Due to a technical defect, a gondola lift in the Kasberg ski area in Grünau im Almtal was temporarily out of service on Saturday. Mountain rescuers, Alpine police and fire brigades started a rescue operation that was successfully completed after about three hours. However, there was no risk of delay for the affected winter sports enthusiasts.
It was around noon when the 8-person gondola on the Kasberg near Grünau suddenly could no longer continue. It turned out that a technical defect in the roller area had stopped the funicular’s operation.
A so-called “break bar” was identified as the cause of the error. “An icefall, among other things, could be responsible for this,” explains Martin Trautwein, head of operations at the Grünau mountain rescue service.
At walking pace to the mountain station
After the diagnosis, the cable car was able to start running again after about 30 minutes via emergency control and the winter sports enthusiasts who had remained in their gondolas were transported at walking pace to the mountain station. “A rope rescue was not necessary,” Trautwein emphasizes.
At that time there were about 1,000 winter sports enthusiasts on Kasberg. The mountain rescue teams Grünau, Molln, Gmunden and Kremstal, a team from the Alpine Police and the Grünau fire brigade immediately started an evacuation operation, as it was initially impossible to predict how long it would take before the cable car could function normally again.
Free tea and food for those affected
Skiers are currently unable to ski to the valley due to snow conditions. About 200 therefore had to be taken by car from the Hochberghaus to the valley station. There was no panic during the operation and no one needed medical attention. The mood among the children was also relaxed. There was free tea and food for those affected. “At 2:40 p.m. the error was corrected and the railway line could be put back into normal use,” Trautwein said.
Source: Krone
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