Stratton, Vermont — Thunder! Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Thunder! Ahhhhhh. I’m sorry, folks. I had to get that out of the way, as that song has been stuck in my head since I heard about this news.
This week, Stratton Mountain Resort’s gondola was thunderstruck. A direct lightning strike hit the gondola, and while the location of the strike was unspecified, it was enough to close the lift temporarily. The reopening date hasn’t been announced, but it won’t operate this weekend.
For now, Stratton will have scenic chairlift rides off the American Express chairlift. Due to the inconvenience, lift tickets will be 50% off. This isn’t a major inconvenience for Stratton, as they already use the AmEx chairlift for its mountain biking park.
UTV Tours to the summit will be available, as Stratton will offer one free passenger ticket for every driver purchased. The Kids Firetower Hike that was scheduled for Saturday has been canceled.
The replacement of the gondola, installed in 1988, is among Stratton’s top priorities for the future. You can read more about those plans from Shaun Sutner of the Worcester Telegram here.
Hopefully, it won’t be long before the gondola says, “Yeah, it’s alright, we’re doing fine.”
Image Credits: Stratton Mountain Resort, AC/DC