Some 200 skiers were lowered down to safety from a cable car Thursday in the Italian Dolomites after winds of up to 130 km/hour hit the area. No injuries were reported. (Reuters)
It was not a relaxing day on the slopes for some skiers in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains on Friday. Wind gusts approaching 90 mph felled a 100-foot-tall fir tree onto a gondola line, causing stranding roughly 200 skiers high above the ground.
“A staff member noticed the tree and stopped everything,” one man told the BBC. He counted himself “lucky” because he had just gotten into a cabin when the line was stopped. “They must build a monument to this gentleman because if the car had hit the tree, we would’ve had a tragedy.”
Around 100 fire fighters and mountain rescue experts were called to the scene, where they deployed helicopters and ropes to rescue the passengers from some 20 different cabins suspended on the line. The strong winds made this task extra difficult, but the rescue’s leader said the crew was prepared thanks to having practiced the difficult maneuvers in the off-season, according to the BBC.
Amazingly, no one was injured.
Marissa Payne writes for The Early Lead, a fast-breaking sports blog, where she focuses on what she calls the “cultural anthropological” side of sports, aka “mostly the fun stuff.” She is also an avid WWE fan.
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