KUTV -- Eighty-nine people are safe tonight after being stranded on a ski lift at Snowbird Ski Resort for more than an hour.
All of them had to be rescued, one by one, by the ski patrol using a harness and pulley system.
The Peruvian Express, which goes almost to Hidden Peak, stopped running at about 11:35. "Were out here just having a good time," says Dean Lowdmell of Connecticut, "we got on the lift, traveled about a hundred feet, and it stopped," he says.
The Ski Patrol tossed ropes up to those stranded in the chairs and they ran the rope through a loop attached to the chair, then the skiers threw the rope back to the ground. Rescuers pulled a seat harness up to skiers who then strapped themselves in and where lowered to the ground.
"I'm not going to lie its defiantly nerve wracking," says Charles Dow of Boston, Massachusetts.
Lowdmell says he was relaxed watching others get rescue, it was different , he says, when the rope was tossed to him. "It was just fine till it was your turn, then it was like ... is this going to be safe?"
After a couple hours all of the skiers where taken down off the lift.
Officials with Snowbird say the ski lift, which was opened in December of 2006, has a computer system that shut the lift down when wind blew the cable off its pulley system. The cable was never in any danger of snapping, and skiers where never in any danger of falling from their chairs.
No one was injured in the rescue, and all those stranded on the lift got a free ski pass and a complimentary lunch.
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/topnews/s...NwZUityAfA.cspx
0
Peruvian Express @ Snowbird Derailment?
Started by RibStaThiok, Mar 04 2009 04:51 PM
15 replies to this topic
#2
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Mountain Operations
Posted 04 March 2009 - 05:30 PM
winds create problems across the valley
March 4th, 2009 @ 3:50pm
By John Daley
SALT LAKE CITY -- High winds across the valley affected travel, recreation, and air quality. The winds on Wednesday reached 60 miles an hour in some valley locations.
The first trouble came Wednesday morning. Around 10:45 a.m., high winds blew down a high-voltage power line owned by Rocky Mountain Power. It fell across railroad tracks serving UTA FrontRunner and Union Pacific, near Warm Springs close to the Salt Lake/Davis County lines.
It shut down rail travel for a little less than two hours. Passengers were diverted to buses to make the link to downtown Salt Lake. Service was restored about 12:30 p.m. and is now running on schedule.
Meantime, 70 mile per hour winds forced Snowbird to shut down and evacuate the Peruvian Express Ski Lift this afternoon.
More than 80 people had to be belayed to the ground, lowered from the lift with harnesses and rope. The lift automatically shut down when the wind blew the cables out of alignment. The resort remains open, but Snowbird did close the tram.
According KSL Meteorologist Kevin Eubank, wind gusts elsewhere in mountain locations hit 80-plus miles per hour.
In Salt Lake City, high winds blew down a tree in the area of 700 East and 800 South.
Our air quality is still green, but the air sure looked brown today, just filled with blown dust.
http://www.ksl.com/?...148&sid=5758136
March 4th, 2009 @ 3:50pm
By John Daley
SALT LAKE CITY -- High winds across the valley affected travel, recreation, and air quality. The winds on Wednesday reached 60 miles an hour in some valley locations.
The first trouble came Wednesday morning. Around 10:45 a.m., high winds blew down a high-voltage power line owned by Rocky Mountain Power. It fell across railroad tracks serving UTA FrontRunner and Union Pacific, near Warm Springs close to the Salt Lake/Davis County lines.
It shut down rail travel for a little less than two hours. Passengers were diverted to buses to make the link to downtown Salt Lake. Service was restored about 12:30 p.m. and is now running on schedule.
Meantime, 70 mile per hour winds forced Snowbird to shut down and evacuate the Peruvian Express Ski Lift this afternoon.
More than 80 people had to be belayed to the ground, lowered from the lift with harnesses and rope. The lift automatically shut down when the wind blew the cables out of alignment. The resort remains open, but Snowbird did close the tram.
According KSL Meteorologist Kevin Eubank, wind gusts elsewhere in mountain locations hit 80-plus miles per hour.
In Salt Lake City, high winds blew down a tree in the area of 700 East and 800 South.
Our air quality is still green, but the air sure looked brown today, just filled with blown dust.
http://www.ksl.com/?...148&sid=5758136
...Mike
#4
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Posted 04 March 2009 - 08:12 PM
High Winds Force Evacuation of Snowbird Chairlift
Snowbird, UT - Winds gusting over 70 miles per hour ahead of an approaching storm system forced the evacuation of a chairlift at Utah's Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort Wednesday afternoon.
According to Jared Ishkanian, Snowbird's Public Relations Director, at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday morning a strong gust caused a misalignment in the way one of the chair grips was attached to the cable on the Peruvian Express lift, shutting the lift down after the misalignment was detected by one of the tower sheave sensors. After approximately 20 minutes, resort officials decided that it was safest to evacuate the chairlift, a process that was completed by Snowbird Ski Patrol by 1:40 p.m.
No injuries have been reported.
Ishkanian indicates that the lift will be closed for repairs on Thursday. If all repairs are completed as expected, it is anticipated that the lift will reopen for skiers and riders by Friday.
Snowbird, UT - Winds gusting over 70 miles per hour ahead of an approaching storm system forced the evacuation of a chairlift at Utah's Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort Wednesday afternoon.
According to Jared Ishkanian, Snowbird's Public Relations Director, at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday morning a strong gust caused a misalignment in the way one of the chair grips was attached to the cable on the Peruvian Express lift, shutting the lift down after the misalignment was detected by one of the tower sheave sensors. After approximately 20 minutes, resort officials decided that it was safest to evacuate the chairlift, a process that was completed by Snowbird Ski Patrol by 1:40 p.m.
No injuries have been reported.
Ishkanian indicates that the lift will be closed for repairs on Thursday. If all repairs are completed as expected, it is anticipated that the lift will reopen for skiers and riders by Friday.
- Peter<br />
Liftblog.com
Liftblog.com
#5
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Bald Eagle Lifts: Defying Gravity
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Posted 04 March 2009 - 08:15 PM
I wonder where it came off at. Does anyone know what tower it came off on? I'm guessing about half way up on the ridge that Chip's cuts around.
#6
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Posted 04 March 2009 - 08:43 PM
Wow. I missed to hear the news. I had study for two midterm tests tomorrow (thursday) and it made me crazy. Plus I was grieving because my hearing dog got run over by the car and she died. My daughter spotted her on the side of the road and told me about it. I walked down, saw my dead dog, took her home and buried her. She and my daughter's dog dug a hole under the fence and escaped. I am sad.
Yes, there was the strong windy here in my area. My trash can and my two neighbors' trash cans were moving down the street by the wind. I walked down, pulled five trash cans up and put them away on my driveway and neighbors' driveway (they were not home). There was no vision of the mountain or view of the valley at all. It looks like "dirt" from the ground into the air and poor vision view. Right now there is raining and windy.
Here is ABC news.
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story...0Fbc_EAnQg.cspx
Skiers evacuated from Snowbird chairlift
Reported by: Angie Larsen
Last Update: 7:10 pm
Ski lift chairs (Joe Bugg, ABC 4 News) SNOWBIRD, Utah (ABC 4 News) - High winds forced the closure of the Peruvian lift at Snowbird Ski resort on Wednesday, stranding skiers on the lift, who had to be rescued by ski patrol workers.
Wind gust reached more than 50 MPH as the skiers were traveling up the mountain on the lift. When the gust became too strong, resort officials shut the lift down.
Ski patrol workers then climbed the nearest tower and made their way on the wire to each individual lift where they used harnesses to lower each skier to the ground, where they were allowed to ski down the mountain to the Snowbird lodge.
No one was hurt in the rescue, and the lift was expected to be operational after crews repaired it. The lift was not damaged, but part of it was nudged off track by the winds.
Wind also caused a serious situation in Davis County just after 10:00 this morning. A high voltage power pole toppled over onto the tracks used by both Frontrunner and Union Pacific at 2100 North 400 West.
The Utah Transit Authority had to shut down mass transit in the area for about 2 1/2 hours while Rocky Mountain Power repaired the pole and downed lines.
During the shut down, UTA used buses to transport riders from Woods Cross to the Salt Lake hub.
In Salt Lake City, the wind was more of a nuisance - knocking over garbage cans, lifting siding off the sides of homes, and blowing debris into the street. But at 752 East 800 Sout, the wind knocked a giant tree into an apartment building. Damage is minimal.
Planes landing at Salt Lake International dealt with moderate turbulence all day. One woman hit her head upon landing. She was checked out for minor injuries, but did not go to the hospital. All flights managed to land safely, only one had to make a second pass due to high winds.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yes, there was the strong windy here in my area. My trash can and my two neighbors' trash cans were moving down the street by the wind. I walked down, pulled five trash cans up and put them away on my driveway and neighbors' driveway (they were not home). There was no vision of the mountain or view of the valley at all. It looks like "dirt" from the ground into the air and poor vision view. Right now there is raining and windy.
Here is ABC news.
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story...0Fbc_EAnQg.cspx
Skiers evacuated from Snowbird chairlift
Reported by: Angie Larsen
Last Update: 7:10 pm
Ski lift chairs (Joe Bugg, ABC 4 News) SNOWBIRD, Utah (ABC 4 News) - High winds forced the closure of the Peruvian lift at Snowbird Ski resort on Wednesday, stranding skiers on the lift, who had to be rescued by ski patrol workers.
Wind gust reached more than 50 MPH as the skiers were traveling up the mountain on the lift. When the gust became too strong, resort officials shut the lift down.
Ski patrol workers then climbed the nearest tower and made their way on the wire to each individual lift where they used harnesses to lower each skier to the ground, where they were allowed to ski down the mountain to the Snowbird lodge.
No one was hurt in the rescue, and the lift was expected to be operational after crews repaired it. The lift was not damaged, but part of it was nudged off track by the winds.
Wind also caused a serious situation in Davis County just after 10:00 this morning. A high voltage power pole toppled over onto the tracks used by both Frontrunner and Union Pacific at 2100 North 400 West.
The Utah Transit Authority had to shut down mass transit in the area for about 2 1/2 hours while Rocky Mountain Power repaired the pole and downed lines.
During the shut down, UTA used buses to transport riders from Woods Cross to the Salt Lake hub.
In Salt Lake City, the wind was more of a nuisance - knocking over garbage cans, lifting siding off the sides of homes, and blowing debris into the street. But at 752 East 800 Sout, the wind knocked a giant tree into an apartment building. Damage is minimal.
Planes landing at Salt Lake International dealt with moderate turbulence all day. One woman hit her head upon landing. She was checked out for minor injuries, but did not go to the hospital. All flights managed to land safely, only one had to make a second pass due to high winds.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
#7
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Posted 04 March 2009 - 08:48 PM
No wonder why.
Look at the picture..
chairlift1.JPG (84.6K)
Number of downloads: 141
http://deseretnews.c...5288757,00.html
Winds trap Snowbird lift riders
Published: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 2:28 p.m. MST
SNOWBIRD — High winds shut down Snowbird's Peruvian chairlift Wednesday afternoon, trapping some skiers for up to two hours.
About 11:30 a.m., the safety mechanism on the Peruvian lift automatically shut the system down due to high winds, said Snowbird spokesman Jared Ishkanian. Crews attempted at first to wait it out in hopes of restarting the lift. But after 20 minutes they determined it would be safer to evacuate the people.
There were 89 skiers and snowboarders on the lift at the time.
Using a system of ropes and platforms, the ski patrol safely lowered the passengers trapped on the lift to safety.
"Everyone has been very calm," Ishkanian said of the skiers.
On a windy day such as Wednesday, Ishkanian said the majority of people on the lift were likely intermediate skiers or higher.
Wind gusts at neighboring Alta Ski Resort had reached 55 mph by 2 p.m., he said. The forecast called for gusts up to 70 mph, Ishkanian said.
Look at the picture..
chairlift1.JPG (84.6K)
Number of downloads: 141
http://deseretnews.c...5288757,00.html
Winds trap Snowbird lift riders
Published: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 2:28 p.m. MST
SNOWBIRD — High winds shut down Snowbird's Peruvian chairlift Wednesday afternoon, trapping some skiers for up to two hours.
About 11:30 a.m., the safety mechanism on the Peruvian lift automatically shut the system down due to high winds, said Snowbird spokesman Jared Ishkanian. Crews attempted at first to wait it out in hopes of restarting the lift. But after 20 minutes they determined it would be safer to evacuate the people.
There were 89 skiers and snowboarders on the lift at the time.
Using a system of ropes and platforms, the ski patrol safely lowered the passengers trapped on the lift to safety.
"Everyone has been very calm," Ishkanian said of the skiers.
On a windy day such as Wednesday, Ishkanian said the majority of people on the lift were likely intermediate skiers or higher.
Wind gusts at neighboring Alta Ski Resort had reached 55 mph by 2 p.m., he said. The forecast called for gusts up to 70 mph, Ishkanian said.
This post has been edited by Skiing#1: 04 March 2009 - 09:01 PM
#8
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Posted 04 March 2009 - 09:27 PM
Skiing#1, on Mar 4 2009, 09:43 PM, said:
Wow. I missed to hear the news. I had study for two midterm tests tomorrow (thursday) and it made me crazy. Plus I was grieving because my hearing dog got run over by the car and she died. My daughter spotted her on the side of the road and told me about it. I walked down, saw my dead dog, took her home and buried her. She and my daughter's dog dug a hole under the fence and escaped. I am sad.
Yes, there was the strong windy here in my area. My trash can and my two neighbors' trash cans were moving down the street by the wind. I walked down, pulled five trash cans up and put them away on my driveway and neighbors' driveway (they were not home). There was no vision of the mountain or view of the valley at all. It looks like "dirt" from the ground into the air and poor vision view. Right now there is raining and windy.
Here is ABC news.
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story...0Fbc_EAnQg.cspx
Skiers evacuated from Snowbird chairlift
Reported by: Angie Larsen
Last Update: 7:10 pm
Ski lift chairs (Joe Bugg, ABC 4 News) SNOWBIRD, Utah (ABC 4 News) - High winds forced the closure of the Peruvian lift at Snowbird Ski resort on Wednesday, stranding skiers on the lift, who had to be rescued by ski patrol workers.
Wind gust reached more than 50 MPH as the skiers were traveling up the mountain on the lift. When the gust became too strong, resort officials shut the lift down.
Ski patrol workers then climbed the nearest tower and made their way on the wire to each individual lift where they used harnesses to lower each skier to the ground, where they were allowed to ski down the mountain to the Snowbird lodge.
No one was hurt in the rescue, and the lift was expected to be operational after crews repaired it. The lift was not damaged, but part of it was nudged off track by the winds.
Wind also caused a serious situation in Davis County just after 10:00 this morning. A high voltage power pole toppled over onto the tracks used by both Frontrunner and Union Pacific at 2100 North 400 West.
The Utah Transit Authority had to shut down mass transit in the area for about 2 1/2 hours while Rocky Mountain Power repaired the pole and downed lines.
During the shut down, UTA used buses to transport riders from Woods Cross to the Salt Lake hub.
In Salt Lake City, the wind was more of a nuisance - knocking over garbage cans, lifting siding off the sides of homes, and blowing debris into the street. But at 752 East 800 Sout, the wind knocked a giant tree into an apartment building. Damage is minimal.
Planes landing at Salt Lake International dealt with moderate turbulence all day. One woman hit her head upon landing. She was checked out for minor injuries, but did not go to the hospital. All flights managed to land safely, only one had to make a second pass due to high winds.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yes, there was the strong windy here in my area. My trash can and my two neighbors' trash cans were moving down the street by the wind. I walked down, pulled five trash cans up and put them away on my driveway and neighbors' driveway (they were not home). There was no vision of the mountain or view of the valley at all. It looks like "dirt" from the ground into the air and poor vision view. Right now there is raining and windy.
Here is ABC news.
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story...0Fbc_EAnQg.cspx
Skiers evacuated from Snowbird chairlift
Reported by: Angie Larsen
Last Update: 7:10 pm
Ski lift chairs (Joe Bugg, ABC 4 News) SNOWBIRD, Utah (ABC 4 News) - High winds forced the closure of the Peruvian lift at Snowbird Ski resort on Wednesday, stranding skiers on the lift, who had to be rescued by ski patrol workers.
Wind gust reached more than 50 MPH as the skiers were traveling up the mountain on the lift. When the gust became too strong, resort officials shut the lift down.
Ski patrol workers then climbed the nearest tower and made their way on the wire to each individual lift where they used harnesses to lower each skier to the ground, where they were allowed to ski down the mountain to the Snowbird lodge.
No one was hurt in the rescue, and the lift was expected to be operational after crews repaired it. The lift was not damaged, but part of it was nudged off track by the winds.
Wind also caused a serious situation in Davis County just after 10:00 this morning. A high voltage power pole toppled over onto the tracks used by both Frontrunner and Union Pacific at 2100 North 400 West.
The Utah Transit Authority had to shut down mass transit in the area for about 2 1/2 hours while Rocky Mountain Power repaired the pole and downed lines.
During the shut down, UTA used buses to transport riders from Woods Cross to the Salt Lake hub.
In Salt Lake City, the wind was more of a nuisance - knocking over garbage cans, lifting siding off the sides of homes, and blowing debris into the street. But at 752 East 800 Sout, the wind knocked a giant tree into an apartment building. Damage is minimal.
Planes landing at Salt Lake International dealt with moderate turbulence all day. One woman hit her head upon landing. She was checked out for minor injuries, but did not go to the hospital. All flights managed to land safely, only one had to make a second pass due to high winds.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sorry to hear about your dog.
#9
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Posted 07 March 2009 - 01:20 PM
In Breckenridge, the winds can be as bad as they were at the Peruvian Express derailment in Snowbird, but the lifts somehow don't derail from their cables. The Independence SuperChair just runs slower although it hasn't had a derailed cable that I know of incident from wind, as it runs in a very windy area. Same with the Peak 8 SuperConnect, and all the other detachables, although someday, it will happen on the Falcon SuperChair on the ridge part that gets very windy.
YouTube channel for chairlift POV videos and other random stuff:
https://www.youtube....TimeQueenOfRome
https://www.youtube....TimeQueenOfRome
#11
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Posted 07 March 2009 - 06:56 PM
DonaldMReif, on Mar 7 2009, 02:20 PM, said:
In Breckenridge, the winds can be as bad as they were at the Peruvian Express derailment in Snowbird, but the lifts somehow don't derail from their cables. The Independence SuperChair just runs slower although it hasn't had a derailed cable that I know of incident from wind, as it runs in a very windy area. Same with the Peak 8 SuperConnect, and all the other detachables, although someday, it will happen on the Falcon SuperChair on the ridge part that gets very windy.
Donald,
I was running a Six pack in 59mph winds on Saturday and I did not have a single derail. Just becasue the winds are blowing does not mean it will derail. We had winds up to 75mph Saturday Morning and not a single derail. (lift would not run due to a auto shutdown high wind. 60mph is the shutoff).
There could be more factors as to why it derailed. Dont assume that it was Just the wind. Wait for the Report to come out.
Jeff
#12
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Posted 07 March 2009 - 07:08 PM
Jeff
#14
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Posted 08 March 2009 - 03:27 AM
Lift Kid, on Mar 7 2009, 10:36 PM, said:
I know it is off topic, but Jeff, were there people on the lift when you made that video? or was that in the morning before opening?
That was during pre op checks.
Jeff
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Posted 08 March 2009 - 10:26 AM
Kicking Horse, on Mar 7 2009, 09:08 PM, said:
Guess the Village Express is super sturdy.
YouTube channel for chairlift POV videos and other random stuff:
https://www.youtube....TimeQueenOfRome
https://www.youtube....TimeQueenOfRome
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