Five people were injured at Heavenly Mountain ski resort in Lake Tahoe when two chairs on a lift collided, causing riders to fall about 30 feet into the snow. The incident occurred on the Comet Express chairlift, with witnesses reporting seeing one chair slide backward and crash into another. Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District responded with two fire engines and three rescue ambulances, transporting the injured individuals to a hospital in Reno, Nevada. This incident came just days after 174 people were stranded in their gondolas for hours at Winter Park Resort in Colorado when the chairlift system detected a malfunction. Riders had to wait before being brought down individually by the Winter Park Ski Patrol.
One witness, Taylor Scotland, described being stuck in a gondola for about four hours and having to rappel down to the ground with the help of Ski Patrol. The resort announced that a broken piece of one of the towers was removed and replaced, with repairs set to undergo testing and inspection by the Colorado Tramway Safety Board before the lift can be reopened. The incidents at Heavenly Mountain and Winter Park Resort highlight the potential dangers and challenges faced by skiers and snowboarders at popular ski destinations. NBC News reporter Minyvonne Burke contributed to the coverage of these incidents.
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