174 Skiers and Snowboarders Rescued from Colorado Lift After Structural Failure
WINTER PARK, Colo. (AP) — Authorities were probing the cause of a crack in a Colorado ski lift on Sunday, which necessitated the evacuation of more than 170 trapped skiers and snowboarders.
The Winter Park Resort’s gondola lift, located approximately 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Denver, came to a halt automatically after detecting a crack in a structural component just after noon on Saturday, according to resort spokesperson Jen Miller. Rescue operations involved lowering passengers down using ropes over approximately five hours, she noted.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries during the rescues, which occurred at the onset of the bustling holiday ski season.
To aid the rescue, ski patrollers accessed the cabins of each gondola from above, carefully lowering passengers’ equipment to the ground before using a specialized seat on a rope to bring each of the 174 individuals safely down.
On Sunday, workers began replacing the damaged section of the lift while state regulators and the lift’s manufacturer collaborated with resort officials to determine the cause of the crack, Miller stated. Meanwhile, the resort continued to operate 21 other lifts.
