UPDATE: No one seriously injured in gondola crash at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

(UPDATE: March 10 @ 10:30 am) - Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has confirmed that "no one was seriously injured" when a gondola cabin fell off its line and to the ground early Monday morning.

"Based on preliminary findings, a lift hanger broke while this carrier was leaving the bottom station causing it to fall approximately one meter to the ground," said a statement from the resort Monday night.

"Our patrol team and first responders were rapidly dispatched on scene. Although there were eight passengers in the cabin, fortunately no one was seriously injured during the incident."

According to the Kicking Horse Mountain website, eight is maximum capacity for the Golden Eagle Express gondola.

Passengers were reportedly trapped inside the fallen gondola and it took several hours for trained safety teams to extract them using rope and helicopter rescue.

“Our sincere apologies go out to every one of our guests who have had to go through this experience today, and we thank them all for their patience and understanding," noted Richard Oszust, area manager.

A full inspection of the Golden Eagle Express gondola was initiated Monday and it will remain closed until further notice.

While Kicking Horse Mountain shut down for the day following the incident, it has partially reopened today with the essentially just the bottom half of the mountain open to the public.

"Terrain above the Pioneer Chair will be closed as there will not be mountain safety response and avalanche control available," the resort's statement added.

(Original story: March 10 @ 1:20 pm) - A scary incident at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort this morning has shut down the ski hill’s operation for the day.

Early in the morning of a busy day at the mountain following a dump of snow overnight, a gondola cabin fell off its line and crashed to the ground just seconds into its journey.

“At 9:20 am, an incident occurred involving a cabin at the base terminal of Golden Eagle Express gondola,” said a statement from the resort in Golden, BC. “Our patrol team and first responders were rapidly dispatched on scene.”

The statement added that Kicking Horse’s trained maintenance team worked to unload passengers who had become trapped inside the cabin.

The Golden Eagle Express gondola has a capacity of eight people per ride.

“A full inspection has been initiated to determine and analyze root causes,” the resort explained. “Teams from the manufacturer and relevant authorities have been called in to further assist.”

The resort will be closed for the remainder of the day and the Golden Eagle Express will be shuttered until further notice.

There has been no official word on potential injuries suffered during this morning’s incident, but the location of the fall likely prevented it from being a major catastrophe.

Witnesses say the cabin only fell about 10-15 feet, a far cry from the distance it could have plummeted if it was in the middle of its journey up the mountain.