Chairs Collide on Comet Express at Heavenly

Peter Landsman55 Comments
Photo credt: TGIFaanes via Reddit

A lift incident occurred on the Comet Express at Heavenly this morning, injuring five people. Two quad chairs could be seen stacked together near the base of the lift with several guests on the ground below being assisted by ski patrol and one guest pinned between the chairs. “Chair slid backwards with people on it into the chair behind it,” wrote a witness on Reddit. “The people in the front chair fell off,” the person said. The lift was closed for the day and remains closed. “Heavenly Mountain Resort can confirm an incident occurred on its Comet Express chairlift today, Monday, December 23, 2024,” the resort said in a statement. “The safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident.” A flight tracking website showed a medevac helicopter landed in one of Heavenly’s parking lots before continuing to a Reno hospital.

Comet Express was built by Doppelmayr and opened in 1988. It is the oldest detachable lift at Heavenly and features DS series grips.

Photo credit: xamfed via Reddit

Winter Park Gondola Closed Following Incident

Peter Landsman55 Comments

A tower component failed on The Gondola at Winter Park Resort today, leading to a five hour rope evacuation. Photos show a rocker arm that connects two sections of a 16 sheave assembly cracked nearly in half. The affected assembly is located on tower 1 and holds the haul rope down on the heavy side of the lift, adjacent to the bottom terminal. A total of 174 guests were roped down by ski patrol, concluding at 6:00 pm. “At 12:15pm on December 21, 2024, the Gondola had a mechanical issue and immediately shut down as the system is designed to do so for guest safety,” said Winter Park in a statement. “At this time the Gondola is closed for repair and further inspection. All guests were safely evacuated thanks to our Patrol team.”

Leitner-Poma constructed The Gondola in 2018, providing a high capacity link between the Village at Winter Park and Sunspot. The lift is a workhorse, operating both day and night throughout the year. Each of the system’s 75 cabins can carry up to 10 passengers.

Stock photo of tower 1 prior to this incident.

“A replacement part and crane have arrived, and repairs are underway,” Winter Park said on 12/22. “Once the repair is complete, the Colorado Tramway Safety Board will complete a thorough inspection process. Once we have approval from the Tram Board we will be able to re-open the Gondola. We do not currently have a timeframe for when that will be but are working to complete the repair and inspection as soon as possible while prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our guests.” Both Arrow and Gemini also provide access out of the Village.

News Roundup: Deer Valley Green

Peter Landsman13 Comments

Quebec to Inject $50 Million at Mont-Sainte-Anne

Peter Landsman12 Comments

The Government of Quebec today announced a CA$50 million investment in Mont-Sainte-Anne, the crown jewel of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies eastern operations located near Quebec City. Under the deal, RCR will be required to invest an equal amount of private capital over the next five years. Half the government’s contribution will come as a forgiveable loan while the other half must be paid back with future revenue.

Mont-Sainte-Anne operates on provincial land under a 99 year lease inked in 1994. Since that time, Alberta-based RCR has installed just one new lift, the Panorama Express in 2013. The mountain suffered several lift incidents in recent years and many called on the province to terminate its lease and partner with a different operator. Groupe Le Massif and Compagnie des Montagnes de Ski du Quebec both expressed interest but the province concluded the current lease with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies should continue. One condition of the loan to RCR is periodic, independent safety audits.

A large chunk of the infusion is earmarked for new lifts characterized as “ultra modern.” Newspaper La Presse reported that the mountain’s 1989 Doppelmayr gondola, 1987 Doppelmayr detachable quad L’Express du Nord and 1986 Samson quad La Tortue will all be replaced. No specific timelines or lift types were shared but anything new will be a welcome upgrade. The main lodges and snowmaking system will be modernized and a mountain coaster installed. “Our government has chosen the best option to ensure the sustainability of the mountain, ensure safety for users and make this jewel of the Côte-de-Beaupré region once again,” said Kariane Bourassa, Member of Parliament for Charlevoix-Côte-de-Beaupré. “The $50 million invested by the Government of Quebec comes with clear conditions that RCR must respect. These investments will help restore the reputation of the resort, with new ski lifts and modernized infrastructure that will improve the customer experience while reducing energy consumption.”

Chair Falls From Lift at Montana Snowbowl

Peter Landsman28 Comments

A chair fell in the LaVelle double chair’s loading area at Montana Snowbowl Sunday, the resort’s third day of operations for the season. “Earlier today, an incident occurred on LaValle chairlift that required us to temporarily halt lift service,” Montana Snowbowl said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We are grateful to report that no injuries occurred. Our maintenance department was able to inspect the lift and ensure it was safe to operate. LaVelle was then reopened to the public for the remainder of the afternoon.”

LaVelle Creek is a 1984 Riblet double. The incident is the latest in a string of unfortunate mishaps involing Riblet lifts at Snowbowl. In March of 2023, a Riblet chair hit a tower and broke apart on the TV Mountain lift, causing a child to fall. The Forest Service sent a notice of noncompliance to the resort, preventing the lift from operating until it was repaired for the following season. Prior to that incident, the Grizzly lift was rope evacuated due to a power outage in February 2021. Another chair fell from the LaVelle lift in January 2020, requiring a rope evacuation.

Snowbowl plans to close midweek this week and reopen on Friday, December 20th.

Update: Montana Snowbowl issued a second statement on Monday clarifying why the chair detached from the haul rope: “Yesterday, an empty chair collided with a lift operator, causing it to swing abnormally and subsequently become dislodged. This was a highly unusual and isolated incident. No one was injured, and the lift was thoroughly inspected and confirmed safe before resuming operations later that day.”

News Roundup: Explorer

Peter Landsman13 Comments

News Roundup: Comfort Chairs

Peter Landsman24 Comments