Resort: Backup brakes didn’t deploy on Maine ski lift (The Associated Press)
Less than five years ago, Rick Tonge was riding a chairlift at Sugarloaf ski resort in Maine when five chairs – including his – plummeted 30 feet to the snowy ground below, injuring him and his son. Then over the weekend, another chairlift at Sugarloaf malfunctioned by going backward, prompting some frightened skiers to bail out and raising questions about the safety of aging infrastructure at New England’s ski resorts. Seven skiers were hurt at the resort, which is hosting the U.S. national ski championships starting this week with top skiers like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin. The ski industry points out that riding a chairlift is safer than riding an elevator, and there has not been a death due to mechanical malfunction since 1993.