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Woman falls 9 meters after ski lift derails in US
Source: Agencies |
December 30, 2010, Thursday
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ALL of that snow from the recent Northeast blizzard in the United States proved to be a blessing for at least one of the skiers who fell from a chair lift at a Maine ski resort.
Rebecca London, who was aboard the crippled lift, credited fresh, ungroomed snow for softening her landing on Tuesday. The resort said it got 50 to 55 centimeters of snow a day earlier.
"The snow was all soft," said -London, whose goggles -also protected her face when it hit the chair lift's retaining bar during the terrifying 9-meter fall.
At least eight others - including three children - were taken to hospitals after the double-chair lift at Sugarloaf derailed during a busy vacation week at the popular resort 193 kilometers north of Portland. Dozens of skiers remained on the crippled lift for more than an hour until the ski patrol could get them down.
An investigation will determine whether the accident was wind-related or mechanical, officials said. The ski resort was being hit by gusts of up to 64 kilometers per hour a day after the blizzard blew through. A witness said he saw a Sugarloaf employee working on the lift before the derailment.
The resort said the lift, which -recently passed an inspection, was due to be replaced - possibly as early as this coming summer - partly because of vulnerability to wind. Five chairs fell 8 to 9 meters onto a ski trail below, Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said.
Jay Marshall, who was on a lift that was parallel to the one that broke, said his lift was moving but the other was not. There was a "loud snapping noise" after the lift restarted, he said, then some screams.
"The next thing I know, it was bouncing up and down like a yo-yo," said Marshall. He said it was too difficult to watch, so he looked away.
"It was terrifying," he said.
Marshall said there was a worker atop the tower where the lift's cable derailed, but noted that could have been a coincidence. It's not unusual to see workers on the lift towers, he said.
All told, there were about 150 -skiers on the lift at the time, according to Sugarloaf, operated by Boyne Falls, Michigan-based Boyne Resorts.
Workers used a pulley-like system to lower skiers to safety.
The lift was properly licensed and inspected for 2010, said Doug Dunbar of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.
Rebecca London, who was aboard the crippled lift, credited fresh, ungroomed snow for softening her landing on Tuesday. The resort said it got 50 to 55 centimeters of snow a day earlier.
"The snow was all soft," said -London, whose goggles -also protected her face when it hit the chair lift's retaining bar during the terrifying 9-meter fall.
At least eight others - including three children - were taken to hospitals after the double-chair lift at Sugarloaf derailed during a busy vacation week at the popular resort 193 kilometers north of Portland. Dozens of skiers remained on the crippled lift for more than an hour until the ski patrol could get them down.
An investigation will determine whether the accident was wind-related or mechanical, officials said. The ski resort was being hit by gusts of up to 64 kilometers per hour a day after the blizzard blew through. A witness said he saw a Sugarloaf employee working on the lift before the derailment.
The resort said the lift, which -recently passed an inspection, was due to be replaced - possibly as early as this coming summer - partly because of vulnerability to wind. Five chairs fell 8 to 9 meters onto a ski trail below, Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said.
Jay Marshall, who was on a lift that was parallel to the one that broke, said his lift was moving but the other was not. There was a "loud snapping noise" after the lift restarted, he said, then some screams.
"The next thing I know, it was bouncing up and down like a yo-yo," said Marshall. He said it was too difficult to watch, so he looked away.
"It was terrifying," he said.
Marshall said there was a worker atop the tower where the lift's cable derailed, but noted that could have been a coincidence. It's not unusual to see workers on the lift towers, he said.
All told, there were about 150 -skiers on the lift at the time, according to Sugarloaf, operated by Boyne Falls, Michigan-based Boyne Resorts.
Workers used a pulley-like system to lower skiers to safety.
The lift was properly licensed and inspected for 2010, said Doug Dunbar of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.
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