Chairlift stops at WA's Summit at Snoqualmie, forcing rope evacuation

Busy ski weekend brings tragedy, chairlift evacuation and sewage issue at WA resorts

Fresh snowfall drew large crowds to several Cascade ski resorts over the weekend, but a series of serious incidents disrupted operations.

SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. - Riders were forced to evacuate a chairlift at the Summit at Snoqualmie after it stopped running Sunday morning, according to a Snoqualmie Pass resident who watched the rescue unfold in real time.

Jeremy Rule shared the video he captured with FOX 13. He says the incident happened at Summit West. Rule, who lives near the chairlift, said he first noticed something was wrong when the lift stopped spinning.

"I walked by the window again and I was like, ‘Wow, it’s still stopped, that’s a very long outage,’" said Rule.

Rule shared he later turned on the radio and overheard ski patrol trying to get auxiliary power to restart the lift. When that didn’t work, patrol crews began evacuating riders using ropes and harnesses.

"They would throw a rope over the cable that runs the chairlift and then they would hoist up some sort of harness," explained Rule. "You could tell ski patrol was telling them what to do. They would wrap it around themselves and then just lower them down."

(Jeremy Rule)

Rule said the chairlift, known as Dodge, a two-person lift, was full at the time. He described the conditions as foggy, making it difficult to see the top of the mountain, and said riders were sitting in the rain as they waited.

"This was right at West where all the kids learn to ski," said Rule. "Sitting in the rain on that chairlift wondering what the heck is happening."

(Jeremy Rule)

He said the lift sits over beginner terrain, which helped make the evacuation safer. Still, Rule said the situation was difficult to watch, especially knowing many of the riders were children.

"My heart was kind of feeling for the little kids up on that that were sitting in the rain trying to get off the chairlift," he said.

(Jeremy Rule)

Rule said the evacuation lasted hours and was something he had never seen before. Despite that, he praised the ski patrol and resort staff for how they handled the situation.

"Once they decided they were going to evacuate the chairlift, they were super efficient and very safe," remarked Rule.

FOX 13 has contacted management at the Summit at Snoqualmie for more information. 

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