Palisades Tahoe Aerial Tram
The Palisades Tahoe Aerial Tram is a long aerial tramway at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort in Olympic Valley, California. It was inaugurated in 1968, and was called the Cable Car. At its opening, it was the largest tramway in the world, built by the Swiss company Garaventa. It carries passengers from the Base Camp at 6,200 feet elevation to High Camp at 8,200 feet elevation. The tram operates year-round.
1978 disaster
During a blizzard in 1978 a tram car carrying 44 passengers became dislodged from one of the two cables. It fell before the second cable halted its fall, causing the car to bounce back up.The cable that had become disconnected sprung upwards and broke its connection to the tower. The 17-ton cable fell downwards slicing into the rebounding car, instantly killing three passengers. The final casualties were 4 killed and 22 injured.