Unidentified Crack Led to Gondola Fall at Golden Ski Resort, Investigation Reveals

A comprehensive safety investigation has determined that an undetected crack originating from the manufacturing process, combined with operational stresses, caused a gondola cabin to fall at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, British Columbia. The incident, which occurred on March 10, 2025, resulted in minor injuries to all eight passengers aboard and required a seven-hour evacuation of other stranded patrons.

Details of the Incident

The gondola cabin was departing from the base station when the hanger arm suddenly fractured, causing the loaded cabin to drop approximately 1.5 meters to the ground. The passengers, who were carrying skis and snowboards, reported only minor injuries from the fall. However, the broken hanger arm became lodged in a tower sheave, forcing resort staff to manually evacuate passengers from other cabins along the line.

Investigation Findings

The Technical Safety B.C. report identified the primary cause as an "unidentified crack that developed from conditions introduced through the manufacturing process" that was exacerbated by "short duration, high-magnitude forces during operation."

Key findings from the investigation include:

The hanger arm exhibited "low material toughness and brittleness" due to both the material composition and manufacturing techniques
Analysis indicated the crack formed during or shortly after manufacturing and grew progressively over time
The arm had experienced at least one impact with the station structure, further stressing the component and likely accelerating crack progression
Routine inspections failed to detect the crack before failure occurred

Contributing Factors

The report noted that several aggravating circumstances converged to cause this particular failure:

A severe impact that caused significant gusset deformation
Cold temperatures at the time of the incident
A heavily loaded cabin during the impact
The specific arm having the lowest material toughness of all examined components

While hanger arms impacting station structures was not uncommon on the gondola system (built in 2000), with nearly 60% of arms showing impact signs, none had developed the same type of cracking as the failed component.

Safety Recommendations

The investigation resulted in several critical recommendations for both manufacturers and operators:

Manufacturers should use materials with specified low temperature fracture toughness properties for critical components like hangers and grips
Revised guidance should be developed for components where cold weather toughness and brittle fracture resistance cannot be confirmed
Operators must act proactively when carriers experience severe loading or when critical component integrity is questionable
Cabins subject to significant stress should be removed from service for additional testing

The incident highlights the importance of comprehensive inspection protocols and material specifications for ski resort infrastructure, particularly in cold weather environments where material properties can significantly affect component performance and safety.