CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A communication tower on the summit of Sugarloaf folded in half during high winds Monday.

Sugarloaf staff took a photo of the dramatic sight showing the tower bent in an upside-down V, surrounded by tiny trees, looking more like something in a post-battle scene on the planet Hoth in Star Wars’ “Empire Strikes Back.”

They don’t know exactly when the tower went down but estimate it happened from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Spokeswoman Noelle Tuttle said the ski resort leases space on the summit to other companies that own and operate a number of towers. She said it wasn’t clear Tuesday who owned this tower. The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used the tower.

The anemometer used to measure wind on the mountain speed broke Monday but Ethan Austin, director of marketing at Sugarloaf, said staff estimated windspeed to be more than 100 mph.

New Hampshire’s Mount Washington recorded a gust of 171 mph, an all-time peak for February according to the Associated Press.

“The summit was closed yesterday due to the wind, so there was no one up there at the time it blew over,” Tuttle added. All lifts were closed after 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday morning due to wind.

kskelton@sunjournal.com

 

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