A gondola cabin crashed to the ground at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C., shortly after departing with passengers. Witness Scott Wilson estimated the cabin fell approximately three metres before hitting the snow.
“Patrol responded right away, and some bystander called 911. The doors came ajar in the fall, but nobody could get out of the downed cabin. When my son and I left the area about five minutes later, the occupants were still trapped inside,” Wilson said.
The resort has not confirmed how many people were inside or if there were any injuries. However, Technical Safety B.C. stated that only minor injuries have been reported.
The incident occurred on the Golden Eagle Express gondola at 9:20 a.m. MT. Photos show the cabin lying on its side in the snow.
“Our trained maintenance team is evacuating the passengers as per standard operating procedure. A full inspection has been initiated to determine and analyze root causes,” said a statement from Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
The Golden Eagle Express gondola can hold up to eight people per cabin. Wilson described the mountain as busy Monday morning due to fresh snowfall, with large crowds lining up for lifts.
“People took the day off work, and lineups were huge,” he said. “At first, it was just shock. I turned to my son, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe this just happened. Did you see that?'”
The resort has since closed for the day, and the Golden Eagle Express gondola remains shut down until further notice.
Kicking Horse is owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which also operates Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, where a gondola fall in 2023 was attributed to human error. The company also owns Fernie and Kimberley resorts in B.C., Nakiska in Alberta, and Stoneham in Quebec.
Technical Safety B.C., a self-funded organization responsible for overseeing technical system safety, confirmed that an investigation is underway.
“Our team is working closely with the operator. More details will be available once the investigation is complete,” TSBC stated.
Source: Swifteradio.com
