Malfunctioning Sugarloaf Mountain Chairlift Injures 7 Skiers

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine (CBS) – Seven adult skiers were injured after a chairlift malfunctioned at Sugarloaf Mountain on Saturday morning.

According to mountain officials, there were a "small number of injuries" after an accident on the 122-chair King Pine Lift. It is located on the eastern side of the mountain.

Witnesses said the chair lift malfunctioned and began operating in reverse shortly after 11:30 a.m.

Marlborough resident Hank Margolis said he was stuck on the lift for about 1 1/2 hours before safely being evacuated.

"The lift stopped a couple hundred feet up the trail and it started to come back down backwards which is not at all a normal thing for a ski lift to do," he said.

Margolis added that he saw a couple people that appeared to be seriously hurt.

Sugarloaf spokeman Ethan Austin said the rollback was about 460 feet.

The rollback did not cause the lift to de-rope, officials say, and it rolled back a distance of nine chairs.

Officials said the injured skiers were treated by ski patrol and transported from the mountain.

Four skiers were taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Two hundred-four skiers were also stranded and eventually evacuated from the ski lift after it was shut down.

No one was hurt during the evacuation which was completed by 1:22 p.m.

"Our first concern is with the guests who were injured and all of those who were impacted by the incident at the resort today," Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said in a statement.

"Our staff is working with the Tramway Board on a thorough investigation, and we are committed to understanding the full cause of today's incident."

Needham resident Greg Hoffmeister posted video showing stranded skiers being lowered from the chairlift using ropes and harnesses.

Hoffmeister said that he and his daughter were close to the ground when the lift stopped. Fearing the cable would snap, the pair safely jumped about 10 feet to the ground below.

"All of the sudden we felt a jolt and the chairs started going in reverse," Hoffmeister told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "I've done a lot of skiing and I've never felt the chair go in reverse before, so I immediately knew something was wrong. My heart started racing."

Mountain officials said the chairlift is inspected daily for safety and also receives weekly, monthly, and yearly testing.

A Maine Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety inspector is on-site to find out what caused the incident.

King Pine Lift will remain closed until the cause is determined.

All other lifts will be operational.