174 Colorado skiers and snowboarders rescued after a lift cracks

WINTER PARK, Colorado — Officials on Sunday were investigating what caused a ski lift to rupture in Colorado, forcing the evacuation of more than 170 stranded skiers and snowboarders.

The gondola lift at Winter Park Resort, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Denver, stopped automatically Saturday when it discovered a crack in a structural part of the lift just after noon, resort spokesperson Jen Miller said. People riding in the gondolas were lowered down by ropes over the course of about five hours, she said.

No injuries were reported during the rescue efforts, which took place at the start of the busy ski season.

Ski patrollers entered the cabin of each gondola from above and lowered people’s equipment to the ground before using a rope with a chair to lower each of the 174 passengers to the ground, Miller said.

Workers were replacing the part of the elevator that cracked Sunday, while government regulators and the elevator’s manufacturer worked with resort officials to investigate what caused the crack, Miller said. The resort had 21 other lifts open.