Industry News
Steamboat Resort in Colorado unveiled its brand new $15-million gondola on Saturday with the promise that it will decrease ride time by 4-mins and transport an extra 1,000 skiers and riders every hour to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, though, a mechanical malfunction looks to have put it out of action for the foreseeable future.
The gondola broke down at about 4:45 pm Sunday, according to Maren Franciosi, digital communications manager for Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. The malfunction occurred on the driveline to the gearbox in the upper terminal. There were no guests in the cabins, although there were a couple of cabins transporting employees. Backup motors were used to get them down safely.
“(It was) identified as a mechanical issue, not a safety issue,” Franciosi said Monday morning.
Tests were conducted last month by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board and nothing was noticed, according to Franciosi. Also, there were no issues during operation over the weekend.
The resort has opened the Thunderhead Express for guests to access the open terrain while the gondola is assessed and repaired.
“We’ll take as much time as necessary to fix it to ensure it’s not a problem in the future,” Franciosi.
