Where to Ski And Snowboard - Skiers rescued from chair in Breckenridge

Skiers rescued from chair in Breckenridge

22nd December 2012, by Abi Butcher

Around 40 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated from a chairlift on Thursday

Around 40 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated from a chairlift in Breckenridge this week after a mechanical failure.

The evacuation, by rope, from the Peak 8 SuperConnect, took around three hours on Thursday afternoon.

Breckenridge spokesman Kristen Petitt Stewart said no skiers were injured during the evacuation — which took place after resort staff struggled to fix the lift.

“At some point you have to make that decision when people are sitting there, if we can fix it and how long is it going to take versus evacuating folks,” she added.

The chairlift, which was installed in 2002, is back in operation this weekend, along with the Peak 7 and Peak 8 lifts. An abundance of fresh snow over the past week means the high-altitude Colorado resort has opened up an 250 skiable acres in time for Christmas. Breckenridge also opened its new Freeway Terrain Park this week.

Nearby Keystone has nearly 50 per cent of its 3,148 total skiable acres open today, thanks to a fall of 18in (46cm) of snow over the past seven days.

And out east in Vermont, Killington celebrated its first powder day on Friday after seven inches (18cm) of snow fell in 24 hours.