Woman gets trapped on gondola for 15 hours overnight at American ski resort

In a bizarre story that reads like something out of a horror movie, a woman was stuck on a gondola overnight at Heavenly Mountain Resort. A spokesperson from Heavenly confirmed that the woman was found on Friday morning after the ordeal and after being on the lift during nighttime hours.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort. We are investigating this situation with the utmost seriousness,” said Tom Fortune, VP and COO of Heavenly Mountain Resort and the Tahoe Region, of the incident.

According to reporting from CNN, the woman’s friends reported her missing when they were unable to contact her on Thursday night, but it wasn’t until the following morning that her location would be discovered. She did not have a phone with her at the time.

CNN reports that the woman entered the gondola from the slopes to head down the mountain after becoming too tired to continue down the hill. The gondola was then turned off for the night about two minutes after she got in.

According to local news station KCRA, the woman screamed for help until she lost her voice, ultimately forced to fight the cold by rubbing her feet and hands together in attempt to stay warm.

Between 5 p.m. when the gondola was turned off and around 8 a.m. when she was discovered, she spent a reported 15 hours in the gondola cabin.

NBC News reports that the woman was given a medical assessment by first responders, but refused further transport for additional care.

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A gondola at Heavenly Mountain. Stock photo. Photo Credit: Sundry Photography (iStock). (Sundry Photography)
A gondola at Heavenly Mountain. Stock photo. Photo Credit: Sundry Photography (iStock). (Sundry Photography)

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