A gondola cabin at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in British Columbia fell to the ground on Monday morning, leading to the suspension of operations at the Canadian ski resort. The resort’s website displayed a message saying it would be “closed until further notice.”
The incident occurred at 9:20 a.m. when a cabin from the Golden Eagle Express gondola fell at the base terminal. The resort’s patrol team and first responders were quickly dispatched to the scene. Located in Golden, British Columbia, the resort did not immediately provide further details, including the number of passengers on board or if there were any injuries.
According to witness Scott Wilson, the cabin fell about three meters (roughly 10 feet) shortly after passengers had boarded and it started ascending. Wilson reported that the doors of the cabin opened during the fall, but no one could escape from the downed gondola. When Wilson and his son left the area about five minutes later, the passengers were still trapped inside.
Each gondola cabin at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort can accommodate up to eight passengers, according to the resort’s website.
In response to the incident, the resort stated that maintenance and mountain safety teams were quickly deployed to assist in unloading passengers from the gondola. The resort also initiated a full inspection to determine the cause of the fall, with teams from the gondola’s manufacturer and relevant authorities called in to help with the investigation.
As a result of the incident, all lifts were closed to the public on Monday, and the resort announced it would remain “closed for the remainder of the day.” The Golden Eagle Express gondola, the main lift at the resort, will stay closed until further notice.
The resort also mentioned that additional updates regarding operations would be provided later. This accident occurred after 23 centimeters (9 inches) of fresh snow had fallen on the mountain in the last 24 hours.