No replies to this topic

[hvteleman]

76 Skiiers stuck on Whiteface chairlift

Incident comes one day after problem in Maine
Updated: Thursday, 30 Dec 2010, 5:23 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 30 Dec 2010, 3:16 PM EST

• Posted by Nancy Sanders

WILMINGTON, NY (ap) - A chairlift breakdown at Little Whiteface Mountain in New York's Adirondacks stranded 76 skiers a day after a lift derailed at a mountain in Maine, injuring eight people.

State Olympic Regional Development Authority officials say the cause of the failure is under investigation, but it wasn't caused by the wind and the chairs were never in danger of falling.

Investigators in Maine have said wind contributed to the accident at the Sugarloaf resort that dropped some chairs 25 to 30 feet into the snow on Tuesday.

ORDA says the 4,100-foot long lift in Wilmington stopped just before 11 a.m. Wednesday and everyone was off by about 12:45 p.m. A member of the ski patrol suffered a minor injury helping evacuate the skiers.

The lift was built in 1978 and passed a safety inspection inNovember.