Final update: 5:50 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 21, Winter Park Resort’s gondola lift malfunctioned, which lead to riders needing to be evacuated by ski patrol.

Visitors at the resort were quick to share photos of a crack on a tower component near the resort base on social media platforms including Reddit.

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Winter Park gondola evac
byu/Tacit_Blue inskiing

Winter Park Resort Public Relations and Communication Manager, Jen Miller, confirmed that this crack is the source of the gondola malfunction.

“That is the source of the malfunction. We’re not sure why the part failed and are investigating that,” Miller said.

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The Colorado Tramway Safety Board, lift manufacturer Leitner Poma and the resort’s lift teams are working to understand the cause and repair the lift as quickly as possible, according to Miller.

Miller also shared that the gondola shut down as soon as the anomaly was detected, which is what the lift was designed to do.

The gondola opened up in December 2018 and has 75 cars that can hold up to 10 passengers.

Original story

On Saturday, Dec. 21, the gondola lift at Winter Park Resort experienced a malfunction, which prompted evacuation measures. As of 2:50 p.m., the evacuation procedures are still underway, according to resort officials.

Winter Park Resort Public Relations and Communication Manager Jen Miller said the gondola “did what it was designed to do” and “shut down as soon as the malfunction was detected.”

There is no further information at this time as to what caused the malfunction, and no injuries have been reported.

Miller said investigations into what caused the malfunction are in the early stages.

Instagram user @mynameislennon posted this video of people being evacuated off the gondola at Winter Park Resort. A green bag filled with skis and snowboards can be seen being lowered by a rope. Ski patrollers can be seen standing on top of a cable car and climbing the towers.

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A post shared by SnowGlobe (@mynameislennon)