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Friday, January 9, turned into an unexpected test of patience—and layers—for skiers riding Chair 1 at Montana’s Whitefish Mountain Resort. What began as a routine ride up the mountain ended with a full chairlift evacuation involving roughly 150–200 skiers.
SnowBrains spoke with Steve Sanders, who was nearly at the top when the lift broke down. Sanders admits that things “felt a little off” as he was approaching the top. “About three-quarters of the way up, the lift stopped for roughly four minutes,” Sanders said. At first, he was not worried. Yes, it was longer than normal, but hardly unheard of. “When the chair started moving again, it seemed like just another brief hiccup in a skier’s day,” he added. However, that optimism didn’t last.
With only three or four chairs left before Sanders reached the summit unload, Chair 1 stopped again. This time, it did not restart, and Sanders found himself “dangling about 20 feet above the snow in moderately cold temperatures with a light breeze—fine for skiing, not so great for sitting still”.
As the minutes stretched on, it became clear this wasn’t a quick reset. From his vantage point near the top unload station, Sanders could see growing activity around the lift building. He noted, “A small crowd gathered outside the Summit House restaurant, watching the unfolding event”. The mood shifted from mild curiosity to something more serious.
30 minutes in, resort staff began checking on stranded skiers. One employee skied by Sanders, offering air-activated hand and toe warmers. Sanders already had some and passed, but he said he “appreciated the gesture.” Around that same time, a text from his wife—who was finishing a lesson on another part of the mountain—confirmed what many suspected: the resort was preparing to evacuate the lift.
Soon after, snowmobiles began arriving at the summit—Sanders estimated about a dozen—carrying resort employees to the top station. It was clearly an all-hands-on-deck moment. Lift operators and ski instructors, all trained in chairlift rescue procedures, converged on Chair 1. The resort later confirmed that several lifts were temporarily shut down to free up personnel for the evacuation. Per the resort’s protocol, staff identified children, elderly adults, and those with medical conditions or other special evacuation needs before initiating the full evacuation.
By now, the cold was setting in; Steve said his “toes numbed and his body stiffened. No ski outfit is built for sitting motionless in the elements for that long”.
He noted that roughly one hour and 45 minutes after the second stoppage, the evacuation began. The rescue team set up a belay station resembling a top-rope climbing system, with one rescuer carefully climbing a nearby lift tower to establish an anchor. Sanders was slid a small platform—”just enough to sit on”—and given clear instructions on how to route the rope over his shoulder, around his back, and between his legs. Moments later, he was slowly lowered to the snow below.
Touching down brought instant relief. Sanders skied straight to the base, with a “warm drink firmly on his mind”. There, he overheard unconfirmed conversations suggesting the initial stoppage may have been caused by an electrical failure, followed by a backup generator that briefly restarted the lift before failing as well. The resort stated in its public statement on social media that the stoppage was caused by “a mechanical issue.”
According to the resort, no injuries were reported and management apologized to the guests involved in the incident. Day pass holders were offered free lift tickets for future use while season pass holders were given tickets that can be used by friends or family. If any guest involved did not make it to the Base Lodge today to claim their free tickets, they can still call or visit in the coming days. Whitefish confirmed that the evacuation was concluded by 1:47 p.m. and involved a total of 40 employees. The resort closed Chairs 8 and 11, and all associated terrain in the Hellroaring Basin and Flower Point, so that additional patrollers and other staff could assist with the evacuation process. Four patrollers came in on their day off to assist.
Sanders was “happy that everything went well on the evacuation for all involved”. Not the kind of après anyone plans—but certainly one to remember.
A previous version of this article was updated to correct inaccuracies at 5:26 a.m. MST, January 14, 2026
