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But as time passed it became clear the issue was more serious, he said. After an hour, Alberton began asking those around him what was being done to fix the lift and get everyone down.

He said ski patrol started the rescue with those at the very top of the chairlift because temperatures there were even colder than the -17 C (without windchill) he and his son were experiencing near the bottom.

In addition to the ski patrol members rescuing riders, one resort staff member stood below each chair on the lift to communicate with those stranded above, Alberton said. Employees threw blankets and used ski straps to fling hand warmers up to riders.

Alberton said his iPhone eventually stopped working due to the cold. Meanwhile, skiers and boarders passed each other messages one chair at a time, like a giant game of telephone.

“My concern was for the other kids,” Alberton said. Often, he said, parents will follow their children on the lift one or two chairs behind if there isn’t enough space on one.

“One dad that was directly behind me, his kids were three or four chairs up, and he was real concerned for them,” Alberton said.

And in front of he and his son’s chair, a handful of other children around the age of 10 sat alone, Alberton said.

“The kids were really scared,” he said.

But Alberton said staff below talked to the children, trying to get them to sing or telling them jokes. That part of the experience — seeing everyone trying to help one another — “was really cool, really neat to see,” he says.