Nearly two dozen passengers suffered injuries this morning when a gondola lift came to an abrupt stop at Mont-Sainte-Anne, a large resort near Quebec City. The incident occurred just before 10:00 am and cabins stopped suddenly enough that skis and snowboards fell from exterior racks. At least one cabin became lodged at an angle in a station with a broken window. Other cabins reportedly contacted towers. Out of the 21 people injured, 12 were transported to hospitals by ambulance.
By around 10:45, the gondola was restarted in reverse to unload riders. The rescue operation was completed by noon and the lift is now closed. A spokesperson for Mont-Sainte-Anne said there were 80 cabins on the line today and an investigation will be undertaken. “Our main objective is to make sure that everyone is taken care of quickly, then, afterwards, we will have more details on the mechanical aspects,” said Simon Lefebvre with the ski resort.
The gondola, known as L’Étoile Filante, was constructed by Doppelmayr and opened in 1989. It is the largest of seven lifts at Sainte-Anne, a mountain owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary-based RCR operates a total of six ski resorts in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.
