76 people evacuated from Whiteface chairlift

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December 30, 2010

DAN HEATH Press-Republican The Press Republican Thu Dec 30, 2010, 04:25 PM EST

WILMINGTON — A chairlift malfunction at Whiteface forced the evacuation of 76 skiers and riders Wednesday.

Olympic Regional Development Authority Communications Manager Jon Lundin said Thursday that Lift I — the Freeway Lift — broke down at 10:58 a.m.

Ski Patrol and mountain staff successfully lowered everyone from the open-air chairs on the lift by 12:45 p.m., using a rope, harness and pulley system.

One Ski Patrol member suffered a minor injury during the evacuation, Lundin said.

“We are still trying to determine the cause of the incident. We do know it was not a wind-related cause. There was no danger of chairs falling to the ground.”

The lift was built in 1978 and passed its most recent inspection in November.

The 4,100-foot-long chairlift has 121 chairs and 23 towers. It can carry up to 800 passengers an hour.

It provides access to the popular, most difficult trails, such as Mountain Run, Thruway, Parkway and Wilderness.

ORDA President and CEO Ted Blazer said staff’s thoughts are with those affected, and they were thankful no one was seriously injured.

“The Whiteface crew and responders did an outstanding job following procedure and evacuating the lift, ensuring everyone’s safety,” he said in a press release.

The ski industry’s has a two-hour standard for lift evacuation from the time of incident.

Ski resort chairlifts have been in the news this week, due to an accident at the Sugarloaf resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. A chairlift there derailed in high winds Tuesday, sending dozens of skiers plummeting 30 feet to the ground. Eight people were injured when the five chairs fell.

That prompted the New York Department of Labor to assure skiers that local resorts are inspected each winter. About 450 inspections of ski areas are conducted each year to ensure that safety requirements are being met, the state said.

E-mail Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com