LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — The installation of two brand-new, state-of-the-art tram cabins at Snowbird is not quite going as planned.
The popular Salt Lake area resort announced earlier this year that it would be replacing the 50-year-old cabins between April and June — hoping to have the new versions functioning for the start of the resort's summer season.
But an accident has derailed those plans, and now Snowbird might have to make do with just one cabin to transport visitors to the summit of Hidden Peak.
The Doppelmayr manufacturing group was working to install the new cabins Saturday afternoon when one of them was damaged.
"There was an equipment malfunction and the cabin was damaged in the accident," said Dave Fields, the resort's president and general manager.
He was unable to confirm whether it fell to the ground or any other details about the accident, but he said the tram cabin "will likely not be reusable."
No injuries were reported.
Fields said Snowbird is working with Doppelmayr, who also built the cabins, to determine exactly what happened.
Now, he said the resort will hopefully have one working tram cabin for the summer season.
They are also working with the manufacturer to figure out how to get two operational cabins before the next ski/snowboard season starts.
The pair of red and blue tram cars will have special features for summertime passengers to enjoy, such as glass floor panels and a rooftop deck for up to 15 people.
