SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March, 21, 2015—A rollback incident today on Sugarloaf's King Pine lift injured seven guests and sent three to the hospital with non-critical injuries. All three were reported in stable condition on Saturday afternoon, according to hospital spokeswoman Jill Gray.

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March, 21, 2015—A rollback incident today on Sugarloaf's King Pine lift injured seven guests and sent three to the hospital with non-critical injuries. All three were reported in stable condition on Saturday afternoon, according to hospital spokeswoman Jill Gray.

The incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. The lift rolled back nine chairs. A video posted online shows at least two skiers jumping from their chairs about 12 to 15 feet above the snow, while others yell for passengers to get off the lift. A total of 204 people were evacuated from the lift about two hours later.

An inspector from the Maine Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety was on-site this afternoon. The lift remains closed until an investigation into the cause of the incident is complete. All of the resort's other chairlifts are operating as scheduled.

The King Pine lift was certified to operate by the Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety on Oct. 29, 2014, according to a press release posted to Sugarloaf's website. The fixed-grip quad was built by Borvig in 1988. Located on the east side of the mountain, King Pine is 3,400 feet long with a vertical rise of 1,074 feet and travels 450 feet per minute. The 122 chairs are spaced roughly 51 feet apart; the lift has a capacity of 2,100 skiers per hour.

The accident happened just days before Sugarloaf hosts the U.S. Alpine Championship, and four years after a deropement on Sugarloaf's Spillway East lift in December 2010 sent eight people to the hospital.

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