Skiers abseil to safety from Pic Blanc cable car

60 people were rescued from the Pic Blanc cable car yesterday afternoon when a mechanical problem left them stranded for 2 hours.

60 skiers and snowboarders were winched to safety

The cable car came to a halt at 10:30 on Saturday morning, 800m from the lift station and 70m above the ground.
After an initial helicopter recce mission was conducted to survey the situation for a technical anlysis. There were dramatic scenes as memebers of PGHM (mountain rescue police) were lowered into the telcabin by the rescue helicopter who then helped the trapped passengers abseil to safety.

The incident is thought to have been due to high winds causing the cables to cross over; a number of chairlifts had already been closed earlier in the day because of the weather. The lift company is currently carrying out safety checks and hopes to have the Pic Blanc cable car up and running again as soon as possible.

Source : Le Dauphiné Libéré