Industry News
Over 220 skiers and snowboarders were stuck for three hours on a chairlift at Marble Mountain, Newfoundland, Canada, on Saturday after a mechanical issue forced the lift to stop.
Patrollers managed to safely evacuate all riders, with only a couple suffering with mild hypothermia.
“I can’t speak highly enough about the team that came out of the woodwork. Everyone from police officers, RCMP, fire department, off-duty, on-duty, it was amazing to see the support here at Marble Mountain when we had a call to action. It was a true community effort.
– Richard Wells, General Manager told Saltwire
This is the first incident of its kind in 30-years at the resort, but the patrollers train for it every year. Riders were offered warm food and drink upon reaching the ground, and on the whole, most were understanding.
According to Wikipedia, Marble Mountain is a ski resort located in the town of Steady Brook, on the west coast of Newfoundland in the Long Range Mountains. Marble Mountain is the site of the largest alpine ski resort in Atlantic Canada and is known to have some of the best skiing east of the Rockies with an average of 5 m (16 ft) of snow each year, compared to Mont Tremblant’s 3.65 m (12 ft). In the winter of 2013/2014, the resort saw more than 21 feet of natural snowfall and in the 2014/2015 season, nearly 20 feet of natural snow fell. Marble Mountain was a key venue for the 1999 Canada Winter Games hosted by Corner Brook.
Marble Mountain boasts the only detachable high speed quad lift in Atlantic Canada, the Lightning Express. It is 1,660 m (5,446 ft) in length and has a ride time of approximately 7 minutes.
