HENNIKER, N.H. (WHDH) - More than 120 people were rescued from a malfunctioning chairlift at Pats Peak ski resort in New Hampshire Monday, officials said.
At around 2 p.m., ski patrol and mountain operations crews responded to the Peak Triple chairlift for a “deropement,” according to a statement from Pats Peak. Henniker Fire and Rescue was also called to the scene.
Crews evacuated about 120 passengers from the lift over the course of about 90 minutes, the resort said. No injuries were reported.
“We train for this,” said Pat’s Peak general manager Kris Blomback. “We train, train, train, and then we train some more, and we are very happy about how our team performed.”
Ski lifts are regulated by the New Hampshire Passenger Tramway Safety Board. Lifts must be inspected and licensed to run for the season.
However, this is the third time in February alone that emergency responders answered to a chairlift issue at a New Hampshire ski resort.
Earlier this month, a man was injured after he plummeted 20 feet to the ground when the ski lift chair he was on detached at Attitash Mountian.
Two days later, over 60 people had to be rescued from Franconia’s Cannon Mountain. They were evacuated safely by rope after a bolt on a shaft failed.
Skiers at Pat’s Peak say they aren’t worried about getting up or down the mountain again.
“They did such a great job with talking to you and calming everyone down and safely getting everyone to the ground” said visitor Caryn Sullivan.
A tramway inspector determined the malfunction was caused by wind gusts, as opposed to a mechanical issue, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s office.
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