Gondola accident in Canada

[chalee94]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/10/travel/gondola-cabin-accident-canada-ski-resort/index.html

Surprised I haven't seen this discussed yet. Did a search and couldn't find anything. Hopefully they can figure out how to keep this from happening in WDW...

 

[Lumpy1106]

LOVE Kicking Horse - the mountain. The group running it, not so much. This is a failure to do routine maintenance - and that's pretty frightening.
The mountain though - it was (and maybe will be again) a site that was regularly used for heli-skiing prior to adding lifts. The gondola takes you from the base > 4000 VF, to near the top of the mountain (there is a lift that takes you a little higher). Most runs are top-to-bottom, and are what most other resorts would consider to be double-black, expert runs - all of them...except a single, groomed "green" run that snakes it's way down the face. If you are going really hard, you would get 6, MAYBE 7 laps in a day, each one started on the gondola.

That is now broke.

IOW, the mountain is essentially shut down for the season now. I hope they can get through this because it's a spectacular mountain.

 

[Chuck S]

I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. I wonder how old the system is, if there was metal fatigue, will it spur more rigorous inspections for fatigue and micro-cracks?

 

[Lumpy1106]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/10/travel/gondola-cabin-accident-canada-ski-resort/index.html

Surprised I haven't seen this discussed yet. Did a search and couldn't find anything. Hopefully they can figure out how to keep this from happening in WDW...

This just alarmist nonsense. Kicking Horse is one of the most extreme environments that you can imagine. Very cold, very windy. The Skyliner is shut and the cabins locked away under cover at the slightest hint of rough weather. Not to mention, a totally different ride manufacturer with a much more stringent maintenance schedule. This will never happen at WDW. Never.

 

[Dano1182]

What does this have to do with DVC?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

This just alarmist nonsense. Kicking Horse is one of the most extreme environments that you can imagine. Very cold, very windy. The Skyliner is shut and the cabins locked away under cover at the slightest hint of rough weather. Not to mention, a totally different ride manufacturer with a much more stringent maintenance schedule. This will never happen at WDW. Never.

And the Titanic will never sink….

 

[Pooh12863]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/10/travel/gondola-cabin-accident-canada-ski-resort/index.html

Surprised I haven't seen this discussed yet. Did a search and couldn't find anything. Hopefully they can figure out how to keep this from happening in WDW...

Anything mechanical can fail, even at Disney World. Not much sense in going through life worrying about it.

 

[Lumpy1106]

And the Titanic will never sink….

The Queen Mary sits in the Long Beach harbor and has, at times, leaked like a sieve. It has not sunk. Sure, I'm not sailing on it through the Drake Passage, but is it safe? Sure.

Apples and Oranges, that's all I'm saying.

 

[chalee94]

Anything mechanical can fail, even at Disney World. Not much sense in going through life worrying about it.

I just like to understand what happened in that case. I know Disney's is newer and will get reliable maintenance. But I hadn't heard of that happening before at all...

 

[crisi]

I just like to understand what happened in that case. I know Disney's is newer and will get reliable maintenance. But I hadn't heard of that happening before at all...

Gondola accidents are rare, but not unheard of https://www.newsweek.com/cable-car-...Mottarone mountain,their gondola fell 65 feet.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The Queen Mary sits in the Long Beach harbor and has, at times, leaked like a sieve. It has not sunk. Sure, I'm not sailing on it through the Drake Passage, but is it safe? Sure.

Apples and Oranges, that's all I'm saying.

All I’m saying is never say never…
They said never for the Titanic.

 

[SL6827]

And the Titanic will never sink….

That is EXACTLY what come to my mind as well.

 

[Pooh12863]

I just like to understand what happened in that case. I know Disney's is newer and will get reliable maintenance. But I hadn't heard of that happening before at all...

Gondola accidents have been happening I suspect since the technology was invented, fortunately no one died this time.

 

[floribr1]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/10/travel/gondola-cabin-accident-canada-ski-resort/index.html

Surprised I haven't seen this discussed yet. Did a search and couldn't find anything. Hopefully they can figure out how to keep this from happening in WDW...

I appreciate your concern, and I am glad everyone is okay... But isn't this kind of like saying, "There was a car crash the other day in North Dakota. Boy, I sure hope they can figure out how to keep that from happening at Disney World!"

 

[walt34]

All I’m saying is never say never…
They said never for the Titanic.

Statistically speaking, gondola ropeways are about as safe as flying which - I'm sure you'll agree - is not a risk worth thinking too much about.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Statistically speaking, gondola ropeways are about as safe as flying which - I'm sure you'll agree - is not a risk worth thinking too much about.

Yes… but I will still never say never.
Unfortunately, aviation accidents, although rare, do happen.

 

[chalee94]

I appreciate your concern, and I am glad everyone is okay... But isn't this kind of like saying, "There was a car crash the other day in North Dakota. Boy, I sure hope they can figure out how to keep that from happening at Disney World!"

No - car drivers are typically responsible for car accidents.

This is a non sequitur.

Gondolas are passive. I have heard of the cars crashing into each other, but not falling to the ground.

Just wanted to understand what was responsible for the car falling. Not worried about it at WDW in the short term, but if there is a tiny risk of falling 30 feet, I'd like to understand that risk.

 

[walt34]

No - car drivers are typically responsible for car accidents.

This is a non sequitur.

Not quite. Accidents with gondola systems like this are incredibly rare. Like plane crashes. And like any plane crash, it's so rare that it gets reported wideline (unlike car crashes, which are frequent and rarely reported outside the local area)

Gondolas are passive. I have heard of the cars crashing into each other, but not falling to the ground.

It has happened before. Usually when something happens to the connector that holds on to the cable. In the past we've seen material failure, strong wind blowing branches against the mechanism - stuff like that.

Just wanted to understand what was responsible for the car falling. Not worried about it at WDW in the short term, but if there is a tiny risk of falling 30 feet, I'd like to understand that risk.

The risk is really low. We'll have to wait for the report for the cause of this accident.

 

[ParrotBill]

As others are pointing out, statistically safe, more risk riding a bus or driving a car. Scarier because of height and being trapped. New system, well maintained.

Highest risks IMO:
- power failure / operating motor failure, result is stuck people (already happened)
- Gondola stuck and collision at point they pulloff to loading area (rare, but not usually fatal)
- lightning strike (we already know they shut it down in any storm in area)