Investigation Underway After Gondola Drops to the Ground at BC Resort

The Golden Eagle Express gondola at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Golden, B.C. is shown on Feb. 25, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff Bassett

An investigation is underway after a gondola cabin carrying eight passengers fell to the ground at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden, B.C.

The incident occurred on March 10, involving passengers on the Golden Eagle Express gondola, who fell about one metre to the ground when a lift hanger broke on the carrier as it was leaving the bottom station, the resort said in a statement.

A patrol team and first responders were sent out to the scene and mountain safety teams also conducted a manual evacuation of all passengers using rope rescue and helicopter rescue techniques. No one was “seriously” injured, the resort said.

“Our sincere apologies go out to every one of our guests who have had to go through this experience today, and we thank them all for their patience and understanding,” said Richard Oszust, a manager at the resort.

One visitor said he waited four hours to be rescued from another gondola that was stuck in mid-air following the incident.

“This was a first for me,” Richard Friedman posted on Facebook. “It was a long four hours, but thankfully everyone was okay. Not quite what we had in mind when we set off on our three-day ski adventure.”

The resort said that an inspection of the gondola is being conducted. Technical Safety B.C. told The Epoch Times in an email that it’s also investigating the incident.

“At this time, only minor injuries have been reported,” said a spokesperson for Technical Safety.

“Passengers were evacuated safely, and the gondola remains shut down. Our team is working closely with the operator. More details will be available once the investigation is complete.”

Kicking Horse resort said it would be open on March 11 with most services and outlets at regular hours. The Golden Eagle Express gondola will be closed until further notice.

Other Canadian resorts have also had problems with gondolas over the past several years.

In Quebec, one person died and another was seriously injured after a gondola collided with a drill rig on July 16, 2023. A labour inspector concluded the collision at Quebec’s Mont-Tremblant’s resort village was due in part to incomplete procedures about how construction equipment was to be moved.

A Canadian soldier, Sgt. Sheldon Johnson, 50, of Kingston, Ont., died following the collision, and Marichu Gadong-Gleyo, a woman in her 50s from Ottawa, was severely injured after they were thrown from the gondola.

In August 2023, several tourists were stranded in gondolas at various heights of the Banff Sulphur Mountain. An additional 300 people were stuck at the top of the mountain.

The gondola was shut down after a power outage following a lightning storm, the resort said at the time.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.