Cracked hanger linked to gondola failure at B.C.’s Kicking Horse ski resort
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VANCOUVER – Technical Safety BC says a cracked component in a gondola system at Kicking Horse Mountain ski resort was one of “several abnormal conditions” that led to a cabin falling to the ground last March.
The safety agency’s report says eight passengers were inside the cabin on March, 10, 2025, when a hanger arm broke shortly after leaving the station at the bottom of the mountain near Golden in the B.C. Interior.
The report says the cabin fell about 1 1/2 metres, and passengers reported minor injuries.
Technical Safety BC’s report said staff tried to restart the gondola to get stuck patrons out, but the broken hanger arm became “lodged” in a tower, preventing the gondola from moving, and a manual rope evacuation took several hours to complete.
“Some guests were stuck in gondola cabins for a total of approximately seven and a half hours,” the report said.
The report found the failure happened due to the “unlikely convergence of several abnormal conditions,” including brittleness in the hanger arm, “major impacts” during operations that exacerbated the crack in the arm and a failure to identify it during inspections before it grew to a “critical size.”
The hanger arm, the report said, had “very low toughness,” making it susceptible to problems from impacts.
“During operation, a large dent to the failed hanger arm gusset suggests it was subject to one or more large impacts with the station structure during operation,” the report said. “It is likely these major impacts played a critical role in the propagation of the crack.”
Technical Safety BC’s report said inspection records didn’t identify any concerns about the hanger arm, while “inconsistent follow-through by the resort” meant that gondola cars weren’t entering stations “smoothly” to reduce stress on the arm.
The report recommends that manufacturers use materials that have “low temperature fracture toughness properties,” and identify components made with cold bent galvanized steel.
Operators are recommended to remove gondola cars from service if they strike other structures.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2026.