Over 100 Skiers + Snowboarders Rescued from Colorado Gondola

A day of skiing or snowboarding can be a fun, often exhilarating way to enjoy nature, friends, and a certain disconnect from any stresses that your everyday life may be plaguing you with.

Read More: What’s it Like to Be Evacuated from a Colorado Chairlift? |

However, over 170 skiers and snowboarders had quite a stressful day on the slopes over the weekend as a gondola at a popular Colorado ski resort malfunctioned leaving everyone aboard stranded for multiple hours.

Colorado Ski Resort Gondola Malfunctions Over the Weekend

The incident took place on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at Winter Park when a six-year-old gondola carrying 174 passengers abruptly stopped moving.

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It was revealed that a cracked piece of metal that made up part of the gondola system was the cause of the abrupt stop and while first responders arrived on the scene to evacuate the 75 affected cabins, the effort to do so took quite some time.

The first responders were given the task of climbing ladders up 40 feet to each of the cabins, securing the skiers and snowboarders with a rope system, and gently lowering each occupant down to the ground.

While the whole ordeal left many of the occupants sitting in their cabins for several hours waiting to be rescued, everyone affected by the malfunctioning gondola was rescued with no incident and amazingly, no injuries were reported.

Despite having to endure numerous hours high above the ground in the broken-down gondola cabins, when questioned, the skiers and snowboarders that were present mostly had feelings of gratitude toward the first responders.