The cable car linking Veysonnaz to Thyon 2000, in central Valais, broke down on Saturday. Some of the passengers who were there had to be evacuated by helicopter. Others were brought to the ground with ropes. No one was hurt.
“We were forced to evacuate customers following a power outage,” confirmed a spokesperson for the Nendaz-Veysonnaz ski lifts (NVRM). “The decision to evacuate them was taken in order to avoid having to wait too long,” he said.
The AirGlaciers company mobilized two helicopters and five guides to evacuate some of the passengers trapped in the cabins, according to information from RTS. The heliport operation started around 4:10 p.m. and ended in the early evening. It took a little over an hour to get all the skiers out.
Passengers stuck for several hours
According to the testimony of an RTS cameraman stuck inside one of the cabins, the installation came to a standstill around 2:40 p.m., forcing passengers to wait between 1:30 and 3:30 hours depending on the case.
According to the operator, “a few dozen” people were affected. They will be contacted personally to thank them for their patience, indicated the NVRM communications manager. Other visitors to the ski area were invited to temporarily use the other Veysonnaz gondola – that of the Ours piste – and shuttles were set up.
A return to service planned for Sunday
“We are currently working to resolve the problem for a return to service as quickly as possible,” further indicates NVRM, which hopes to be able to reopen the installation normally on Sunday morning thanks to the work of its teams, during the night, “to resolve the electrical problem which has already been identified”.
The broken down installation, which connects the center of the Veysonnaz resort to Thyon 2000, is one of the gateways to the 4-Vallées ski area. Built by the Garaventa company in 2005 to replace a 4-seater gondola, it can accommodate 55 cabins for 8 people.
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Information processed on Saturday in the 7:30 p.m. of the RTS
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