Sugarloaf Lift Accident - 3/21/15

[LoafSkier19]

The Spillway repair was a couple months for sure. The accident happened in very late December and it was reopened around February vacation week I think.

 

[xlr8r]

Bangor Daily News

Shows they can't even do a rope evac properly and safely.

 

[thetrailboss]

I prefer Ethan talking about the AZ Summit instead of chairlift incidents personally...


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[DaffyJeffy]

I'm trying to remember how long Spillway went offline for. It was not a short duration and may have been for the rest of the season.

They were able to get Spillway running after that incident. IIRC, it was 2 or 3 weeks. The state did extensive testing.

After that accident, the state conducted a full investigation. By the time the state released their findings, most people had moved on. That report was pretty disturbing. I'll try to find a link when I get a chance.

I wonder how the state will respond this time if their report finds a similar level of mismanagement on Kingpine?

I think, as others have pointed out, Sugarloaf now has a serious public relations problem. The best thing they could do to restore the public trust is to roll some heads at the upper management level. I'm not suggesting in any way that any of the upper level guys are at fault, I'm just saying that would be a good response for the severity/frequency of these accidents.

Again, I love Sugarloaf and I'm a local here. I hope whatever corporate entity comes to own the mountain, and whatever corporate entity comes to manage the mountain can one day live up to how awesome this mountain actually is.

 

[thetrailboss]

Is it https://www1.maine.gov/pfr/professi...nal Report Sugarloaf Spillway East Report.pdf


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[deadheadskier]

Quick google search found Spillway accident occurred on 12/28 and reopened on 2/21. I should have googled it before responding with my first comment. :lol:

 

[DaffyJeffy]

Quick google search found Spillway accident occurred on 12/28 and reopened on 2/21. I should have googled it before responding with my first comment. :lol:

Wow I had forgotten that it was down that long!

I rode Spillway the last day it ran...sigh, memories.

 

[KD7000]

Is it https://www1.maine.gov/pfr/professi...nal Report Sugarloaf Spillway East Report.pdf

That's a fascinating report, thanks for posting. Would love to see the diagrams and pictures that go with it.

 

[DaffyJeffy]

That's a fascinating report, thanks for posting. Would love to see the diagrams and pictures that go with it.

Yes, thanks for finding it.

 

[Newpylong]

I hate to put anyone out of the job or preemptively place blame but this is a serious issue. If I was the Tramway board I would suspend their license pending results of the investigation.

 

[Warp Daddy]

^^^^^^^^ hey u get a pass as a newly minted sleep deprived Daddy ...again kudos on the new future dh champ ,hope all is well with Mrs DHS . So NOW i' m gonna give u a new handle here .......


How ' bout. "Deadhead Daddy" has a certain elan to it , n'est pas ? Or mebbe Bump Daddy

Warp DADDY

 

[Nick]

was just reading about it this morning. crazy! brians favorite lift

 

[BeefyBoy50]

Why did people jump off the lift? It seems that was their first move when the chair started to roll back. Aren't your chances of getting hurt from jumping off a lift so much higher than just riding it until it stops?
Were all 7 injured as a result of jumping?

 

[Jully]

I think the original plan in their 2020 plan was to use the king pine lift to replace the double runners. They would refurbish it and maybe add a carpet or something, but I don't think Sugarloaf was trying to let the lift run into the ground.

 

[deadheadskier]

Because you can get flung from the chair if it swings around the bull wheel at that speed.

 

[wa-loaf]

Why did people jump off the lift? It seems that was their first move when the chair started to roll back. Aren't your chances of getting hurt from jumping off a lift so much higher than just riding it until it stops?
Were all 7 injured as a result of jumping?

They were jumping as the chairs approached the base station. It's not too high there and you don't want to go around the bull wheel backwards in a chair at high speed.

 

[bigbog]

I'm trying to remember how long Spillway went offline for. It was not a short duration and may have been for the rest of the season.

At this point in the year, I'd shut it down for the season if I was Sugarloaf even if they get it repaired. All that terrain can still be skied off Skyline. If they open the lift back up I think folks will question how safe it is.

+1

 

[zoomzoom]

regarding the question about jumping off a lift going in reverse: assuming the alignment is ok and the rope isn't going to derope to the inside while running backwards (don't think about this too much, you'll never ski again) the decision on jumping may depend on your location. knowing that the uphill load of people will eventually decrease and the lift will slow and stop it may be better to ride it out if you are on the upper half of the line. you'll be going around the wheel if on the lower half of the line (roughly, depending on friction). you might get tossed out (depends on line speed) or you may just go around the wheel and back up.

from the initial twitter feed: "chairs were swinging wildly and throwing people off going backwards through the loading area".

 

[Puck it]

I would not want to go thru the load area with skis on. I would jump off too.

 

[POW]

Question...dumb or not so be it... If you have the lift bar down, and your holding on wouldn't the chances of you being "tossed" be greatly reduced? The speed on the pullback didn't look terrible based on the video...I guess I'd jump off if the drop was 5-7' but otherwise I think I'm locking the bar down and holding on with a death grip.