SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA – A snowboarder who disappeared in California on Thursday was discovered the following morning after enduring a 15-hour ordeal in a ski resort’s gondola amidst freezing conditions. Monica Laso, the snowboarder, was enjoying her day at Heavenly Ski Resort when fatigue set in, preventing her from descending the mountain.
Choosing to use the gondola to return to the base of the mountain around 5 p.m., Laso found herself in a precarious situation. Shortly after boarding the aerial lift, it came to a halt, leaving her stranded mid-air. Despite her desperate cries for help, she remained unheard due to the absence of her cellphone.
“I yelled until I was hoarse,” Laso shared in a Spanish interview. To combat the chilling 23-degree temperature, she resorted to rubbing her hands and feet together in a bid to generate warmth.
Laso’s friends, concerned about her whereabouts, reached out to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday evening. However, it wasn’t until Friday morning that the ski resort’s crew, upon starting the gondola for the day, discovered Laso trapped in one of the cars.
Despite her overnight ordeal, Laso was alert and declined the offer to be taken to a nearby hospital. Heavenly Ski Resort, situated on the southeastern side of Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, is now investigating the incident with utmost seriousness.
“The safety and well-being of our guests is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort,” stated Tom Fortune, the resort’s vice president and chief operating officer.