UPDATE: Witnesses of Monday’s incident at Heavenly’s Comet Express Chairlift said two quad chairs could be seen stacked together near the base of the lift, according to Liftblog. Several guests on the ground below were seen being assisted by ski patrol with one guest pinned between the chairs.
On the social media platform, Reddit, commenters said the chair slid backward into another chair, with those on the front chair falling off.
There have been no other updates provided by Heavenly at this time.
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An incident on the Comet Express Chairlift at Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Mountain Resort on Monday morning has left five people injured and resulted in the closing of the popular lift.
In a statement, the resort said:
“Heavenly Mountain Resort can confirm an incident occurred on its Comet Express chairlift today, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. The safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident.”
According to early emergency radio conversations and Reddit, five people fell 30 feet from the Comet lift. Heavenly management, however, has not confirmed.
Tahoe Douglas Fire responded with two engines and three ambulances to Heavenly at 10:10 a.m. to Stagecoach Lodge. They transported five total patients to Renown Hospital in Reno.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and South Lake Tahoe JPA ambulances were not dispatched to the scene, nor was Lake Valley Fire Protection District.
We will update when more information becomes available.
