Nearly 70 skiers stranded in midair for hours after gondola malfunctions at popular resort

More than five dozen winter adventurers had an experience recently that likely wasn't on their agenda.

A standard evacuation was immediately launched - with trained mountain operations and ski patrol teams assisting passengers.

Some 67 guests were riding in roughly 20 cabins at the time. 

ll were returned to the ground without injuries, the department noted.

The call for assistance was made shortly after 9 a.m. The evacuation was completed before 2 p.m., leaving skiers stranded for nearly five hours, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

The gondola returned to normal operations Thursday morning, Gore Mountain said.

"Thanks to the hard work of our crew, the Northwoods Gondola has been repaired, all safety checks completed, and the lift returned to service this morning," the resort said. 

"We are grateful to our guests for their patience and cooperation."

Officials said some of the responding forest rangers had completed gondola evacuation training at Gore Mountain last fall, helping crews safely carry out the rescue.

"Safety remains our top priority, and our teams are fully trained and experienced in managing situations like this," Olympic Regional Development Authority said.

One user emphasized that he or she had no issues with keeping plans for skiing at Gore Mountain following the incident, though the person mentioned avoiding the gondola.

The site also notes that "Gore has an incredible gondola ride that warms guests while offering stunning views of the snowy slopes before it's time to zip down again."