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Chair lift breaks, injuries reported. Devil's Head, WI

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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
This is super breaking news, just heard it from a buddy that was there. But apparently something broke, chair started to backlap. People were supposedly jumping from lift.

Here's some of the early news. I'm sure there will be more info later.

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/79583412.html
Dec 17 2009 9:58PM
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Static
Posts: 8553 - Karma: 4,089
scary,

Dec 17 2009 10:02PM
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TOK
Posts: 2928 - Karma: 2,540
That would be scary as hell. I definitely wouldn't jump off though.
Dec 17 2009 10:04PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
Yeah, just talked to my buddy that was there. Started rollback. He said he saw at least one girl with a broken leg. Chairs were piled up at the bottom of the lift. Seriously just happened like 10 minutes ago, so I don't know much yet. Had bunch of ambulances and helicopters respond.
Dec 17 2009 10:06PM
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AElot
Posts: 462 - Karma: 9
Ive actually thought about if this happened what i would do. you've got two options

1. Jump and hope you don't break a leg
2. rollback to the bottom and smash up against the other piling chairs

or i guess if it started rolling back real fast you might derail and that would doubly suck

either way you're EFFED
Dec 17 2009 10:09PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Wow a friend of mine told me that if the chair is stopped and starts moving backward to jump off. That was like 4 days ago, sort of erie.
Dec 17 2009 10:11PM
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
holy shit, thats mad scary.
Dec 17 2009 10:12PM
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mikeisener
Posts: 57 - Karma: 13
shit son imagine getting thrown 120 feet in the air and have the lift break from under you
Dec 17 2009 10:12PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
i woud rather break my legs than die. i would jump without a doubt
Dec 17 2009 10:12PM
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Big5hifty
Posts: 3243 - Karma: 1,253
damn. thats crazy. hope everyones ok.
Dec 17 2009 10:14PM
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will-g
Posts: 1031 - Karma: 69
fuck i was there end of last year
Dec 17 2009 10:15PM
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inactive
Posts: 4772 - Karma: 97
my thoughts go out to the families of the injured
Dec 17 2009 10:18PM
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GreenStezz
Posts: 3570 - Karma: 717
THIS IS NOT GOOD!..................
Dec 17 2009 10:19PM
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Che~
Posts: 2108 - Karma: 296
scarrryyy
i hope people are alright
Dec 17 2009 10:21PM
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fountain.
Posts: 1399 - Karma: 80
holy shit was there last year, and was gonna go there again in a week.
Dec 17 2009 10:26PM
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eastcoastplanker
Posts: 964 - Karma: 70
wow that video made it way fuckin scarier
Dec 17 2009 10:27PM
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skiierman
Posts: 28699 - Karma: -5,563
someone seriously fucked up. theres so many precautions in place that this should be impossible to happen.
Dec 17 2009 10:27PM
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jeremy.g
Posts: 4931 - Karma: 459
i would so take my chances jumping if that happened
Dec 17 2009 10:28PM
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TheDude
Posts: 2058 - Karma: 117

shits wack

Dec 17 2009 10:31PM
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kstanz
Posts: 3058 - Karma: 477
damn!! i would probably jump off, plus vibes to anyone injured
Dec 17 2009 10:32PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
to those saying they would jump, this is Devils Head WI were talking about here.

99% of these people probably ski 3-4 days per year, and know very little about chairlifts etc. jumping is the last thing they would have thought to do.


thoughts go out to all of them though, sucks.
Dec 17 2009 10:36PM
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ashamedkrew
Posts: 1194 - Karma: 424
holy piss i had no idea that was possible
Dec 17 2009 10:36PM
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andersteeze
Posts: 1047 - Karma: 30
after that video, jumping would defs be the option i would go with
Dec 17 2009 10:37PM
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DoublyDeeze
Posts: 625 - Karma: 3,863
id afterbang the shit outta my jump...
Dec 17 2009 10:40PM
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J-Evs
Posts: 6387 - Karma: 1,615
very scary
vibes to injured

and i would definately jump the second the chair starts moving backwards if i was at a reasonable height, cuz there are some places at my home mountaint that are pretty high up on really sketchy 2 person lifts haha.

Dec 17 2009 10:40PM
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I_liketobutter
Posts: 2664 - Karma: 997
If this was CO, CA, or Canada, this would never happen. All three places have laws in place to protect things like this from happening, like FAIL SAFE brakes. Every single lift has a mechanical, electrical, and/or hydraulic fail safe that shuts at least one brake down that will stop a chairlift from going backwards. In order for a chairlift to roll back like that, you have to do some serious tinkering w/ the mechanics of a lift, or completely neglect any sort of basic maintenance on a lift.

Most other states have ghetto ass or no chair lift regulations really and are just waiting for shit like this to happen. Then they will be sued, and will lose.

The ignorance of ski areas outside the west just baffles me. This same sort of things applies to guys driving around snowcats on open runs w/ no warning signs or letting and ol kid alter/ build park features like its no big deal, none of which would fly for a second out west or in most parts of canada.
Dec 17 2009 10:44PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
its the midwest. i doubt that chair was higher than 20 feet off the ground at any point
Dec 17 2009 10:48PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
Couple more news stations:

http://www.channel3000.com/news/22000236/detail.html

(good coverage)http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11697187

Luckly, So Far, sounds like no one was killed.
Dec 17 2009 10:50PM
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sirskizalot
Posts: 4370 - Karma: 161
Shit thats crazy
Dec 17 2009 10:52PM
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Gameboy
Posts: 2657 - Karma: 127
damn must have been scary as hell, if it was like the video i would jump off, looked so brutal at the bottom.
Dec 17 2009 10:54PM
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neon1peace
Posts: 998 - Karma: -1
vibes to the injured. I just checked the website and it said something like 5 people seriously injured but they are stable/at the hospital and nobody killed. That would be the scariest shit ever if it happened just like in that video
Dec 17 2009 10:55PM
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Mstchief
Posts: 751 - Karma: 524
Not trying to take away from the seriousness of the situation, but that is a awesome icon dude
Dec 17 2009 11:11PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Holy shit!  It's amazing nobody died.  As kids we were always told that if a chair lift starts going backward, jump.  I would have bailed automatically.  That video of the test was unreal.  There's another thing that's happened before on older chairs when the wheel holding the counterweight brakes off.  It happened at Breck in the 80s.  People on the lift suddenly sagged almost to the ground and then were slingshotted out of the chair when it shot back.  People were thrown like 75 feet or more into the air. 
Dec 17 2009 11:14PM
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evantful
Posts: 86 - Karma: 10
Much of the west coast ski area's and canadian operators stricter standards came from disasters not unlike this in the 1980's and 90's, so lets not give them to much credit because unfortunately it took the loss of life for them to then enforce these standards

I feels so bad for these people. Hopefully its just injuries


Dec 17 2009 11:20PM
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ski-swagga
Posts: 5276 - Karma: 219
not sure about devils head but i know than some resorts in wisconsin have lifts that go 50+ feet off the ground.
Dec 17 2009 11:26PM
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mer-man
Posts: 1079 - Karma: 10
epic thread
Dec 17 2009 11:26PM
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Freshbakedbread
Posts: 949 - Karma: 483
Dang, I live mega close to devils head glad I wasn't there, They planned to make their terrain beter, and get new rails and stuff, but thats probably not going to happen after the get the fuck sued out of them by the people on that lift, those lifts get really high at points, higher than any other lifts ive been on in wisconsin, but there is one 2 person that gets to a point only 4 ft off the ground, but the rest of it is up to 40 ft, scary shit. im going to be paranoid now getting on their crappy lifts, i knew something was going to happen with those pieces of crap
Dec 17 2009 11:29PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
i havent been there in years, but i seem to recall it wasnt that high.
Dec 17 2009 11:29PM
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mer-man
Posts: 1079 - Karma: 10
word if i broke my leg or something i would sue them soooooooooo much holy fuck like rape there ass dry
Dec 17 2009 11:38PM
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ski-swagga
Posts: 5276 - Karma: 219
depends on where is wisconsin you go i guess.
Dec 17 2009 11:39PM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
Leave this thread please.
Dec 17 2009 11:48PM
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PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
to all of those who are yelling that they'd jump as soon as a chair began to move backwards, keep in mind that many of todays high-speed quads are designed to run in reverse, on gravity, WITH A BRAKE TO SLOW THEM DOWN to help get people down in the event of a breakdown. These lifts have a sign at the bottom that says "this lift may run in reverse", and jumping off one of them would be stupid. BUT, if a fixed grip chair starts backlapping... i'll be the first one on the ground.
Dec 17 2009 11:50PM
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quixotic
Posts: 6937 - Karma: 2,978
holy shit!!!! Never been there and now I 100% will never go there. Hopefully everyone is okay... that is some scary shit, for real.
Dec 17 2009 11:51PM
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HangThePope
Posts: 749 - Karma: 19
Haha thats crazy. My friend was telling me about this when we were riding up the lift earlier this week too. I had no idea that could even happen till he told me.
Dec 17 2009 11:54PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
yeah but theres a difference between a slow controlled revers
and hauling ass
Dec 17 2009 11:55PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51642 - Karma: 162,222
I would jump right at the end. Lowest to the ground, usually deepest snow there. Honestly i would never jump from most lifts at full height unless there was like 10 feet of powder.
Dec 18 2009 12:07AM
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I_liketobutter
Posts: 2664 - Karma: 997
But after those events you would think the rest of the country, even east coast resorts would catch on...but they haven't. the events that happened in the 70's and 80's were the first accidents ever. they had no idea. since then, they have been fixed. Places in the east and midwest have no excuse to the neglect of safety they show every day.

and if a ski area runs a lift in reverse for evacutaion purposes, you will know, because youll probably be sitting on the chair for at least 45min until that happens. if it rollbacks because of failure (which should NEVER happen ill mention again, unless the ski area is retarted) you will know, because it will be instataneous, like right after it stops, and it will haul ass backwards, thats when you jump. also dont worry when high spped lifts roll back like 5-20ft when they stop, thats just the tensioning system doing its job. its that 50ft+ rollback thats bad.
Dec 18 2009 12:09AM
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Ian.Ham
Posts: 1687 - Karma: 1,153
might wait to jump until a really steep downhill part and so i had a little speed so all the impact wouldnt be straight down
Dec 18 2009 12:17AM
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Number_9
Posts: 429 - Karma: 8
Devil's Head's lifts aren't that high, really. Jumping wouldn't be that bad if you're an experienced skier, but most of the people at Devil's Head aren't experienced.

I just there was like 11 major injuries and 7 small ones or something, if I remember right. I didn't read any of the articles, just saw it on the news.
Dec 18 2009 12:24AM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
I road the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival up there, and it ends up at a ski area.  Curious if that's near Devil's Head.  http://www.cheqfattire.com
Dec 18 2009 12:30AM
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