Sugarloaf Lift Accident - 3/21/15

yeggous · Mar 23, 2015

I was at Black Mountain in NH a few weeks ago when they had to do a loft evac after a chair literally fell off the line of the old double chair. The owner was a total dick about it and refused refunds to those trapped on the chair. I swore never to return to that place. The state came in to inspect and has closed the lift indefinitely pending repairs including replacing all the grips.

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ThinkSnow · Mar 23, 2015

Cannonball said:
Mittersill: Not a lift failure, but a liftie failure. Loaded us on the chair with the seat flipped up. Instead of stopping the lift he just started screaming "Oh My God Get Off The Lift!!!!".

How does one ride a lift with the seat flipped up?

BenedictGomez · Mar 23, 2015

fbrissette said:
Wouldn't you rather keep yous skis on and get some gliding before the big collapse ? Kinda like getting rid of your skis prior to jumping a cliff.

Yeah, I'd keep the skis on. Especially if it's only a 8 or 10 foot drop like that or a tiny bit diagonal.

machski said:
The initial findings state it just had a structural inspection the day before this happened on the drive.

How often do "structural inspections" occur? This statement triggers the uber-cynic in me if they're statistically rare.

Or is this just a routing "kicking the tires" sort of thing that happens once a week?

SkiingInABlueDream · Mar 23, 2015

yeggous said:
I was at Black Mountain in NH a few weeks ago when they had to do a loft evac after a chair literally fell off the line of the old double chair. The owner was a total dick about it and refused refunds to those trapped on the chair. I swore never to return to that place. The state came in to inspect and has closed the lift indefinitely pending repairs including replacing all the grips.

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Surprised there wasn't a thread about that. (Or I missed it?)
But googling "black mountain nh chairlift accident" finds nothing. huh?

yeggous · Mar 23, 2015

skifastr said:
Surprised there wasn't a thread about that. (Or I missed it?)
But googling "black mountain nh chairlift accident" finds nothing. huh?

I was too busy drinking that weekend to remember to post it. If you check their snow report you'll notice they have not been running the double nor will they until at least next season. It happened around noon on March 7. I know some people who were stranded.

Not only did the owner not offer a refund, he got angry with those who were complaining to the point of calling the police to control upset customers. The worst customer service I have ever seen.

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yeggous · Mar 23, 2015

New thread created on the Black Mountain accident so that I don't hijack this one:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showth...untain-chairlift-accident?p=897913#post897913

thetrailboss · Mar 23, 2015

I know we've seen a lot of the videos posted, but I think this is the first one with the audio that I have seen and the cries and screams are gutwrenching.

wa-loaf · Mar 23, 2015

thetrailboss said:
I know we've seen a lot of the videos posted, but I think this is the first one with the audio that I have seen and the cries and screams are gutwrenching.

Not sure about this thread, but it's been up on Boston.com since Sunday.

bigbog · Mar 23, 2015

DaffyJeffy said:
I've been an industrial mechanic in the past although never on chairlifts. The next logical question in my opinion becomes "what needs to change in the inspection/maintenance procedures?"

If I understand correctly, the gearbox had a overhaul/rebuild around 2011. What are the required qualifications for the business performing the overhaul? Is visual inspection enough or should more intense procedures like radiography be required? Perhaps an annual rebuild?..

DaffyJeffy said:
It seem logical to come to the conclusion that these procedures are flawed in some way.

Put mildly....

DaffyJeffy said:
I'm wondering how SL gets insurance on their lifts? Is it possible for the insurance co to have more strict requirements or does the state need to have a heavier hand? I've always been a bit skeptical about the notion that private business can successfully self-regulate.

I'm very curious to what changes will be made and by whom. It is my opinion that the fatalistic attitude that "accidents happen" is unacceptable.

+1
Self-regulation(in this industry) = corruption of the whole system...
Local Gov't = in bed with the industry...imho.

Edd · Mar 23, 2015

DaffyJeffy said:
I've always been a bit skeptical about the notion that private business can successfully self-regulate.

Yeah, it seems unlikely.

thetrailboss · Mar 23, 2015

wa-loaf said:
Not sure about this thread, but it's been up on Boston.com since Sunday.

I figured. I'd seen a silent version before; this was on TGR.

Domeskier · Mar 23, 2015

fbrissette said:
personnally, I don't believe in coincidence.

+1

zoomzoom · Mar 23, 2015

have found no info/link anywhere on a "structural inspection", but this was in the press release:

"Just one day before the incident, the gearbox passed a sophisticated routine preventive maintenance procedure intended to identify potential problems."

the only "sophisticated routine maint procedure" done on gearboxes that i know of are bearing analysis and vibration analysis, usually done by an outside contractor as the equipment is expensive. for these procedures it's best to get a baseline reading, then track Db (noise) over time as the equipment wears. when the readings enter the "service" zone it's time to replace bearings, check your bearing preload and backlash, etc.

here's pure speculation, for entertainment only!

maybe a noise was heard in the box and a contractor brought in for his opinion. the box was blessed as "ok" and the following day, boom.

catskillman · Mar 23, 2015

wa-loaf said:
Ever load a chair and it stops right after you get on? Your tails hook up and get caught, now do that going really fast ....

not to mention, if the uphill chair are traveling fast enough they would bang into the lower chairs and break your legs, as happened to a friend of mine at Pico many years ago.

BenedictGomez · Mar 23, 2015

The 2016 AlpineZone summit can feature a "chair jumping 101" class.

Cannonball can be one of the instructors.

jimmywilson69 · Mar 23, 2015

BenedictGomez said:
The 2016 AlpineZone summit can feature a "chair jumping 101" class.

Cannonball can be one of the instructors.

If the summit is held at Sugarloaf the need for such a class is apparently warranted, unfortunately...

thetrailboss · Mar 23, 2015

I don't think I've seen this here....from Sugarloaf's Facebook page:

Friends,
With a moment of calm in the office this morning, we wanted to take the opportunity to touch base with you all on the events that occurred here yesterday.
For those of you who aren't up to speed, all of the press releases issued yesterday can be found at www.sugarloaf.com/media-room, and additional updates will be posted there as well, as soon as they become available.
Our first concern this morning is for those who were injured or otherwise impacted by yesterday's accident. We are relieved that the injuries were not more serious than they were, and we remain committed to assisting them in any way we can as they recover. The investigation into the cause of yesterday's accident is ongoing today, and our senior mountain operations and lift maintenance personnel are working with an engineer from the State Tramway board, and we'll likely have another independent lift engineer on site today.
With any luck, we'll at least have a partial understanding sometime today or tomorrow. There may be other aspects that might take weeks, even months, to fully analyze. But we'll let you know what we've learned when we fully understand it ourselves.
We know that many of you are feeling let down or angry by these events, and likely have questions and concerns relating to chairlift safety at Sugarloaf. While we can't undo what has happened, we can give you our steadfast promise that safety of our guests is and will continue to be our most important priority. This means that we will work aggressively to identify the cause of yesterday's incident, and we will share what we find with you as quickly as we can.
As it is to many of you, Sugarloaf is more than just a mountain to us. It is our home, our playground, our singular place on this planet. It is where we live and work, and where we watch our children grow up. Quite simply, it is who we are. Things like this shake us as much as they do you, and we're determined to understand the cause. We never want our guests to experience something like this again.
Thank you for your support, your faith, and your patronage. We are forever grateful.

slatham · Mar 23, 2015

Slightly different response than Black Mountain........

steamboat1 · Mar 23, 2015

No mention of free hot chocolate vouchers.

catskills · Mar 23, 2015

Some good photos here on this skilifts.org thread that I have not seen posted anywhere else.

One of the photos shows a bent chair. Another shows two people in two chairs on the down hill side that obviously went around the bow wheel.

Sugarloaf Lift Accident - 3/21/15

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