• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

Hunter Chair Lift Accident

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
The right sidebar? WOW - This is differant than the story going around (not that I am surprised)

Were you tilted to the right and sliding that way? Did it just happen or did you feel/hear it giving away.

Glad everyone is OK - it could have been ugly

Thats the story I heard.. And the reason why I headed back to Purna when they start the chair again.. Figured I'd never heard of such a thing before and didn't think chairs would be raining from the sky anytime soon...

Plus - Prune and Clairs were good..
 

Nick

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
13,176
Points
48
Location
Bradenton, FL
Website
www.alpinezone.com
I was one of the two on the Z when the right sidebar came off on Sat. Thank goodness the other side did not break off also but I can't believe they kept the z lift running afterwards. We did get back out there and stayed on the Flyer (until that broke down), then jumped over to the F. Too bad since we had a great couple of runs on Annapurna right before we got on the now retired Chair 62.

If anyone has photos or video, please send me a message. I'm sure you can understand we were preoccupied holding on to dear life to capture the moment. We'll be there again for the last weekend, but don't know if we're going to push our luck by getting on the Z again. I think I can wait for the quad.

Wow welcome to the board, and what a perfectly apt name!

Glad everything worked out OK for you!
 

NYSkibum

New member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
4
Points
0
Location
Long Island, NY
I was one of the two on the Z when the right sidebar came off on Sat. Thank goodness the other side did not break off also but I can't believe they kept the z lift running afterwards. We did get back out there and stayed on the Flyer (until that broke down), then jumped over to the F. Too bad since we had a great couple of runs on Annapurna right before we got on the now retired Chair 62.

If anyone has photos or video, please send me a message. I'm sure you can understand we were preoccupied holding on to dear life to capture the moment. We'll be there again for the last weekend, but don't know if we're going to push our luck by getting on the Z again. I think I can wait for the quad.
How were you able to hold yourself up? It looked like the only part of you touching the chair was your hands. I stayed about 100 Ft. above where this happened so that I can get over to the Y lift when it opened. What did Hunter do you the two of you besides giving you a good story to tell. I am glad that you are both well and BTW the skit patrol did an excellent job of getting you both down.
 

Nick

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
13,176
Points
48
Location
Bradenton, FL
Website
www.alpinezone.com
I'm shocked I can't find this anywhere else.. on the news, other forums, no where. So the chair didn't actually fall to the ground?
 

zliftsurvivor

New member
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
2
Points
0
No the chair luckily did not fall; only 1 sidebar broke off while we hung on hoping the other wouldn't do the same before ski patrol could get us down. I signed up with Hunter's FB page and posted it onto their wall a couple hours ago to ask for photos and video and just checked and miraculously disappeared. I was only able to find another forum who wrote about this at the Mountain Jam website titled "A Story About Tragedy Narrowly Averted" http://bbsmtjam.section101.com/viewtopic.php?t=2000&sid=5fe53574499921337b721762e9e62cac.

I only have pictures of the broken chair after we got down.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103190&id=1035021343&l=820e9c6dc7
 
Last edited:

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
I'm shocked I can't find this anywhere else.. on the news, other forums, no where. So the chair didn't actually fall to the ground?

No it did not fall to the ground. the sidebar detached down by the actual chair.
 

Nick

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
13,176
Points
48
Location
Bradenton, FL
Website
www.alpinezone.com
Yeah I see that now with the pictures. I want to know too, did you get a free season pass or something? That's amazing, I still can't believe it wasn't reported anywhere.
 

Eski

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
180
Points
0
Location
Hunter NY
No the chair luckily did not fall; only 1 sidebar broke off while we hung on hoping the other wouldn't do the same before ski patrol could get us down. I signed up with Hunter's FB page and posted it onto their wall a couple hours ago to ask for photos and video and just checked and miraculously disappeared. I was only able to find another forum who wrote about this at the Mountain Jam website titled "A Story About Tragedy Narrowly Averted" http://bbsmtjam.section101.com/viewtopic.php?t=2000&sid=5fe53574499921337b721762e9e62cac.

I only have pictures of the broken chair after we got down.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103190&id=1035021343&l=820e9c6dc7
I posted a pic on my FB page as the rescue was in progress and was swiftly asked to not post it on Hunters site, I obliged to the request ... if you want, send me your contact info back channel and I'll send you the pics I have, they were taken from the base shack, one shows one person in the chair and the second shows that person just before touching foot back on the ground ... so glad that there were no injuries and it all worked out so smoothly ... heard a rumor you folks were offered a hundred bucks and declined it ... funny how posts get deleted on social sites, I'm no fan of censorship and don't get the point ... we talk about life, good and bad things happen every day, if one can't handle that then they shouldn't deal with message boards and such ...
 

neil

New member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
454
Points
0
Those pictures are insane. I would have been shitting it.
 

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
I posted a pic on my FB page as the rescue was in progress and was swiftly asked to not post it on Hunters site, I obliged to the request ... if you want, send me your contact info back channel and I'll send you the pics I have, they were taken from the base shack, one shows one person in the chair and the second shows that person just before touching foot back on the ground ... so glad that there were no injuries and it all worked out so smoothly ... heard a rumor you folks were offered a hundred bucks and declined it ... funny how posts get deleted on social sites, I'm no fan of censorship and don't get the point ... we talk about life, good and bad things happen every day, if one can't handle that then they shouldn't deal with message boards and such ...

IMHO - Hunter is just protecting themselves from bad press and potential lawsuits..
 

gmcunni

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
11,500
Points
38
Location
CO Front Range
I signed up with Hunter's FB page and posted it onto their wall a couple hours ago to ask for photos and video and just checked and miraculously disappeared.

That's amazing, I still can't believe it wasn't reported anywhere.

I posted a pic on my FB page as the rescue was in progress and was swiftly asked to not post it on Hunters site

wow, sounds like a cover up going on at Hunter!
 

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
wow, sounds like a cover up going on at Hunter!

I guess.. Or just avoiding bad press and people making assumptions..

The whole chair thing accident got out of control this winter with the CNN live broadcast at Sunday River.. I'd be nervous from a PR perspective too if I were them...
 

Eski

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
180
Points
0
Location
Hunter NY
IMHO - Hunter is just protecting themselves from bad press and potential lawsuits..
the rescue was swift and no one was injured, that sounds like good news to me ... shit happens, such is life
 

gmcunni

Active member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
11,500
Points
38
Location
CO Front Range
I guess.. Or just avoiding bad press and people making assumptions..

i'd think suppressing information would only lead to more people making assumptions as the news gets out (and it always gets out)

did i read somewhere that the lift in question was scheduled to be replaced this summer anyway?
 

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
the rescue was swift and no one was injured, that sounds like good news to me ... shit happens, such is life

For you and I - but there's an element that likes lawsuits and see's easy $$ from suing...

And lawsuits increase lift prices and delay expansion.. potentially...
 

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
I believe they were offered season passes.. But I'm not 100% sure... Because the are "carpet bombing" the internet with their story.. Which seems weird if it's been resolved..

I wish I was on that chair.. I'd have a cool story and a season pass.
 

Eski

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
180
Points
0
Location
Hunter NY
For you and I - but there's an element that likes lawsuits and see's easy $$ from suing...

And lawsuits increase lift prices and delay expansion.. potentially...
IF there is a valid reason for a suit due to negligence, than shame on the operator ... I'm hopeful this is not the case here. I place trust in these lift systems and those who operate them on pretty much a daily basis and would hate to learn otherwise
 

dmc

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
14,275
Points
0
IF there is a valid reason for a suit due to negligence, than shame on the operator ... I'm hopeful this is not the case here. I place trust in these lift systems and those who operate them on pretty much a daily basis and would hate to learn otherwise

Of course..

but you know how people get with easy $...
 
Top