2023-08-09 02:17:09
They spent the night on top of Sulfur Mountain… against their will. Several hundred tourists were stranded overnight Monday through Tuesday on this mountain in the Canadian Rockies in the west of the country due to a breakdown in the gondola that originally carried them to the summit.
The “unprecedented” stoppage of the cable car was caused by a storm” which caused a general power outage, said Tanya Otis, director of communications for Pursuit, the tourist company that manages the gondola.
Helicopter evacuation
The occupants of the cable car cabins were the first to be evacuated, but “hundreds” of others present at the top of the mountain were unable to descend before nightfall. On Tuesday morning, the company Pursuit continued the helicopter evacuation of visitors with the help of national park authorities.
“We spent the night up there” in the reception building, said Abby, 46, a woman traveling with her family who prefers to keep her name quiet. “They provided us with water, snacks and an emergency blanket,” she explained, saying she was “exhausted” and “frustrated” by this “long, long wait” of more than 12 hours on Sulfur Mountain, a popular spot for visitors.
Slowness of the authorities?
“Some braved the darkness and walked back down the mountain” on the trails, Abby added, criticizing the authorities’ slow response. Neither the nature park authorities nor the police have commented on this situation.
Every year, countless tourists climb Sulfur Mountain in Banff National Park, the oldest and most visited of all national parks in Canada. According to the tourist site of the region, the degree of difficulty of the path for hikers is “moderate” with an elevation gain of 700 m.
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