Garfield Lift

This afternoon, Saturday, January 4, at 3:24 pm, Monarch Mountain Ski Patrol responded to a mechanical issue on the Garfield lift, 43 people were safely evacuated from the lift and there were no injuries.

I would like to acknowledge the professionalism and dedication of the Monarch Mountain Ski Patrol, Lift Maintenance, and Base Area Services teams, which train extensively for this and other scenarios.

A full investigation is underway. More details will be added to this post as they become available.

Garfield Lift Update – Sunday – January 5

The Garfield Lift is up and running after experiencing a mechanical issue on Saturday afternoon.  This situation led to a manual (rope) evacuation of 22 guests from the lift.  As this evacuation work was taking place, our Lift Maintenance team was concurrently working to address the issue at hand.  In approximately one hour, our Lift Mechanics had the Garfield Lift functioning once again.

After consultation with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB), and under the direct supervision of our Lift Maintenance team, the remaining 21 guests were able to safely ride the lift up to the top terminal under its normal electric drive system.

The duration from when the issue first occurred to when the last guest unloaded at the top ramp was approximately an hour and a half.  All guests and personnel were accounted for and safely returned to the base area prior to dark setting in on Saturday evening.

Our Lift Maintenance team arrived early in the morning on Sunday to conduct more thorough repairs to the lift.  Once this work was complete, and after further consultation with the CPTSB, the lift was determined to be safe to operate.  The Garfield Lift re-opened at 10:20 am on Sunday and operated throughout the day without further incident.

Again, I would like to thank the many departments at Monarch that helped in coordinating the response during this incident.  These departments included Ski Patrol, Lift Maintenance, Lift Operations, Base Area Services, Vehicle Maintenance, Cat Skiing, Snow Sports School, Food and Beverage, Human Resources, Sales and Ticketing, Marketing, and Administration.  The dedication of our team and willingness to help and care for our guests and one another is incredible and truly what makes Monarch such a special place.