On Saturday, December 21st, around 1pm, Winter Park’s main gondola servicing Lunch Rock, a hub that enables access to the rest of the resort from the base, malfunctioned unexpectedly, leaving numerous people stranded for hours as ski patrol and other officials scrambled to rescue them.
For the next three hours, ski patrol worked tirelessly to lower each person individually from every gondola using a climbing rope and a wooden seat. Around 4pm, the last people were lowered. Big shoutout to the Winter Park ski patrol who instantly jumped into action and rescued everyone without a single injury.
The malfunction of the gondola was a surprise as Winter Park recently had this gondola tested and approved for use this season. After hearing news of the malfunction, Leitner-Poma, the gondola’s manufacturer, identified the issue and ordered a replacement part.
It was announced today that exactly 48 hours later, the Winter Park gondola was back up and running for customer use. The resort worked closely with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board and the lift manufacturer Leitner-Poma to make the repair, rigorously test the gondola and eventually allow it to be opened to the public. Great job to the ski patrol and employees of Winter Park for acting fast during this unfortunate situation and getting the gondola back online just in time for the busy holiday season!
