YOUR AD HERE »

Riders evacuated after lift de-ropes

Sky-Hi News Staff

A chair lift at Winter Park Resort was temporarily shut down and 36 riders evacuated after it experienced a de-ropement on Thursday, April 16.

Maintenance workers noticed the Zephyr Express cable was working its way out of the Tower 11 track around noon, said Steve Hurlbert with Winter Park Resort.

When workers stopped the lift, the cable jumped completely from the track into a safety catch, Hurlbert said.



Ski patrol spent about an hour evacuating riders from the lift.

Riders were never in any danger, Hurlbert said.



Maintenance workers remounted the cable, and the lift was up and running later Thursday afternoon.

A number of factors can cause a de-ropement, including wind, though Hurlbert said the resort had not identified a cause in Thursday’s incident.

The Zephyr Express is a four-chair lift that runs from the Winter Park Base to Sunspot.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.