumping because the powder looked deep enough and the drop low enough to consider.

I can't imagine what they were going through near the top where the lift dangles over that bowl with probably a couple hundred feet from lift to ground. Not sure how you'd do an evacuation from there either.

A couple of chairs behind me a woman dropped trow and pissed on her avi shovel so the pee would run out the handle slot. She was sitting next to a guy she didn't know. Ha ha... awkward, I'm sure.

**Peruvian** · 03-22-2015, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Shorty_J

A couple of chairs behind me a woman dropped trow and pissed on her avi shovel so the pee would run out the handle slot. She was sitting next to a guy she didn't know. Ha ha... awkward, I'm sure.

...and THAT'S how I met your mother.

**lynchdogger** · 03-22-2015, 04:21 PM

Preliminary findings of investigation released:

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england...297179021.html

This was inevitable. Sugarloaf has been ignoring their need for new lifts for far too long.
Glad no one was seriously injured.

**uglymoney** · 03-22-2015, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by lynchdogger

Preliminary findings of investigation released:

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england...297179021.html

This was inevitable. Sugarloaf has been ignoring their need for new lifts for far too long.
Glad no one was seriously injured.

Scary. Quick thinking by the llift op. Glad he was paying attention. I've been evacuated from a lift that kept 'rolling back' a couple feet instead of going forward when they tried to restart it. Turned out okay but it still haunts me.

**Bunion 2020** · 03-22-2015, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by lynchdogger

Preliminary findings of investigation released:

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england...297179021.html

This was inevitable. Sugarloaf has been ignoring their need for new lifts for far too long.
Glad no one was seriously injured.

SL... is owned (operated) by a company that also owns multiple other ski areas whose lifts are in need of replacement.

**lynchdogger** · 03-22-2015, 06:53 PM

^^^ this doesn't surprise me at all.

**pfluffenmeister** · 03-22-2015, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Shorty_J

I got stuck on the lift at Silverton for 2 hours once when it broke down. I was on the steep uphill section and entertained jumping because the powder looked deep enough and the drop low enough to consider.

I can't imagine what they were going through near the top where the lift dangles over that bowl with probably a couple hundred feet from lift to ground. Not sure how you'd do an evacuation from there either.

That would be a bad place to be stuck.
I'm fairly blaise about heights, but that stretch is pretty exposed (and a very efficient use of topography / lift towers).

Originally Posted by Shorty_J

A couple of chairs behind me a woman dropped trow and pissed on her avi shovel so the pee would run out the handle slot. She was sitting next to a guy she didn't know. Ha ha... awkward, I'm sure.

extra points for ingenuity.