WINTER PARK, Colo. — Shortly after noon on Saturday, a gondola at Winter Park Resort malfunctioned, forcing an evacuation of passengers around 1 p.m. Nobody was hurt.
A spokesperson told Denver7 that the cause of the malfunction is under investigation.
Nobody was injured during the evacuation and by about 4 p.m. Saturday, staff were helping to empty the last few gondolas. In total, 174 people were evacuated. By Monday, the numbed of rescued was increased to 182.
"The evacuation of guests was completed without further incident, and the Winter Park team along with the Colorado Tramway Safety Board and the gondola manufacturer, Leitner-Poma, are looking into what happened," a spokesperson told Denver7.
A replacement part was on the way from Grand Junction as of Sunday morning. By Sunday evening, the part had arrived and been installed, a spokesperson said, and testing was underway. There is no estimated time for when it will be running again.
The spokesperson said that gondola, which takes riders up to about 10,700 feet, will not open on Sunday. Guests can still access the rest of the mountain and open trails on other lifts.
Editor's note on Dec. 23, 2024: This story has been updated with new information on the number of people rescued from the gondola.
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