A loose wire forced Mount Sima's new chairlift to a halt Monday afternoon in the middle of Arctic Winter Games competition.

The lift was being used for several Games events such as snowboarding and downhill skiing when it stopped at around 12:30 p.m.

Parker Hickey, the hill's general manager, said employees got the machine started again but kept competitors off the lift while staff attempted to troubleshoot the problem .

A call to the lift's manufacturer led to the discovery of the loose wire.

In the end, the chairlift was down for 45 minutes but that did not interfer with any of the competitions, Hickey said.

"It was right in the middle of snowboarding, but they weren't affected at all,” he said. "In fact, they finished 15 minutes early.”

This is the first winter the new chairlift is being used after it was installed last fall.

The new $3-million lift was purchased in part with funds from the City of Whitehorse.

It replaced an old system which was well-known for breaking down.

Snowboard Yukon coach Katrina Couch said the delay did not affect her team.

"We had lunch; it was a good competition.”