“Horrific” Scene at Ski Resort as Lift Riders Blasted With Water
A burst pipe soaked people on a chairlift that continued to operate, and the scenes look like they're out of a terrifying movie
Two visitors at Beech Mountain Ski Resort in North Carolina were hospitalized on Friday after a hydrant broke. Resort management said the rupture happened when a skier hit a hydrant during snowmaking operations. The guest was not injured.
Management said the pipe burst under a loaded chair resulting in several guests getting soaked with water. Management said its operations and safety team worked quickly to unload the lift and drain the hydrant system.
Avery EMS transported the two guests to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. “We believe everyone is okay outside of the unfortunate situation, and operations are on a regular schedule,” resort management said on Facebook.
Local Edward Pearlman said, “I’ve been skiing at this mountain regularly since I was six years old and I’m 26 now. In 20 years I’ve never seen worse than a nasty fall until now. This is absolutely horrific. Why did they continue to move the lift along instead of stopping it until they could cut the water main? Why were Ski Patrol/EMS standing around like spectators? Why was the dangling person simply ignored for such a long period of time?”
We hope everyone makes a full recovery.
Tough time for the people at Beech Mountain today. ? pic.twitter.com/fg671LruRn
— Trey Shirley (@TreyShirley831) January 8, 2022
Beech Mountain Water Pipe Bursts
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