On Saturday March 21, 2015, the King Pine Quad chair lift at Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Maine suddenly stopped and then began sliding backwards towards the loading terminal. As a result, seven skiers were injured after jumping from their chairs.
Consequently, the Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Maine has committed $800,000 towards replacing the chairlift. That amount, plus an additional $500,000, is being spent on chairlift repairs and renovations this year at the Maine ski area. The improvements include new brakes and anti-rollback technology on the Snubber, West Mountain, Timberline, Sawduster, and Skidway chair lifts.
Video of the accident
Recently Sugarloaf’s name has appeared on headlines due to chairlift malfunctions and these moves hope to give Sugarloaf skiers piece of mind while riding chairlifts at the ski area. Back in 2010, five chairs fell from the East Spillway chair lift, injuring several people, all of who reached settlements outside of court. That chair was subsequently replaced after the accident.
Obviously, chairlift malfunctions are a skier’s nightmare and putting those awful premonitions to rest is on the forefront of Sugarloaf’s public relations radar. Consequently, the ski resort is working on creating an additional webpage that confronts chairlift safety and concerns.
General Manager Karl Strand recently stated “We’re strongly committed to lift safety, and part of that is being open and thorough with our communication about that topic,” adding, “Our hope is that this website will be a conduit for that information, and provide a direct line of communication for our guests.”
