Hundreds Rescued From Chairlifts in Alps on Christmas Eve

For several hundred skiers in the French Alps, a Christmas Eve trip to the mountains might have involved more waiting than skiing—at two separate resorts, guests were stranded on chairlifts.

Le Dauphiné reports that, just before 1 p.m., the La Festoure chairlift at Superdévoluy ski area became inoperable and some 240 skiers were rescued with ropes and helicopter assistance. The rescue operation finished hours later, around 4:45 p.m. No injuries have been reported.

The rescue required significant manpower and resources, involving the Air Section of the gendarmerie, high mountain gendarmerie platoon, and firefighters, among others, Le Dauphiné reports. The gendarmerie is a branch of the French military.

At La Norma Resort in Savoie, around 100 skiers were also trapped on a chairlift Tuesday, according to TF1. Their rescue was helicopter-assisted.

December’s proven bumpy for chairlift operations at ski resorts.

At Snowbowl, Montana, an empty chair decoupled from the LaVelle lift’s cable and fell to the snow after striking a lift operator on December 16th. The ski area reported no injuries and, in a statement, called the incident “highly unusual and isolated.” LaVelle was inspected and resumed operation later that day, according to the statement.

In Colorado, 174 people were rescued from a gondola at Winter Park Resort, Colorado. Just after noon Saturday, the gondola automatically stopped after encountering a structural crack. The trapped skiers and snowboarders were lowered by rope over around five hours, according to CNN. The gondola has since reopened after undergoing testing and inspection.

Earlier this month, a snowboarder was taken to the hospital after they fell off the Ruby Express chairlift at Keystone Resort, Colorado.

California has had its own ski lift troubles.

Five people were injured at Heavenly Mountain in the Lake Tahoe during a lift malfunction Monday. Some people were thrown into the snow 30 feet below, according to NBC Bay Area. The injured visitors were taken to a hospital in Reno, Nevada.

According to an annual safety report from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), fatal lift malfunctions remain uncommon. Between 1973 and January 31st, 2024, nine lift malfunctions have caused 16 fatalities—the majority of these incidents occurred in the 1970s and 1980s.

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