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The ice on the trees from Tuesdayâs ice storm surrounds skiers as they ride the chairlift at Pats Peak ski area in Henniker on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. -
Towers for the new Peak Triple Chair are seen the afternoon after being installed by helicopter at Pats Peak in Henniker on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. The new chairlift will double the capacity of the former lift it replaces. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) -
Workers do routine seasonal maintenance to a chairlift, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, at Jay Peak Resort, in Jay, Vt., ahead of the upcoming season. After the previous season with mask mandates and other virus-related restrictions ski resorts are expecting a more normal season this winter. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke) -
Towers for the new Peak Triple Chair are seen the afternoon after being installed by helicopter at Pats Peak in Henniker on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. The new chairlift will double the capacity of the former lift it replaces. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff)
About 120 people were evacuated from a chairlift at Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker, N.H., on Monday after it became stuck, apparently due to high winds.
Officials said a cable powering the Peak Triple chair lift detached from its tower at about 2 p.m, halting the lift. It took 90 minutes to evacuate approximately the skiers and snowboarders from their chairs, according to a statement from the area. There were no injuries.
“Mountain Operations and Ski Patrol responded promptly, safely evacuating approximately 125 guests from the lift,” Pats Peak said in a statement.
The state fire marshal’s office has concluded that the incident was likely caused by Monday’s high winds. Wind speeds on Mount Washington reached 161 miles per hour on Monday. Gusts in the Concord area topped 56 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
This is school vacation week in Massachusetts, which boosts weekday attendance at New Hampshire ski areas.
Monday’s incident was the third problem related to New Hampshire chairlifts this season. On Feb. 2, a chairlift fell off the wire at Attitash, injuring one skier, and on Feb. 5 more than 60 people had to be evacuated from a chairlift at Cannon Mountain when it failed.