On Monday morning, five people were injured in a collision on the Comet Express chairlift at Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe. The incident took place around 10 a.m. when two chairs on the lift collided, causing some passengers to fall about 30 feet into the snow. The resort’s emergency response team quickly arrived, and the victims were transported to a hospital in Reno, Nevada. This accident came just days after another incident at Winter Park Resort in Colorado, where 174 people were stranded in gondolas for hours due to a mechanical malfunction.
Witnesses described seeing one of the chairs on the Heavenly lift slide backward before crashing into the chair behind it. Heidi Schmitt, a skier who had been on the lift shortly before the accident, reported seeing numerous emergency responders surrounding an injured person. Her husband also noticed a backpack hanging from one of the chairs, which could have been a clue regarding the collision’s cause.
Five Injured in Chairlift Collision at Heavenly Mountain Resort Amid Ongoing Ski Lift Safety Concerns
The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District responded to the scene with two fire engines and three rescue ambulances to provide medical assistance. The five injured individuals were quickly evacuated and taken to the hospital for treatment. The incident has raised concerns over the safety of ski lifts in the region, following the recent string of mishaps at resorts.
The Heavenly Mountain Resort incident occurred only days after a separate safety issue at Winter Park Resort in Colorado. On Saturday, the Winter Park chairlift system experienced a malfunction, halting operations just after noon. Riders were stranded in their gondolas for hours, with ski patrol eventually rescuing them by rappelling them down to the ground. One rider, Taylor Scotland, described the experience as a tense wait, with a group of eight people stuck for around four hours.
Winter Park Resort explained that the malfunction was caused by a broken piece of equipment on one of the lift towers. The lift automatically stopped when the issue was detected. The resort took immediate steps to remove the faulty part, replace it, and test the system. Once the repairs were completed and inspected by the Colorado Tramway Safety Board, the lift would be allowed to reopen. The incidents at both Heavenly Mountain and Winter Park highlight ongoing concerns about ski lift safety during the busy winter season.
