Nearly 200 people were evacuated by rope from gondolas at Winter Park Resort on Saturday after a crack in a metal support structure halted the lift mid-air, stranding skiers and snowboarders for several hours.
The gondola system detected “a significant malfunction” and automatically stopped at around 12:15 p.m., said resort spokesperson Jen Miller.
Miller confirmed a crack in a metal beam shared on social media was the source of the malfunction.
Ski patrol members began evacuating people at 1 p.m., Miller said.
Evacuating the gondola involves patrol members climbing the gondola towers, shimmying down the cable, entering the car from the top and using a rope system to lower passengers to a team on the ground.
Eighteen ski patrol members evacuated all 174 gondola passengers by 6 p.m., according to Miller. No injuries were reported.
Resort officials are not sure how long the lift will be out of commission, Miller said. A replacement part arrived at the resort this morning and a crane is on-site to repair the structure, but the gondola will remain closed through at least Sunday.
Winter Park’s other lifts are running normally, Miller said, and the resort is working closely with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board on reopening the gondola.
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