Hydro-Quebec: Another power outage in Stoneham

A power outage plunged part of the Stoneham sector into darkness for hours on Friday evening as hundreds of skiers were quickly evacuated from the mountain.

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The powder snow came to an abrupt end shortly before 6:30 p.m., leaving management with no choice but to close the resort. Sliding enthusiasts are out of luck this season.

“There was a big flash of blue light and everything dropped. People were coming down with their phone lights,” said a skier waiting to reach the top on a low-speed lift in the emergency system. “I’m alive!” “, she joked.

Many customers

It was so busy after a big snowstorm that the mountain was paralyzed, and the skiers on the scene had to return to the base safely.

After about twenty minutes, the rescue of trapped skiers on the ski lifts began. “They mobilized snowmobiles to drop off customers,” said a resident who lives nearby.

According to Hydro-Québec, about 1,695 customers were affected by equipment outages.

According to marketing and communications director Hugues Leclerc, the safety motors in the elevators worked well.

“There were security lights with patrols to guide customers on the way down. For customers, their tickets are valid at another time,” explained Hugues Leclerc.

“We don’t know the cause of the blockage, but it’s actually coming from the Hydro-Québec network,” he added. Service was finally restored around 9 p.m.

Not the first time

The sector has been particularly affected by power outages after the storm on December 23. In Stoneham, bad weather caused damage. In addition to the lighting system, a ski lift was also damaged by the wind. Reconnections progressed slowly over several days.

Although power was not fully restored around the mountain, the ski resort was initially able to open with one ski lift.