Ski Lift Crack Leads to Evacuations

More than 170 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated due to a crack in Colorado ski lift on December 21, The Guardian reports. Those riding the gondolas were lowered down by ropes over the course of hours. Officials are still investigating what caused the gondola lift at the resort approximately about 70 mi. west of Denver to crack. The unit automatically stopped when it detected the crack in a structural piece of the lift, according to officials. Ski patrolers entered the cabin of each gondola from above and lowered people’s equipment to the ground before using a rope equipped with a seat to lower each person to the ground. Work is already underway to replace the section of the lift that cracked, as state regulators and the lift’s manufacturer work with resort officials to investigate what caused the crack.