SAM Magazine-Whistler B.C., Dec. 16, 2008-Fifty-three guests were safely evacuated from the lower line of the Excalibur Gondola after a structural failure on tower 4. The Excalibur Gondola evacuation was completed at 5:51 p.m., about three and a half hours after the incident occurred. (See earlier report on the tower collapse.)

"We are very thankful that no one was seriously injured in this incident," the resort said in a press release Tuesday evening. A full investigation by Whistler Blackcomb and the BC Safety Authority is currently underway to determine the cause of the failure.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Dec. 16, a structural failure occurred on tower 4 on Blackcomb Mountain's Excalibur Gondola. No gondola cabins came off the line, and only minor injuries resulted.

There is an upper and lower section to the Excalibur Gondola. The failed tower 4 on the lower section was secured by a crane, and Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol and the Whistler Fire Department immediately implemented an emergency lift evacuation procedure. The upper section of the gondola, independent of the lower section, was unaffected by the incident and was cleared immediately of guests by normal procedure.

Fifty-three guests were evacuated from the lower section. Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol, Whistler Fire Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, BC Ambulance and Emergency Social Services all took part in the evacuation.

The Excalibur Gondola was built in 1994. It undergoes an extensive annual safety check; the last took place within the past six months. The tower where the incident took place is approximately 30 feet above the ground.

A full investigation is underway by Whistler Blackcomb and the BC Safety Authority. Whistler Blackcomb will release further information as it becomes available.

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