Skiers Stranded on Chairlift for Hours
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- čas přidán 10. 01. 2023
- Minutes after Emma Claire Spring went on a chairlift at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana, it came to an abrupt stop. Spring and other guests were told the ski lift lost power and they would be evacuated soon. However, nearly two hours later, no one was evacuated. Spring was not alone. Molly Thibert also found herself trapped on the lift with her husband and two little boys. When the ski patrol finally showed up, her 6-year-old son was first to be lowered with a rope.
Montana ski patroller here, seeing a lot of negativity thrown around here.
Generally, when this sort of thing happens, we would try and switch the power to an APU (auxiliary power unit) run on diesel. This takes 10-20 minutes to switch over. If unsuccessful, evacs begin.
On a fully loaded weekend chairlift - a full evac top to bottom could take up to 4 hours. This is not easy work for the patrollers. Once the rope is setup, you can evac 3 people off a chair in a few minutes. But to go from chair to chair takes a long time.
The patrol at whitefish did their best in these circumstances, and should not receive any hate. These things happen.
Well I'm smart enough to stay indoors when it's cold. This won't ever be me > 🥶
The authors comment should be pinned
Yea. Negativity well earned. Dumb people could have just jumped into some soft snow 🤣😭
@@Dirkadew you first
I would just drop my skis and climb the line to the nearest tower
Everyone went home safely. Bravo ski patrol. Much respect for the hard work you do.
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ aint no way you turned a ski lift thanks into a chance to put a verse from the bible
@@creativedesert4510lmao fr
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ jesus said shut the fook up
wow real heroes keeping the resort safe for rich white people
I was on the lift when it was evacuated on December 28th. I'm gonna say I was actually only 6 chairs behind where this lady filmed her video. Whitefish was undergoing a weird weather cycle where it had been raining in town and on the mountain for the previous several days. I was on the the lift for nearly 3 hours and it had been snowing for the first hour or so until the snow stopped and the weather started to warm quickly, wetting peoples ski gear. In the last hour or so the weather started to get cold again and peoples wet ski gear started to freeze up causing some unhappy individuals, myself included. I even witnessed people jump off their chair to the snow below. Wasn't the best of days for Whitefish Mountain Resort! Especially during the holiday rush!
where those people who jumped alright?
@@ryno_k Yes they were perfectly fine. They were not high off the ground by any means.
@@vmhenderson256 did they land it ? Or bail 😂
@@4youreyesonly390 yes the important question
@@4youreyesonly390 they basically just hit the ground and rolled a bit. Then they got up and put their skis back on
There’s a horror movie about this exact situation and it’s terrifying! Glad everyone is safe
Frozen 2010
It’s not horrifying lol they were always safe and got lowered safely
@@WaddickLawnCare Well only one of the e survived the other two were eaten by wolves
I meant the real life situation wasn’t horrifying and they were always safe!
@@shehsalazar3 love that movie
This reminds me of the original “frozen” movie
This happened to a friend of mine but he was only 6-10 feet from the ground so after 15-30 min he jumped off and the ski patrol grabbed him and made him watch a 2 hr safety video.
LOL they got mad at him for trying to escape a stuck ski lift??
@@Kingdom_Of_Dreamsya bro they don’t want people jumping off the lift🙄
What a load of c*** ,-practically political It's like the cops to expect you to call them and wait for the armed robber to take what he wants and leave your home without killing you🙄
@@korn-tv2032 So they'd rather you be trapped than taking risks, apparently. Sounds like what happened with the Sewol Ferry incident that got over 200 high schoolers killed. They were told to stay put. Those who disobeyed survived.
I thought she is strong western woman who doesn’t need a man to save her? 😂
I've never skied before, but I couldn't imagine the fear they had. I'm so glad their okay.
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ HAIL SATAN🙏🙏
@@Tiger-cm2rp not funny
@@Collingoffinet Wasn’t trying to be funny😏 just keeping the same energy
@@Collingoffinet It’s pretty funny
It's not scary lmao. Uncomfortable yeah
This reminds me of the 2010 movie Frozen, no not the Disney movie. But at least things turned out good in the end for them
Fr, I thought that as well once I saw the video title
As a chairlift operator, this stuff happens. We try as hard as we can. I know it's scary. Trust me I've been there but there's only so mauch we can do with there being a lot of chairs. Glad everyone is okay though
Shes definitely a gen z cry baby
I am going to start bringing a rope in my backpack or maybe just ski on good weather days, lol.
@@Straightahead101 sitting in freezing weather with skies on your feet on a cold metal seat over 20 feet in the air for hours...i think she has the right to cry. your just insensitive and either gen alpha or a millennial💀
Great plot for a movie!
They already made a movie about this called Frozen (2010) its a horror thriller movie about people stuck on a ski lift
@@takumijimenez9644 Yeah and I remember its the one with the guy who got eaten by wolves. Forgot about it.
@@takumijimenez9644 that movie unlocked a fear I never knew I had 😬
@@takumijimenez9644 I actually thought inside edition would call out that movie as a reference
@@takumijimenez9644 right if I was those people that would of been the first thing I thought of would be that movie. Soon as the ski lift got stuck 😂😳😳
Yeah I was a stuck on the ski lift with a buddy of mine and his girlfriend, my friend ended up jumping off the ski lift which caused him to break his legs and in due time wolves showed up and ate him alive, meanwhile I darelessly tried to grab onto the cable to get across to a ladder on the other side but it was razor sharp so I couldn't. We all died because it was so cold we couldn't see our breath.
I've jumped from ski lifts before when this has happened, it's honestly way less difficult than you would think (depending on the height) and better than waiting for evac. I don't think anyone should be blaming ski patrol here, this type of stuff happens and that's the risk you take.
I was bouta say yeah lol. There's like a couple feet of snow down there your good.
@@joda7129 it’s a packed groomer trail below not powder. Might as well be jumping to concrete
@@hkiss95 oh that's a trail below. oh yeah then that's tough yeah
There’s always that one person…
Doubt you jumped from a ski lift before. Sure..... buddy, sure.... if you did jump, you were probably only one feet off the ground.
90% of what I carry in my backpack is for just this very reason! Space blanket big enough to cover 3 people, hand warmers, snacks, hat, sometimes another vest for layering, and water.
Smart! I was going to make that suggestion.
Mechanical things sometimes break down, and often in the worst weather
Just smart skiing and way better to be prepared!
You foret a cable and power bank
I want to hear from the people who made the jump from the chair! I bet someone was in a spot where it was possible!
@@JasonPelucca Share?
I’ve done it before, the best way to jump is to keep the safety bar down, slip under it and hang drop from the foot rests, that decreases your distance to the ground.
You’d be surprised how much a couple of feet of snow could save your fall. There have been skiers and snowboarders that have fell of 100ft cliffs and landed on snow with no major damage.
@@TheOnlyKontrol fr though, people act as though they'd immediately land headfirst with their heavy equipment weighing them lol
@@ytzpilotas someone who has thought of jumping many times I never thought to do it like that lol. I always thought I would hang from the seat itself if it needed to be done
This never happens on my couch... 😂
🤣🤣🤣 true that
You’re not wrong.
😂Exactly....I stay in when it's cold
Couch doesn't sound boring at all
Neither does anything interesting
This happened to me more than once when I worked at a ski resort. Luckily, it was only staff up there at these times. I feel their pain!
Glad they finally got help🙏🏽🙏🏽 i couldn't imagine being in this type of situation i watch way too many movies where this happens
This reminds me of Frozen 2010. No not Disney’s Frozen 2013. 😑
Right.......one of them decided to jump about 30 feet into the ground but gets a broken leg and tears into pieces by wolves. 😓
@@MiguelMartinez-pw9op wasn't it the other guy who got eaten?
I believe both were eaten by wolves
On Christmas morning a few years back, the quad lift had to be shut down due to high winds. (Wind chill was like -40F). Because of the holiday, and the timing of day (around 09:00), there were only a few ski patrol on.
The total lift evacuation took about 5 hours, and all you got for the evacuation was a rope looped in a circle.
Reminds me of the movie Frozen where 3 friends got stuck on a ski lift for an entire weekend.
That's amazing they got it done in 3 hours. I was stuck on one for 90 minutes on a short Minnesota chair Lift, about a 5th the length of a mountain chair lift. All I got was a free pass to come back another day for being stuck there an hour past closing time. Apparently the brake was stuck and could not be released.
That’s an issue that makes sense at least. Imagine being stuck simply because they don’t have working generators like every other resort!
@@Ghostyfrost9688 I work at whitefish and was told that it was rime ice built up on some sensors so they still had main power but the safety systems wouldn’t let the chair spin
I got stuck on a lift at Mammoth for 3 hours in negative 30 temperatures before. Always keep a few extra hand warmers food and water with you because you never know. I was ready to jump and get help but my big sister said not to leave her alone.
Yikes but good idea to have Fanny pack with those small items
Everyone needs to understand it takes time to get people evacuated off a ski lift. It happened to me on my own lift! The engine had a melt down. I wasn't where I should have been. It took only minutes for mechanics to come look for us. It was after hours they could have over looked us. But they did not! That is how great our Mt. was. They checked just to make sure no one was on the lift. Ski patrol came and got us down.( thanks Pete) towed us out. I am not sure what happened there exactly, but being paintent is key in this situation. I know how our guys handled it.
Thanks Mt. Crested Butte
That’s so scary, they were very brave. I remember when my little son was about 8 and was falling out of a lift in CA. WE TRIED SO HARD TO Hold on to him until he told us to let him go. Fortunately, it was only 15 or so feet above the ground and he landed in soft snow. As a mom, it was a nightmare for me.
I bet he was James Bond in his head and the way he retells it to friends
Stay off the slopes mallory
@@Straightahead101 bro why you angry at a mom being a mom on the bunny hill?
@@calvinminer4365 a bunny mom
@@calvinminer4365 By the way, the kids didn’t ski the bunny hill. They knew their stuff, but it was an age at mammoth that all the lifts didn’t have safety bars and a little kid couldn’t get his bottom quickly enough into the seat. The lift was too fast.
I remember when the chairlift got stuck a few times when it was new at the local agriculture center where the state fair is held.
This happened to me a couple years ago in timberline WV me my friend were night skiing and the lift just stopped. It was dark and freezing and the auxiliary power didn’t work for whatever reason. It took them about an hour and a half when they finally got a generator or something to get it moving again. Where we were was like a 60 ft drop and we kept asking eachother if we would have to jump. None of us had service either so we couldn’t contact our parent or anyone so we had no idea what was happening. I think it stopped at around 7:45 and we finally got to the top around 9:15. One of the craziest experiences of my life
I remember watching a movie like this. Two girls and 1 guy left behind overnight stuck up there when an operator thought everyone had gone home. Only one of them survived. Scary movie lol
omg. this reminds me of that one movie in 2010 called "frozen" where 3 people were stuck on a chairlift for hours! glad they're ok!
I remember from the scene of the movie called "frozen"
Yeaa that's it, I was trying to remember the name 😂
Fr😂
That scene? This was the premise of the entire movie.
Can't imagine. I feel so bad for all of those people who were stuck. That would be quite frustrating!!!
Lmao.cry babies
get over it
@@ryan39584 she couldn't even survive a lift
@@Straightahead101 fr
@@Straightahead101 bet you would have been worse
I am thankful everyone is okay. God is watching over you all 🙏❤
Live in Washington with a ski area just outside of town. Our hill has had evacuations from a stalled chairlift that have taken a few hours to get everyone off the chairlift. It is no fun I am sure but so far it hasn’t happened to me. We get really high winds at the summit that can cause the chairlift to the top to close down.
It's crazy how I was just now talking about going to Montana in February and now this makes me not even want to get on those things
You were just NOT talking about it?
It could happen at any ski resort thought not just montana
@@zhaneranger ik bro but thats not the point
Even better if you go to that one because it means they have resolved the issue so it doesn’t happen again
@Let's go camping your mom asking me to come back 😈
Glad they got help
Glad everyone is ok !!!
Just like the movie. Nice.
I’ve gotten stuck. Not in snowing seasons thank god. But that didn’t stop me from peeing lol. Only took them an hour for us. Glad no one died up there.
Note to self, never go on to a chairlift with any kind of urge to use the bathroom.
Just drop your pants and let loose.
If that’s your main worry you shouldn’t be skiing
My dad evacuated so many of these people do shout out to him and his outstanding and amazing co-workers
Whitefish is an excellent mountain to ski, this can happen to any lift anywhere anytime. Evacs do take a little time once thats decided. Wouldnt stop me from going right back!
Yeah my family has a place there and we spend our summers there, such a beautiful place
Have you ever skied at Castle Mountain
It’s not very often they make a movie years before it’s based on a true story…
I have gotten stuck A ski lift before but for three hours that must be terrifying and freezing even with the winter clothes on thank God they’re wearing something warm
How is it terrifying? Your in gear for the weather and got safely lowered?
This happened to me when I was a teen. For hours and it was dark and super cold. They used the rope thing too finally when they figured out it wasn’t getting fixed anytime soon.
Sounds like they had a blast!!!
I love Whitefish Mountain! Great ski resort and what a beautiful place!!!
Whitefish is GREAT! I stay at the Firebrand Hotel when I go there.
We have a place there and spend our summers there, I love it
That's nothing. I got stuck for 7 hours at Snowmass near Aspen back in the late 90s.
You should be a multi millionaire now because of a lawsuit.
thats back when they used oxen to move the chair lift though, different times back in the late 1900s.
Aspen ? No worries I'm sure you were in a comfortable gondola. 🤑
@@Soli_Deo_Gloria_. haha I wish. Problem was I was over a gorge that was about 150 feet up. I got unlucky enough that the lift stopped between those 2 poles over the ravine. Had to be helicoptered out.
Happy that everyone ended up safe! Perhaps a new invention, the t-bar lower-er, installed on every chair? Extra $2 per day ticket
I was stuck on a chair for over 6 hours once. I guess I should have cried and recorded it.
So no one jumped off of it and was mauled by wolves?
I always think about this when my chair is over a high, rocky area, but I hope I'm lower to the ground if it ever stops and loses power!
I hate those thoughts lol
I thought she is strong western woman who doesn’t need a man to save her? 😂
OMG!! This just like the movie Frozen I just watched. These friends were stuck on a chair lift but there ending wasn't as fortunate.
I won't spoil the movie, but watch!
Hero's thank goodness everyone was safe
This reminds me of the horror movie “Frozen” (NOT the Disney film lol)-it’s a psychological thriller about this exact scenario! Super scary!
I didn’t see anyone get served for dinner by wolves in this story.. but yea eerie stuff. 🤔
@@Gius_13 Well yeah it doesn’t need to be a perfect 1:1 match lol, just the general gist is the same. Eerie stuff, indeed. Thankfully everyone came out okay.
@@celestialknight2339 sorry i just had a urge at time to let you know in some form that i watched frozen as well as loved it. God bless
@@Gius_13 Haha thanks, and same here.
God bless
For them to complain is just stupid you know the risks when you go skiing or snowboarding! Be grateful ur alive n well 🙏
Thank you!!
As a former lifty I always carry my evac gear when I ski I'll get myself and anyone in the chair with me down.
Cold!!! ❄️
Didn't they make movie about this, frozen or something 🤔
I thought of that as soon as I saw the title of the video
I think the girl was the only survivor if
I remember right.
I would've jumped and skied down. Looks hella fun
almost like this could be the subject of a movie
That's nothing. One time I was at the mall when the escalator broke down, and it was almost a day before they got it going again. They had to send up Chipotle.
What would suck is the rescue team accidentally skips you
Omg…. This is an actual movie too😭😭😂
Finally part 2 whoohoo
Used to be a lift operator in Colorado all our lift's have back up diesel engines and generators for that reason
It's as if the ski lift operator was trying to run the business like an airline but had no tarmac to strand the customers. The next thing you know they'll also lose your luggage!
Someone had a bad holiday season this year lol
Ski lifts should have rope ladders on each side of the cart in case one breaks.
Have them rolled up until needed. Problem solved.
Also build the carts closer to the ground.
It is impossible to build lifts closer to the ground. The need the height to get over obstacles.
@@beckyd3546 Anything is possible ☺
Nothing is funnier than when my sister and I were ready to jump of the ski lift and our skis got tangled LOL!!!!
That happened to us when we were about 15 years old. We talked about jumping off, we were only 20 feet up or something, but we didn't have the guts. Fortunately we were only there for 45 minutes or so. Park West in Utah back in the day, before it was Canyons or whatever ...
Ok, at this point, there should be some emergency button to get out if there’s ever another situation like this.
An emergency manual override
A magic button? The lift lost power, no electricity, no movement. Pretty simple guys.
@@itomba yes but why
@@simgod1684 My guess would be mechanical failure. Machines have a tendency to do that on occasion. This type of failure happens very infrequently, the very reason this is a story
They should have ordered a magic button from Amazon.
Frozen
Cold and scared...priceless!
Scary 😨 thank goodness they're safe.
It's definitely not the most ideal situation, but they're on a ski slope, so they're probably dressed in several warm layers to begin with, so not the worst thing ever. Also, if you keep wiggling your fingers and toes throughout, that helps keep circulation going in "first to frostbite" areas.
They should have been looking to rescue those people (especially children) after 20 mins of not being able to repair the chair lift. I think their response was unacceptable.
@Average User Didn't say they did.
O shut up karen
@@beepboopbeeppread top comment
She was crying like a baby 🤣😂, glad this happ6to her
You have no idea what your talking about so keep your immature idiotic opinion to yourself!
There's a thriller movie about three people stuck in this exact situation.
2023 off to a great start.
Wow, and I thought all those starving kids in India had it bad.
It still bad though no one need to suffer like starving kids to be recognized
That's a difficult situation definitely.
A high price to pay just for a day on the slopes.
Hopefully they got some accountability afterwards.
Good for you
I was just talking about this with my friends, we snowboard in Chamonix France, that would be so frightening!!
as a person that ski’s this is my worst fear especially when I ski alone.
Good time to write your name in the snow. 🌨
When I saw the title of the video, I was immediately reminded of the movie ‘Frozen’, about three teens trapped on a ski lift and pack a hungry wolves swarming below them😬
Omg it’s time to cry
Glad everyone made it out safe! Ski Patrol took their time and made sure everyone went home alive. Don’t remember if they mentioned how high up they were, but I imagine one mistake and someone could have fallen to their death.
there not gonna die from falling but there probably gonna break something
My son and I were on the lift for four hours. Fortunately we had good friends throw food and hand warmers up to the chair for us and our chair mates.
*Discontent rises greatly*
Reminds me of the movie Frozen 😍🙏
This is a good way to start a friendshup
REMINDS ME OF THE MOVIE FROZEN!
It’s amazing first world people consider being stuck on a chairlift, while on vacation, something to cry about.
Note to self. Always use bathroom before ski lift. And maybe pack a small lunch. And few extra heated packs. And extra battery for phone to watch movies with strangers 🙃
I've seen the movie Frozen....these people got it easy! 😂 In that movie, no one knew they were stuck out there because it was night and the staff all went home. Of the 3 people trapped, only one survived. Also....wolves.
Usually when I snowboard I have minimal clothing on to not get sweat too much. 3 hours and I frozen to death
Same here, as a telemarketer, the physical exertion on each run would warm me significantly. Dressing too warmly causes sweating, which can easily lead to hypothermia if stuck on a lift for hours. Best to plan for the unexpected and pack an overcoat,etc., for that possibility.
Just got an idea, what if they had those safety things installed on every chairlift so it doesn't take 4 hours and each chair can just do it themselves
Glad y'all were ok!
When I seen the post a video I’m thinking this is like the movie frozen. Obviously not but still scary I would imagine. I know it can take a long time for them to evacuate each person and they’re quite lucky. They got evacuated in four hours. Good job to the patrollers.
I respect the people stuck for trying to see the brighter side of the event and I am also glad it was 3 hours and they didn't just leave them there.......An amtrak train was stuck for 24 hours and people were locked in it with no food because of a frieght train collision further down the line......They refused to open the train doors and they could have easily backtracked to the nearest station to get food.
I was at Jack Frost when a similar situation happened. Before it was our turn, the ski lift stopped and everybody on there was stuck up for about an hour. We didn’t get stuck up there, instead we had to walk up the whole hill
This is a movie. At least this version ended happily!