Nearly 60 Evacuated From Lift at Ivy League College Ski Area
In New Hampshire, nearly 60 people were evacuated from a malfunctioning chairlift on Thursday at the Dartmouth Skiway, with one hospitalization.
The small ski area, owned and operated by the Ivy League college Dartmouth, described the incident in a social media post, noting that Winslow Lift had a service brake failure.
“We believe this was unrelated to earlier electric motor issues which have been resolved,” the ski area added. They said they would reopen the Winslow Lift when it was safe to do so.
You can check the Dartmouth Skiway's website or Instagram page for updates.
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The Lyme Fire Department and other emergency services responded to the incident, assisting Dartmouth Ski Patrol, who had figured out how many people needed evacuation, according to a post shared by the Department.
Using ropes, it took 90 minutes to help down all 59 lift occupants, firefighters said. Once they were back on the snow, they were brought to the lodge to warm up. EMS checked them for possible cold-weather injuries, and one person was taken to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment. None of the first responders were hurt.
“A huge thank you to Dartmouth Ski Patrol, Skiway Operations Team, Hanover and Lyme First Responders and the countless members of our community who were ready and willing to help,” Dartmouth Skiway wrote. “We’re grateful so many skilled and able folks came together to make the best of an unfortunate situation.”
The Lyme Fire Department called it “an impressive cohesive effort by many teams working together from multiple agencies.”
The little mountain has fostered numerous winter Olympians and dates back to the 1950s. Despite its association with elite athletics and the Ivy League, though, it offers cheap day tickets that start at $35 for adults. The ski area is a member of the Indy Pass, too.