It was a bright sun-filled Sunday and Kelli Ide thought it would be the perfect time for some mother-son bonding on the ski slopes.
She made plans to meet her friend, Laura Rodormer, at Song Mountain Ski Resort in Tully Sunday afternoon. Ide and her son Jack, 12, drove from Skaneateles and took their first run on the mountain around 11:30 a.m. They met Rodormer and her 10-year-old son Bryce right after, and did a run together.
Around 1:30 p.m., the four got on the chair lift for another run. The two boys sat together in one of the double chair lift seats, while their moms sat behind them in the next seat.
About halfway up the mountain, the lift stopped abruptly, the mothers said. They were about 30 feet up.
“It was scary,’' Ide said. “I was about to cry. It was such a helpless feeling.”
That moment was the start of nearly two hours of frigid cold, wind and growing worry about how they would get down from immobilized chair lift. The air temperature in Tully at 3 p.m. Sunday was 25 degrees, with steady 20 mph winds and gusts up to 27 mph, according to the New York Mesonet. The wind chill was 11.5 degrees.
The foursome were among about 100 skiers stranded for about two hours before being rescued from the chair lift by members of the ski patrol.
Peter Harris, president of Song Mountain resort, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard the lift malfunctioned. He said he thinks a swinging chair caused the apparatus to shut itself off, as it’s supposed to if there’s an issue, he said.
Harris said it’s an extremely rare occurrence. And, he said, it was the first time the ski patrol at Song Mountain had to use ropes to evacuate the stranded skiers.
“The ski patrol did what they’ve practiced and been trained to do based on our codes,’' he said. Ski patrol teams from Song and Labrador helped out. The Preble Fire Department also assisted.
“Some were chilly, that’s true,’' he said. “But the bottom line is our evacuation was successful, and everyone was rescued.”
Kelli Ide said she wasn’t worried at first. Lifts often stop if someone needs extra assistance. After 15 minutes went by, she said, “I started to feel a little panicky.”
Her friend, Rodormer, called the resort’s main office on her cell phone after 30 minutes of sitting. She was told Song officials were aware of the issue and the ski patrol was “on it.”
What does that mean, she asked? How long will it be and how will we get down? She was told they didn’t know yet, she said today.
After an hour, the two boys turned to their moms. “We are cold. What’s going on,’' they asked?
Ide said she tried to tamp down her rising panic. “I was not OK,’' she said. “I couldn’t feel my legs or feet, and I was worried about how we would get down.”
Rodormer kept chatting to Ide, asking her questions about her work as an interior designer and realtor, and about her plans to go south over winter school break.
Rodormer seemed calm and composed, according to her friend. But Rodormer told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard Monday she was nervous.
“I didn’t want anyone to know, because I wanted to reassure the boys and my friend,’' Rodormer said. “But it was getting cold and windy, and we didn’t know anything. We couldn’t see anything and no one was telling us anything. I kept talking to Kelli, trying to keep her thoughts on anything else.”
Rodormer called the office again but couldn’t get any information as to when or how they would be evacuated.
Ide had a single hand warmer in her pocket they used to keep their hands warm. They were wearing goggles, ski masks that covered their faces and helmets.
By 3 p.m. the two moms said they were getting scared.
“I was really cold,’' Rodormer said. “My legs were numb and my knees ached. I was freezing cold and stiff as a board.”
Finally, they heard the ski patrol announce on a bull horn they were coming to evacuate people. Ide said she wanted to know how they would do it.
Ide said she spotted the patrol helping others. They took a weighted ball and tossed it to the people in the chair, who had to grab it and toss it over the cable to make a makeshift pulley system. Then each person hoisted themselves onto a little plastic seat with a rope around their body and down they went.
“It was like a rope swing,’' Ide said. “It was scary because I didn’t know if I could do it But there was no other choice.”
About 100 skiers were stuck on a ski lift at Song Mountain on Sunday, Feb. 6. This shows the rescue of one skier, Bryce Rodormer, 10.
Ide said she worried about the boys doing it, and one of the boys missed the maneuver the first time and had to do it again. But they succeeded as the mothers shouted encouragement to their sons.
When Ide landed at the bottom of the hill, she was told they had to ski to the first aid station. They arrived there at 3:55 p.m.
“I could barely stand up and I couldn’t feel my legs, but I had to ski down,’' Ide said. “No one said anything to us, except they asked our names.”
Ide, who had paid $118 to ski that day with her son, said she asked for a refund. They wanted to give her a voucher, but she refused. Rodormer, who said she paid about $1,000 for a season pass, said they just took her name.
The lift was repaired Monday, on a day it’s already closed. Harris said the lift will be operational on Tuesday.
“I’m just so relieved we got down,’' Ide said, “and grateful to the ski patrol.”
Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com