Maine ski area says workers were trying to make adjustments to chair lift before it failed

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine (AP) — Ski area maintenance workers dispatched to realign a lift cable were unable to fix the problem and had restarted the lift in an attempt to off-load riders when the cable derailed, sending skiers plummeting 25 to 30 feet, the resort said Wednesday.

High winds had shut down the lift at Sugarloaf in the hours before Tuesday's accident, but it was cleared for operations and reopened just before 10 a.m. About 20 minutes later, the two maintenance workers saw the cable was out of place and were preparing to shut down the lift when the cable jumped its track. Five chairs fell, eight people were sent to hospitals and dozens were stranded on the crippled lift for more than an hour.

High wind contributed to the accident, state investigators said Wednesday, but they're not ruling out other factors. The 35-year-old lift, which recently passed an inspection, was due to be replaced, possibly next summer, and was known to be vulnerable to wind long before its cable derailed.

Resort spokesman Ethan Austin also said Wednesday that wind played a role, but he didn't rule out mechanical difficulties or other causes. The lift was properly licensed and inspected for 2010, officials said.

Wind gusts of 40 mph were reported around Sugarloaf before the accident on the aging lift.

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