Tree Falls on Major Chairlift at Popular New York Ski Area

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 3:15 PM ET

The east coast is having quite the season when it comes to weather.

Although many mountains have enjoyed above average snowfall this year, storms have also come in with strong winds. As any seasoned skier knows, these winds can be a real nightmare for lift operations, which they proved to be at a New York ski area earlier this week.

On Monday, a tree fell onto Belleayre Express Lift during a storm at Belleayre Mountain Resort. Damage to the lift is currently being assessed, according to a social media post from the resort. See below.

The resort is working closely with the lift manufacturer, Doppelmayr, to determine next steps in repairing damage to the lift. There is currently no estimated reopening time for the lift, but Belleayre promises to keep the public updated on its status. No one was injured in the incident.

The Belleayre Express is one of four major lifts at the resort and accesses a fair amount of its terrain. LiftBlog shared an image of the lift's haul rope and chairs hanging low to the ground following the incident (see below).

Another photo of the Belleayre incident. The lift was closed and no one was hurt. This will take a bit of time to repair. https://t.co/SOXL0ttsmE pic.twitter.com/8dPeaWQTZF
— Lift Blog (@liftblog) February 18, 2025

Belleayre isn't the only east coast resort to have lift trouble due to weather recently.

More than 100 people were evacuated from a lift in New Hampshire over the weekend after a malfunction. Stratton Mountain was forced to cease operations on Monday due to wind. Sugarloaf and Berkshire East both lost power on Tuesday morning which impacted resort operations. Other resorts, such as Loon Mountain and Attitash, had several lifts on hold due to weather and high winds on Tuesday.

While mountain ops delays can be a bummer, its definitely better to miss a couple days of skiing than end up on a lift in unsafe conditions.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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