Gondola Cabin Falls at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C.; Minor Injuries Reported

A gondola cabin carrying passengers plummeted approximately three metres to the ground at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C., on Monday morning.

Eyewitness Scott Wilson, who was in the lift line with his son, described the shocking moment when the cabin suddenly detached and fell.

“At first, it was just shock. I turned to my son, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe this just happened. Did you see that?’” Wilson told CBC News.

Wilson said the doors of the cabin came ajar, but passengers remained trapped inside as resort staff and bystanders called 911.

Resort Confirms Investigation Underway

The incident occurred at 9:20 a.m. MT on the Golden Eagle Express gondola, the resort’s main lift, which can carry up to eight people per cabin.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, said in a statement that their trained maintenance team immediately responded and initiated a full safety inspection to determine the cause.

“Our team is evacuating the passengers as per standard operating procedure,” the resort said.

A spokesperson for the resort confirmed that Kicking Horse was closed for the day and that the gondola will remain out of service indefinitely.

Minor Injuries Reported, Investigation Underway

While the number of passengers inside the fallen cabin remains unclear, Technical Safety B.C. (TSBC), which oversees gondola safety in the province, confirmed that only minor injuries have been reported.

TSBC stated that it is working closely with resort operators to determine the root cause of the incident and that more details will be released once the investigation is complete.

Similar Incidents Raise Safety Concerns

The incident at Kicking Horse follows a similar gondola failure at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec in 2023, also owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.

The company, which operates multiple ski resorts across Canada, including Fernie, Kimberley, Nakiska, and Stoneham, has not yet provided further details on whether maintenance or mechanical issues played a role in Monday’s incident.

For now, the gondola remains closed, and investigators continue to assess the cause of the fall, while skiers and resort guests await further updates.