Horror on the cable car: bad weather hit a ski resort in Italy (4 photos + 1 video)
Category: Fires and Catastrophes, PEGI 0+
4 April 2024
The Italian ski resort of Breuil-Cervinia was damaged by strong, unpredictable gusts of wind. The storm came suddenly - and the skiers who found themselves on the cable car at that moment experienced it to the fullest. They had a hard time! 
Wind gusts reached 27 meters per second. A recording has appeared on the Internet showing the force with which the elements rock the chairs of the ski lift from side to side, even turning them over. And in some places people can be seen in them.
According to the author of the video, at least five people were stuck in the air during strong winds. “Ten chairs were damaged and removed from the lift,” he said. “The person captured on video was airlifted to hospital.”
Resort management confirmed that none of the vacationers were seriously injured. The ski lift was quickly closed to visitors with the onset of bad weather. Only those who had already hit the slopes had to be rescued.
“Access to the ski lift was immediately closed,” explained Federico Macquinaz, the resort’s president. “But he kept moving so the passengers could get off the ground.”
“Due to the wind, damage occurred on the line, technicians climbed onto the supports to check the situation and return the chairlift to service,” he added. “At extremely low speeds and with the utmost care required for such operations, they were all brought to the summit without any consequences for either the stranded skiers or the technicians.” Unfortunately, these are extreme situations that cannot be predicted and which once again remind us of the unpredictability of mountains.”
The chairlifts, known as Cretas, are part of a huge cross-border ski resort connecting Italy with Switzerland.
The Alpine resort is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters above sea level.
