Operators express their regret after Lecht chairlift accident
Operators of the Lecht ski area have spoken publicly for the first time since Tuesday’s chairlift accident in which six customers - five of them children - were injured and expressed their regret.
Thirty-six skiers and boarders were also left stranded after the Snowy Owl Chairlift apparently derailed at around 3.25pm.
A spokesperson for the Lecht Ski Company said: "Our first action was to look after those injured and we are grateful that several doctors skiing at the centre joined our highly-trained ski patrollers to provide the best possible care in those vital first few minutes.
"The incident happened in relatively clear winter conditions. However, given that the temperature was just below freezing, the wind-chill factor was high. "Our top priority, having ensured the injured were being cared for appropriately, was therefore to ensure the fast and efficient rescue of the 36 people stranded on the chairlift and this was carried out by two teams from the Lecht Ski Company.
"The company had already declared a major incident, ensuring that all the relevant emergency services were mobilised without delay and this greatly helped in getting their support with evacuating the casualties to hospital both by ambulance and helicopter.
"Although the apparent derailment was totally unexpected, Lecht staff are trained in chairlift rescue, a drill which is practised every season to ensure rapid, calm response to any breakdown and reassurance for anyone stranded on the chairlift.
"This training, practice and planning with the emergency services paid dividends yesterday when all involved performed what others have already described as a text book rescue.
The Snowy Owl Chair will remain closed for the duration of the investigations which will be carried out by the company, Grampian Police and the Health and Safety Executive.
The spokesperson said: "We are determined to find out why this incident happened and to ensure that The Lecht continues to offer safe sport, both winter and summer.
"The surface lifts at The Lecht will continue to operate as normal and the ski centre will be open until the end of the season, subject to weather and road conditions.
"The thoughts of Lecht management and staff are with those injured and we wish them all a speedy recovery – we believe some have already been released from hospital.
"We are also thinking of the people we rescued and would like to thank them for staying calm in what were extremely difficult circumstances. We hope they will recover soon.
"The directors also take this opportunity to thank the emergency services and public for their assistance and especially our staff for carrying out their jobs with such a high degree of professionalism and care for our customers and exceeding our high expectations of them."
The Lecht Ski Centre opened in 1977 and has expanded its operations since to become one of Scotland’s premier snowsports centres with 11 drag lifts , one travelator and one chairlift. All have operated safely until now.
The Snowy Owl Chairlift was installed in 2000 and is inspected and serviced on a regular basis, all in line with the requirements of the regulations and of the manufacturer, Pomagalski.
Over 100,000 people have enjoyed skiing or snowboarding at the ski centre over the past three winters, and already this winter more than 15,000 people have visited.
The ski centre is closed today, Wednesday 13 February, due to drifting snow on the access roads.
