With the holiday season in full swing we were just recalling this unfortunate 2018 incident that happened on Christmas Eve at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont.
A large snowmaking water pipe burst on Stratton’s Lower Standard ski run sending a high-pressure stream of water blasting into two occupied gondola cabins. The cabins briefly swung back and forth on the haul rope as resort staff scrambled to get them out of the path of the gushing geyser and shut off the water.
Thankfully all 7 occupants of the gondola cabins were uninjured. Stratton was forthright about the incident and issued this statement on Christmas day.
“We are thankful to report that no one was injured in what was a scary episode for seven skiers and riders in two gondola cabins. At about 3:30 pm Christmas Eve, a break in a snowmaking pipe on Lower Standard sent water at a 45 degree angle toward the gondola. Snowmaking computers showed a drop in pressure and operators immediately began the process of shutting down the system. The operations team simultaneously stopped the lift, restarting it slowly to reposition the cabins. Approximately seven minutes later, the gondola made its way to the summit where guests disembarked. The gondola is running as usual today and snowmaking operations continue using alternate pipes in the network.” – Myra Foster, Stratton Ski Resort Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications