ORDA and DEC staff participate in ski-lift evacuation training at the Gore Mountain ski area’s Northwoods Gonolda on Nov. 20, 2025. Forest rangers and mountain staff performed an actual evacuation on that same lift on Wednesday after a mechanical failure, assisting 67 people safely down to the ground from 20 gondola cabins. (Provided photo — New York state Department of Environmental Conservation)

NORTH CREEK — A mechanical issue forced the Gore Mountain ski area to evacuate its Northwoods Gondola on Wednesday.

The ordeal began around 9 a.m. when the gondola came to a halt. In total, 67 people from 20 cabins on the lift were safely evacuated by mountain staff and about a dozen state Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers.

There were no reported injuries, although some were stuck in the cabins awaiting rescuers for almost five hours, according to a statement from the DEC and several reports posted to the “Gore Mountain Skiing” Facebook page. A DEC spokesperson said the evacuation process concluded shortly before 2 p.m.

Gondola cabins, while not heated, are fully enclosed with windows, offering riders considerably more protection from the elements than chairlifts. The Northwoods Gondola, like most ski lifts, has a diesel-powered backup engine to run it in the event that the primary electric-powered motor becomes unusable.

However, this stoppage didn’t appear to have anything to do with a power issue. The state Olympic Regional Development Authority’s Director of Communications, Darcy Norfolk Rowe said that one of the gondola tower’s wheel assemblies, known as a sheave, had moved out of alignment and triggered a safety sensor that shut off power to the lift.

The rope is not meant to remain in motion once the sheave is out of alignment, resulting in the evacuation. Norfolk Rowe said that at no point did the rope itself — which holds the gondola cabins — slip as a result of the unalignment. The lift remained closed the rest of Wednesday.

“The issue has been identified as a non-emergency mechanical alignment matter involving one component of the lift system,” she wrote in an email. “The gondola was stopped immediately in accordance with established safety protocols.”

Gore Mountain is one of three Alpine ski centers, along with Whiteface and Belleayre mountains, that is operated by ORDA.

Norfolk Rowe said that ORDA held debriefing meetings on Wednesday evening. She added that ORDA regretted the disruption to guests, and appreciated their patience throughout the evacuation.

Both ORDA staff and DEC forest rangers train regularly on lift evacuation procedures, most recently on Nov. 20, 2025. That training occurred on the same lift as Wednesday’s actual evacuation.

“Safety remains our top priority, and our teams are fully trained and experienced in managing incidents of this nature,” Norfolk Rowe wrote.

The evacuation process involves using harnesses and rope systems. Rescuers climb up the closest uphill tower to a cabin, and traverse down along the ski lift’s haul rope — guided by a team on the ground steadying the rescuer’s harness rope, which is slung up and over the haul rope — to reach the cabin.

The rescuer then belays into the cabin, manually opening the doors. Once inside the gondola, rescuers affix a harness to those in the cabin, one at a time, and slowly and safely lower them to the ground. It’s unclear if there was one or multiple rescue teams working simultaneously on Wednesday, or how the cabin evacuation order was determined.

The majority of the Northwoods Gondola’s lift line runs over an intermediate-rated ski trail, making for an easier exit once skiers, snowboarders and their gear reached the ground. Some of the lift, however, runs off piste, over steep and rugged terrain — adding another layer of complexity to getting evacuees back on the slopes.

This appeared to be an isolated incident, as no other operations at Gore sustained any mechanical failures on Wednesday. A handful of chairlifts and trails were temporarily closed, however, so the mountain could surge its staff resources to the gondola evacuation.

It’s unclear when the gondola may reopen or what subsequent repairs and inspections may need to take place.

“The Gore Mountain team will continue to review the mechanical issue and will return the gondola to service only after all operational and safety requirements have been fully met,” Norfolk Rowe wrote.

The Northwoods Gondola was originally installed in 1999 by the lift manufacturer Poma, though some of its components have been upgraded since, such as the gondola cabins, which were replaced ahead of the 2024-25 ski season.

It replaced the famed “Old Red Gondola,” which was installed in 1967, which ran from Gore’s base area to the summit. In contrast, the Northwoods Gondola runs from the base to the summit of Bear Mountain, a lower peak within the ski area.

For the latest conditions updates from Gore Mountain, visit goremountain.com/the-mountain/conditions/.