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Just Hanging Out
In late November, a Pittsfield, Vt., woman who was stranded in a gondola cabin at Killington for five hours on Oct. 1, 2011, was awarded $750,000 by a Rutland County Civil Court jury. This decision should terrify resort operators for several reasons. She suffered no physical injuries, but claimed the resort’s negligence caused her emotional stress. It makes you wonder how many members of the jury saw the movie “Frozen.” Not the animated Disney flick with the catchy tunes; the one about a group of 20-somethings sneaking on a lift as it was closing, only to get stuck for days—and subsequently jump off the chair, break limbs, get eaten by wolves, etc.

This case was not nearly as dramatic. After hiking to the top of the mountain, the plaintiff decided to hop on the gondola at around 3:15 p.m., rather than hiking down. The gondola normally closes at 5 p.m. that time of year, but due to inclement weather it shut down early that day—with her on it. Reports are a little unclear as to how she was allowed to board the lift, if there were any staff up there, whether or not there was signage or a rope indicating the lift was closed, or if she was trying to be sneaky. In the end, none of that matters.

After an investigation, the resort’s spokesperson at the time told the media, “We did conclude that [the woman] was not at fault and the lift closing procedure was not followed properly.” Oof. Given the chance, that spokesperson would probably want a do-over. The victim’s lawyer asked the jury to consider an award of $500,000, but they ultimately agreed she deserved more. And someone got a costly lesson about the value of following procedures. Let’s hope that lesson is shared all across the continent.

Fire on the Mountain
The wildfire that devastated Gatlinburg, Tenn., and surrounding communities in late November had a couple of aerial lifts in its sights. The mountaintop where Boyne Resorts-owned Gatlinburg Sky Ride is located was scorched, and the upper portion of the lift infrastructure was significantly damaged. In a statement, Boyne said, “The facilities on the upper viewing deck, including the gift shop, are a total loss.” The bottom terminal and neighboring ticket office building were unharmed.

As of mid-December, the company hasn’t said whether the lift can be repaired or needs to be replaced. Even to the untrained eye, however, the photos of the upper terminal tell a grim story. The lift is a Riblet double, installed in 1991 to replace the original Heron lift that had operated there since 1954. So, a 25-year-old Riblet was lost to a wildfire, and if covered by insurance, a modern lift will go in its place. From a certain perspective, that could be one good thing to come out of the wildfires.

Another good thing, relatively speaking, is the legendary Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tram was thoroughly inspected and reopened in mid-December. Some of the tram’s towers were in the fire’s path, but didn’t sustain significant damage. The ski area had the haul rope, towers, and control room electronics inspected, and the state of Tennessee gave the final green light.

The tram reopening is one of several examples of Gatlinburg-area businesses and attractions turning the page on the devastating event as quickly as possible and once again welcoming guests. Granted, not all businesses were so lucky. But rebuilding is in progress, the heat of the fires is gone, and snow covers Ober Gatlinburg’s trails.

Shortswings
Bode Miller’s lawsuit against Head was dismissed by a Cali judge on Dec. 16 before the skier even set foot in court, so if he still wants a World Cup comeback this season, Head will have to be on his feet. Miller was hoping to switch to his new brand sponsor, Bomber.... No word yet if Stowe’s new Mamava lactation suite will have extra hooks for all the gear skiing moms will need to shed.