A Mechanical Failure Left Quebec Skiers Stranded On A Chairlift For Hours Yesterday

It was a frightening evening for skiers at Quebec’s Bromont resort on Wednesday night, after a ski lift mechanical failure left guests stranded in chairlifts for several hours. According to reports, the village's main carrier halted at around 7:30 p.m., leaving 200 unsuspecting visitors trapped in the air.

If you’ve ever been on a chairlift, you can probably imagine how terrifying it would be to get stuck in that situation. At Bromont, the mechanical problem left riders hanging in the air for up to 4 hours.

According to City News Montreal, issues at the tourist centre started at around 7 p.m., when an unexpected issue caused the machinery to stop normal operation.

Officials attempted to resolve the problem for over an hour, before eventually beginning a rescue mission.

Reports from Radio-Canada suggest that skiers were still being brought down at 11:30 p.m.

Thankfully, there were no reported injuries during the incident, and local emergency services did not need to be called.

Carl Beaulieu, who was at the scene on Wednesday, said that the majority of visitors remained composed, despite the uncomfortable situation.

Beaulieu told CTV, “Everyone was calm, even though they were waiting hours.”

The Ski Bromont resort is located on the slopes of Mont Brome, and is one of North America’s largest centres for illuminated alpine skiing. 

However, certain areas will remain closed until further notice, after a statement from the resort explained, “due to a mechanical breakdown, the Express du Village will be temporarily closed.”

In an additional comment on Facebook, the business responded to one person's question to say, “The village express is closed for an indefinite period."

Adding, "More Communications will follow, stay tuned. Thank you for your understanding.”

Several of the resort's Facebook followers responded to their post to comment about the incident, with one skier adding, "Congratulations to the team for the evacuation, but this happens too often..."

Another frustrated visitor wrote, "Seriously, get your sh*t together, Bromont! The Mechanical lift keeps acting up ... It's not normal and it affects your reputation."

The Facebook user went on to add, "Plus, if people [are stranded] hours before you get them, you have to compensate them more for that."

Narcity has reached out to the Ski Bromont resort for comment, this article will be updated if and when a response is received.