A mechanical issue with a ski lift at Cannon Mountain in Franconia prompted the evacuation of 64 skiers on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement, Cannon Mountain said “a bolt affixed to the power take-off (PTO) shaft failed on the Peabody Express Quad lift” around 10:13 a.m.
“While all chairlifts and equipment at Cannon undergo regular inspection and testing, mechanical issues can occasionally occur,” the statement read.
Ski patrol and mountain operations personnel performed a rope evacuation, a process that involves attaching skiers and snowboarders on the chair lift to a rope and slowly lowering them to the ground. Cannon said staffers safely evacuated all 64 passengers by 12:23 p.m.
The incident comes just days after a chair lift at Attitash Mountain Resort in Bartlett fell off its cable and dropped 20 feet to the slope on Sunday afternoon. A skier on that Attitash lift was sent to the hospital in North Conway.
Attitash is owned and operated by Vail Resorts. Cannon Mountain is a state-run ski area in Franconia Notch State Park.
Cannon, which boasts the state’s highest ski area summit, continues to operate, but lift service is limited to the Mittersill, Tuckerbrook, Eagle Cliff, and Zoomer lifts. The Peabody Express Quad, a lift that starts in front of the Peabody main lodge, is closed for the rest of the day. That lift gives skiers access to the upper slopes of the mountain.
Cannon is offering all guests at the mountain Wednesday either a full refund or future credit.
