Gondola Cabin Plunges Down Mountain at Popular Swiss Ski Area

A gondola cabin at Switzerland’s Engelberg Resort detached from the cable and plunged down a steep mountainside yesterday, killing one person and shutting down the popular lift.

The accident took place on the morning of March 18 on the Titlis Xpress, a two-stage gondola that carries skiers from the base in town to the 8,000-foot origin of the legendary Titlis Rotair revolving cable car. Swiss officials reported that one cabin detached from the haul cable shortly after leaving the mid-station and tumbled a few hundred feet through rocky, rugged terrain, killing its lone passenger, a 61-year-old woman. Gondola operations were immediately halted, and all passengers were evacuated.

Swiss authorities have not shared an official cause of the detachment, but reports indicate that very strong wind gusts were moving through the area at the time. A Level 2 wind warning had been issued by the country’s Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, and resort employees were in the process of shutting down gondola operations when the cabin fell. The investigation is ongoing, and the identity of the skier is not yet public.

Switzerland’s lift network is one of the most modern in all of skidom, making this incident extremely unusual; the country is known for its demanding regulations and excellent safety standards across the board, enacted after a cable snapped in the southern Switzerland resort of Valais, causing a cable car to fall. Thirteen people died in that 1972 accident, leading to a complete overhaul of safety regulations throughout the country. It is also worth noting that the Titlis Xpress is only about 10 years old. It opened in 2015 as the main feeder lift to Engelberg’s upper slopes.

Following the detachment, a massive evacuation of roughly 100 skiers in 40 gondola cars ensued. The gondola currently remains closed, but other lifts across the mountain are operating.

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.