Colorado skiers and snowboarders stranded for hours on cracked lift, forced to come down on ropes

A ski lift at a resort in Colorado cracked mid-day Saturday, leaving up to 174 skiers and snowboarders stranded for hours.

The gondola lift at Winter Park Resort came to a halt when its system detected a crack shortly after noon, resort rep Jen Miller said.

The lift passengers were each lowered down by ropes, Miller said. The process took around five hours, leaving some riders stuck in the air for the better part of their day.

More than 170 skiers and snowboarders were stuck on a suspended ski lift for up to five hours Saturday. AP

Resort officials are investigating what caused the ski lift to crack. AP

Ski patrollers reached the cabin of each suspended gondola from above and lowered the passengers’ equipment to the ground before using a rope attached to each seat to safely move everyone back to the ground, Miller said.

On Sunday, workers were beginning to replace the broken part of the lift. State regulators and the lift’s manufacturers are part of an ongoing investigation with resort officials to determine what caused the crack, Miller said.

Winter Park Resort is one of the closest resorts to Denver. LightRocket via Getty Images

The resort, in the peak of its holiday season, remains open and still has 21 other lifts operating.

Winter Park Resort is just 65 miles outside of Denver and is one of the state’s 28 ski resorts, according to the state of Colorado’s website.

With Post wires