Safety board to discuss Sugarloaf

The Maine Elevator and Tramway Safety Board is scheduled to meet July 18 to discuss last winter’s chairlift collapse at Sugarloaf.

Sugarloaf Mountain Resort’s 35-year-old Spillway East chairlift derailed Dec. 28, dropping five chairs to the snow and sending eight skiers to hospitals.

Maine’s chief elevator and tramway inspector submitted an accident report to the board on June 10. The report did not point to any single cause for the derailment but cited contributing factors such as wind, inadequate maintenance and a lack of formal maintenance training for mechanics.

The accident report did not recommend any disciplinary action against Sugarloaf or the private inspector who certified the lift last fall, effectively leaving that in the hands of the board. Members of the board, who are appointed by the governor, have authority over the licensing of chairlifts and inspectors, and they set the standards for annual inspections and state oversight.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 9 a.m. at the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation in Gardiner.

Related Stories