Bolt blamed after chair falls from cable at Whistler

A single chair on Whistler Mountain's Harmony Express chairlift tumbled to the ground early Thursday morning in what resort officials are calling an isolated incident.

Intrawest, the company that owns the resort, said a problem was discovered on the lift during routine maintenance Wednesday night and the fallen chair was spotted the following morning.

The lift was shut down Thursday and Friday and an investigation involving the B.C. Safety Authority and lift manufacturer Leitner-Poma of America found that a mounting bolt had failed.

Intrawest said all similar bolts have been replaced and all parties involved are satisfied the problem has been remedied.

In December, 13 people suffered minor injuries when several cars on Whistler Blackcomb's Excalibur gondola fell to the ground.

Fifty-three people had to be plucked from the lift after an unexpected build-up of ice – known as ice-jacking – caused a tower's partial collapse.