The Winter Park Ski Patrol rescued 150 to 175 people from the resort’s gondola Saturday afternoon after what the resort described as an “operational disruption.”

Rescuers used ropes to get people to the ground, climbed ladders on chairlift towers and helped skiers and snowboarders descend the ladders. The gondola was shut down shortly after noon Saturday and the rescue operation was still ongoing four hours later, said Winter Park spokeswoman Jen Miller.

“The ski patrol has trained extensively for this,” she said, adding that it was the first time the gondola, which opened around Christmas 2018, had been evacuated. “It is very rare that an elevator even needs to be evacuated.”

No injuries were reported.

The resort ordered a new part for the gondola from the cable car’s designer, Grand Junction-based Leitner Poma of North America. Miller said it was unknown how long it would take to fix the problem.

“It’s definitely a disappointment,” she said. “But disruptions do occur and our teams are trained. It’s not an overnight solution. We are unsure how long it will take to resolve the issue.”

Photos posted on social media by skiers and snowboarders riding up the gondola showed a ski patroller at the top of a ladder at a chairlift tower. The gondola cabin next to the pole was full of people and the poster said people would be rescued from gondola cabins above and below them. “Putting on a harness,” the post said.

Another post on Instagram showed ski patrollers using red ropes to lower people from the gondola cabins to the snow below. Skiers also posted a photo of a cracked piece of metal on a lift tower.

Miller said the crack was “part of the malfunction” but that teams were still investigating the cause. “We are working with the (Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board), the manufacturer and all authorities,” she said.

“The gondola was doing what it was supposed to do and when the malfunction occurred, it stopped,” Miller said.

The 3,000-acre resort, managed by Alterra Mountain Co., operates 23 lifts, including three high-speed six-packs, six high-speed quads and the 10-person gondola. The Gondola – its name is The Gondola – opened in 2018 and replaced the high-speed quad chair called the Zephyr. With up to 75 cabins that could carry up to 3,600 skiers per hour, the gondola was one of the highest capacity gondolas in the country in 2018.