Hundreds of skiers had to be rescued on Christmas Eve after a chairlift malfunctioned at the SuperDevoluy Ski Resort in the French Alps. An electrical failure in the engine system of the Festoure Chairlift was determined to be the culprit.

“We tried to restore the installation. We realized that the breakdown had damaged this installation and immobilized it. We were unable to restart the thermal engine, so we had to launch this vertical evacuation.” -Laurent Thélène, GM of SEM Dévoluy

Most of the skiers were lowered down by ropes but a helicopter was used for some of the rescues. All told some skiers spent 3 hours stuck on the 6-pack chairlift. No injuries were reported.

SuperDevoluy evacuation with the help of ropes 24.12.2024

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Francis Xavier is a seasoned writer for Unofficial Networks, bringing a lifetime of outdoor experience to his work. Having lived in a ski resort town for years he has a deep connection to mountain culture....