SUGARLOAF ski lift.
Posted on 12/28/2010 9:10:22 AM PST by NautiNurse
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine -- An official at Maine's Sugarloaf ski area says there injuries following a ski lift accident at the Carrabassett Valley resort.
Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin calls the accident "a big deal."
Austin says one of the resort's ski lifts derailed and five chairs came down.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
*teeth gritted* Yikes!
That can be a long drop.
SUGARLOAF ski lift.
The chair lift was apparently quite full when it derailed. Evacuation of stranded passengers in progress.
Estimated 30ft drop from the point of derailment per Sugarloaf rep.
do those things have a safety bar across the front or are is it just a seat?
It’s the East Spillway chair. The wind is blowing 20-30 mph up there right now.
Sugarloaf, Carrabassett Valley • 1,400 skiable acres on 2820' vertical.
Specs: Summit Elevation: 4237'; Base Elevation: 1417'.
15 Lifts: 2 Quads, 2 High-Speed Quads, 1 Triple, 8 Double Chairs, 1 T Bar, 1 Handle Tow.
Uphill Capacity: 21,805/hr.
Terrain Mix: 27-29-44. Longest Run: 18,508'.
Season: usually Thanksgiving weekend through April.
Annual Snowfall: 240". Snowmaking: 92%.
Signature Trail: Narrow Gauge (site of 1971 World Cup), also Bubblecuffer, White Nitro.
The SKInny: Sugarloaf, called "The Loaf," is a little bit of western skiing in the east. Sort of. The Snowfields and most of the upper runs deliver thrills for skiers of even the most advanced ability. Vertical is bigger than Taos, Crested Butte, and quite a few other well known resorts. It's wicked cold, however, and sometimes has a certain ski condition not often found in Colorado...rock hard New England ice. But we nitpick.
Sugarloaf is one of the finest ski areas in the world. Lines are a fraction of those found at other big resorts, lifts move like greased lightning. Snowmaking is phenomenal; 48,000 pounds in sixty seconds when all guns are brought to bear. Sugarloaf is the best of the best of eastern skiing. Sugarloaf's face is concave; the top is steep, the bottom is gentler, there's a transition somewhere in the middle. Although the trail mix percentages appear to favor experts, there is so much mountain here that everybody will find more than enough to do.
This is the bigtime on the east coast. Wanderers, hotshots, families, you name it. It's a big, big ski area. Be aware that when you approach Sugarloaf for the first time in your life, you will go around a certain bend in the road and say "oh my gosh..." We hesitate to say that this is the best ski area in the east, but we've yet to find a better one.
Sugarloaf ski map.
Skiing at Vail, Colorado, you go up the mountain in an enclosed lift---but it's so high, you have to debark and get into another lift, just to reach the top.
But take it from me---the vista of the Rockies at that height is breathtaking.
***SNORT***
Yeah, right. There is absolutely nothing on the east coast that remotely compares to Utah skiing....
Deer Valley, Utah.
All flights to the location are fully booked....lawyers descending for mega-millions jackpots......
They’re having a great year in CO and UT (the Sierra, too) We’re headed out in Febu-ugly to CO and UT for two weeks. Can’t wait.....
There was just a report that 5 people were seriously injured and that the wind has been gusting as high as 60 mph.
I suspect the 'Loaf is going to need that extra money....
Thanks for your updates! Good info.
Horrible. Looks like a whole lot of compression fractures...
Winds were gusting at 60 mph.
I know people don’t like to have their events cancelled, but sometimes the owner of the facility has just got to bite the bullet and do it.
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