On Sunday, July 10, 2016, a lift maintenance manager at Newry, Maine’s Sunday River Resort came upon an interesting scene atop the ski area’s Spruce Peak. He discovered the foundation of the top terminal of the Spruce Peak Triple chairlift ripped out of the ground and sitting at a 90-degree angle.

The situation was immediately reported to the State of Maine Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety, which, along with MountainGuard Insurance and Sunday River, will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the foundation collapse.

The event bore no witnesses and no one was injured as the triple chair does not operate in the summer. No cause of the incident has been determined, however, early analysis indicates that following the foundation’s detachment from the ground, the weight of the haul rope pulled the top terminal downhill, which resulted in the disconnection of the haul rope from the terminal’s bullwheel. Subsequently, the majority of chairs on the lift were lowered to the ground.

Spruce Peak access has been suspended while the case is under investigation, and a decision on the chair’s future has not yet been made.

“Decisions on repairing or replacing the lift have not been made at this point and will depend on several factors, including the results of the investigation,” explains Darcy Lambert, director of communications for Sunday River. Lambert went on to add that, in regards to the length of the investigation, that, “there is no set timeline. All parties involved are working as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”

When it operates in the winter, the Spruce Peak Triple provides access to 1,205 vertical feet of terrain and has a lift capacity of 1,700 guests per hour. Notable runs accessed by the triple chair include Risky Business, American Express and Vortex.

The state of Maine is no stranger to incidences of lift failure. In 2010 passengers on Sugarloaf’s East Spillway chair were forced to evacuate after lift cables went off the track. Then, in March of 2015, seven people were injured when Sugarloaf’s King Pine chairlift halted abruptly and rolled backward.

In a press release distributed by the resort, Sunday River made it clear that it is “committed to the safety of all of its guests and employees, and will issue updates as information becomes available following the State of Maine Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety investigation.”

To read the full press release via Sunday River’s website, click here.