legallyillegal

someone almost died and it took 6 hours to evac everyone...

New Year's Eve party to bring in some $$$... 80mph+ gusts... clearly the only rational decision was to run the tram...

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herzogone

Thanks a lot, now I'm going to be even more uneasy anytime I'm in a tram. I think I'd rather not have known about this... Glad to hear everyone made it out relatively okay though. I can't imagine being stuck for six hours.

Sick-Pow

the resort says freak gust, but people actually there, know a very different story, apparently.

tigre

My memory fails me (and also I'm usually not paying too much attention to things on that side of the Sound), but Weather Underground suggests that they had been having high, gusty winds for a week or so prior to that day. The NWS is usually pretty good at forecasting these sorts of gap wind events and issuing warnings when needed. In that case there's no reason a gust of 80mph should have snuck up on them. Maybe it just happened at the exact wrong moment. Even if the tram was running I don't think I'd get on it in a bunch of wind, but the accident was at least less dramatic than it could have been. Lots of people inconvenienced, but only one minor injury. Could have been a lot worse, I suppose.

mixie

yeah, I should have NOT looked at that pic!! Ive been on the gondola in mammoth in some really heavy winds (40-50mph?) At least what I thought were heavy winds and was terrified! If it's windy I won't ride it alone, I will find a partially loaded car to ride up on. I find if Im with other people I can keep my shit together but I will cry like a girl if I am alone and it stops for wind hold while dangling over a big white nothingness

Ive been stuck on a chair lift on wind hold, swinging wildly for 4 songs on my iPod and I about lost it.....I saw ski patrol on a snowmobile headed towards us, as we were near a lift pole. I asked the person on the chair next to me "Are they coming to get us? Are we gonna have to rapel off this thing? or do we climb down the pole?!" Doh!

sigh...that person is probably posting in the "strange conversations on the chair" thread right now.

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scarrrrry

tigre

Saw an article this morning that gave quite a few more details and says it was only a ~45mph gust that blew the tram into the tower. Alyeska Resort says damaged tram will reopen this season | State News | ADN.com

One of the commenters says something about people involved with the tram's operation being fired, but I have no idea whether that's true or not.

Triple8Sol

Here in the NW they basically shut down upper lifts and gondolas anytime winds exceed something like 40-50mph. 80mph F THAT!

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dopamean

That's pretty intense. Like Snowolf I've ridden that thing before, but personally haven't experienced anything cool while ascending. I'll have to hit up my bro and see if he was up there riding the day that happened, he might have some better pics!

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