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Well, THIS is scary!

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
A New York man spent the night on a chairlift at Gore Mountain after it stopped while he headed up for one last run.

Here's the story, from Snowbrains.com:

In what must be one of a skier’s worst nightmares, New York State Police are looking into a local man’s claims that he spent a cold, snowy night stuck on a chairlift at Gore Mountain Ski Center over the weekend after the lift shut down for the day while he was headed up the mountain, reports the Post Star.

In a situation reminiscent of the movie ‘Frozen‘, (no, not the Disney one!), the skier, whose name hasn’t been released, reported that he was on the North Quad chairlift late Saturday afternoon when it stopped as he headed up for one last run down. He was not found until the lift was restarted at 8 am Sunday, and he reported he was on the lift overnight as an inch or two of snow fell and temperatures dropped into the 20s.

He was unhurt and declined medical treatment. Gore Mountain staff contacted State Police though, and a trooper from the agency had interviewed the skier on two occasions this week.

The man reported he was stuck on a chair on the High Peaks lift and was suspended about 30 feet off the mountainside. It was unclear whether he had a cellphone, but cell service is spotty on lower portions of the mountain, depending on location.

A Gore Mountain official acknowledged the incident, but would not release details Friday.

Gore Mountain is run by the state Olympic Regional Development Authority, and ORDA spokesman Jon Lundin said the State Police were looking into the situation, but he declined to discuss it further.

“We are aware of the report and are seeking to confirm the facts,” he said.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I'm sure Patrol tries to. But sh*t happens. I've been trying to imagine how it occurred. Hard to believe he doesn't have frostbite or pneumonia!

Do you think he took off his skis? He must have taken off his skis!
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I remember watching an episode of "Keeping up Appearances" where one of the ladies was stuck on a chairlift in France overnight. British humour had her sipping on "champers" all night.

Seriously....how did this happen and obviously he had no one waiting for him at home or at the bar!
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Only at "Chore" someone screwed up big time. Usually there is a board that the lifty puts on a chair so the top knows it's the last chair OR the bottom calls up to the top to tell the # of the last chair. Guess no ski patrol 'swept' that trail?
BRRRRRRR
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Maybe we should all be wearing whistles or something. But then, it’s not often I’m still skiing at the end of the day and if so, we watch the time. The light is disappearing anyway.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
A young woman from, Japan I think, was stuck overnight in the Whistler gondola a few years ago. I guess it's better than being stuck on the chairlift but I imagine it was very scary to be in a foreign country and stuck like that.

I've heard about climbers/ hikers being stuck in the mountains trying to use their cell phones to call for help and only on the 20th time did they get a signal and were they able to reach 911. So it's worth trying that.
 

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member
Wow. No cell service on that chair? Maybe his phone was dead? Looking forward to hearing more details.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Wow. No cell service on that chair? Maybe his phone was dead? Looking forward to hearing more details.

For me, that's totally believable. Cell service in Vermont is really sketchy, so it could be the same at Gore. And even if there was reception, cold temps can drain the battery really fast. So his phone could have been dead.

That said, I'm interested in learning more about this, too.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The only lifts I've watched being shut down at night was Chicopee in Ontario (if the hill was empty we would race down to see how many "last runs" we could get in), and after calling last chair they would start flipping the seats up, so they knew when all had gone by and were empty. That said, the hill is so small, you could see the entire lift from the base anyways. I think it was E-ville that had chair number one painted gold, so that might be their way know for sure when all chairs have gone around and are empty. Curious what systems other hills have in place to guard against this.
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
we were talking about this yesterday at my Home Mt.. rumor from ski patrol that works at Gore also said rumor was now that it was an employee? Haven't heard any more on the news about this.

I was reminded that here in NY West Mt 2x has left people on the lift!!! YIKES
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Disclaimer: I have no actual knowledge of the incident.

Rumor has it that the guy ducked the rope, skied down, and jumped on the moving lift. They say that at closing, the lift operator ropes off the lift and rides the chair to the top. When he arrives, they shut down the lift. If the guy got on the moving lift after the lift operator had left the lift base, it's conceivable that it could happen.

One report mentions that it was the North Quad and the other report says the High Peaks (Dark Side) chair. Both lifts serve their own pod of the mountain. The High Peaks chair shuts down much earlier than the North Quad, but there is a way to get from the Dark Side to the North Quad. If the guy had been in the trees on the Dark Side, he could have skied down to the North Quad.

It would be a PITA to hike out of either area if you missed the last chair.

Moral of the story: Obey the rules.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
After investigation, the NY State Police have charged the man who claimed to have been stuck on the lift overnight with making a false statement. He was a former Gore employee.

https://poststar.com/news/local/pol...023192c8.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest

". . .
Isaac Hyde, 37, of North Creek, was charged with making a punishable false written statement, a misdemeanor, after an investigation by State Police into his claim that he was stuck on a stationary lift when the ski center closed March 31. He was released, pending prosecution in Johnsburg Town Court.

Hyde, a former Gore Mountain employee, reported that he was on the North Quad late that Saturday afternoon when it stopped as he headed up for one last ski trip down. He was an estimated 30 feet off the ground at the time.

He was not found until the lift was restarted at 8 a.m. Sunday, and he reported he was on the lift overnight as an inch or two of snow fell and temperatures dropped into the 20s.

He was unhurt and declined medical treatment. The fact that he was not hypothermic or exhibiting any signs of frostbite made ski center staff and police question his account. Gore employees called State Police that morning, and Hyde gave a sworn written statement.

'The subsequent investigation revealed that Hyde knowingly provided information in his statement that was determined to be false,' the agency said in a news release. . . ."
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Y'know, it didn't smell right to me. What could motivate someone to do this?
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
must have been for his 15min of fame? had he turned up in Ca. in ski boots like the Whiteface guy then he'd be on the news...
 

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