In a harrowing start to the peak holiday ski season, a structural failure of a gondola lift at Colorado’s Winter Park Resort on Saturday left more than 170 skiers and snowboarders stranded in midair, prompting an emergency evacuation. The lift automatically stopped after detecting a crack in a critical component just after noon, suspending passengers high above the snow-covered slopes.
Ski patrol teams leapt into action, drawing on their extensive rescue training to execute a methodical cabin-by-cabin evacuation. Patrollers entered each gondola compartment from above, first lowering passengers’ ski and snowboard equipment to the ground using ropes. They then harnessed each individual into a special seat and carefully lowered them down to safety, one at a time.
Exhaustive Evacuation Effort
The painstaking process of evacuating all 174 stranded riders stretched on for hours as ski patrollers worked diligently to bring everyone to solid ground unharmed. Resort spokesperson Jen Miller reassured the public that ski patrol teams routinely train for such rare emergency scenarios.
“Ski patrol has trained extensively for this. It’s a very rare thing to have to evacuate a lift at all.”
– Jen Miller, Winter Park Resort Spokesperson
By late afternoon, every passenger had been successfully lowered to the ground without injury, capping an exhaustive evacuation effort by the skilled ski patrol. The dramatic event unfolded at the beginning of the resort’s busiest season, when skiers and riders flock to the slopes for holiday adventures.
Investigating the Lift Failure
With the emergency rescue complete, the resort’s focus shifted to determining what caused the gondola’s structural component to crack in the first place. On Sunday, maintenance crews began the task of replacing the damaged part as state regulators and the lift manufacturer launched a joint investigation with resort officials to pinpoint the source of the failure.
Despite the frightening gondola incident, Winter Park Resort continued normal weekend operations with its 21 other lifts spinning to carry visitors up the mountain. Skiers and snowboarders undeterred by the events waited in line to access the resort’s famed terrain.
Ski Lift Safety Remains Paramount
While lift malfunctions of this magnitude are exceedingly uncommon, the incident at Winter Park underscores the paramount importance of regular lift maintenance, comprehensive ski patrol rescue training, and emergency preparedness at all ski resorts. As the investigation into the root cause continues, resorts across Colorado and beyond will undoubtedly reassess their own lift safety protocols to prevent future mishaps.
For the skiers and snowboarders who endured a nerve-wracking afternoon suspended high above the slopes, the experience is sure to become an unforgettable tale of a holiday ski trip gone awry. Thanks to the calm professionalism and expertise of Winter Park’s ski patrol, a potential catastrophe transformed into a scary-yet-successful rescue mission, ensuring that all involved will live to ski another day.
