175 people rescued after gondola breakdown at Winter Park ski resort

After the ski lifts unexpectedly closed Saturday, more than 150 skiers and snowboarders aboard the Winter Park Gondola had to be rescued via rope.

The trackers were on standby and after making sure no one was injured or in distress, they climbed the lift towers, walked through the queues to the gondolas cabins and lowered each passenger’s equipment before helping everyone down one by one. No injuries reported

Jen Miller, public relations and communications manager for the Winter Park Resort, explained that the gondola did what it was designed to do, which is stop immediately if interference is detected to ensure safety passengers. The incident was reported at midday and evacuations were rapid and lasted four hours afterwards.

Visitors were ready with their cameras to share photos of the event, and the source of the complications was identified when photos revealed a crack on a tower element near the base of the complex.

Miller confirmed that the crack in the tower is indeed the source of the malfunction that led to the evacuation. “We don’t know why the part failed and we’re investigating that,” Miller said.

The Colorado Tramway Safety Board, which oversees and licenses all chairlifts and gondolas in the state, along with gondola manufacturer Leitner Poma, arrived in Winter Park Saturday afternoon to inspect the damage and help repair the lift on as quickly as possible.

The crane and replacements needed to repair the elevator are not expected to arrive until Sunday from Grand Junction, and repairs and safety inspections will need to be completed before the elevator is back in service. It could take several days, but until then, the resort said its Arrow and Gemini lift services will still be operational in the base area.