Lutsen Mountains is known for great runs and great views of Lake Superior, but it might not be a view you'd want to enjoy for five hours while stuck on a ski lift.

It was supposed to be an easy-going guys' weekend for Chaz Crosse, Andrew Schultz and his four friends.

Temperatures were below zero with winds gusting over 40 mph. Perfect skiing weather, right?

"We came up Friday night, did some cross-country skiing, and Saturday morning we wanted to be the first people in the lift line," Crosse said.

They hit the run called Raptor Express four times. They decided to go down it one more time. On the way up, the lift suddenly stopped.

"We started joking around, 'Oh, who fell? Ooh, a snowboarder fell.' We're all skiers, so we make fun of the snowboarders there," Crosse said.

An equipment malfunction stranded the guys and about 40 other guests 40 feet off the ground.

"You do get worried. Your mind's up there. It's cold; you're dressed for the weather, but you're like, 'How long can I be up here?'" Crosse said.

Ski patrol, mountaineers and even the Lutsen Fire Department jumped into action and started a rope EVAC.

"I don't know how you train for all these contingencies, but they had three different ways to get people off the mountain right away," Crosse said.

All 44 guests were evacuated safely from the chair lift.

"Guys' weekend every year, right? Try to do it, and hopefully it will be less eventful, but we'd still want a good story," Crosse said.

Lutsen says it is waiting for parts and hopes to have the lift fixed by this weekend.  

Crosse and his new friends say they're ready to hit the slopes again very soon.