A snowboarder, identified as Monica Laso, endured a harrowing ordeal as she spent a chilling 15 hours trapped inside a ski lift gondola overnight at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe. This incident, occurring on Thursday evening, left Laso stranded high in the sky, battling freezing temperatures in an unimaginable situation.

Laso had boarded the gondola around 5 p.m. to descend the mountain after feeling exhausted from snowboarding. However, just minutes into the ride, the gondola abruptly ceased its movement, leaving her suspended mid-air, as she recounted in an interview with KCRA. Despite her desperate cries for help, no one on the ground was able to hear her pleas, and lacking her cellphone, the distressed snowboarder was unable to alert anyone of her predicament.

Throughout the long and agonizing night, Laso resorted to rubbing her hands and feet together in an attempt to fend off the bone-chilling cold. With the overnight temperatures dipping to as low as 23 degrees, she demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination to combat the freezing conditions.

Laso's absence was only reported to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office by her concerned friends on Thursday, alerting authorities to her disappearance. However, it was not until Friday morning, when the gondola resumed its operations for the day, that the ski resort staff realized Laso had spent the night trapped in the gondola. The resort management has now initiated a thorough investigation into the incident, expressing their commitment to addressing how Laso became trapped in the gondola.

Following the discovery, Laso was finally rescued when paramedics from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, at the request of sheriff's deputies, arrived at the scene around 8:30 a.m. Recounting her experience, Laso described the overwhelming relief of being freed from the gondola after enduring hours of isolation and extreme cold.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety protocols and emergency procedures in place at Heavenly Ski Resort. The sheriff's office has yet to comment on the incident, leaving questions unanswered about the sequence of events leading to Laso's entrapment.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with winter sports and the importance of being prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Skiers and snowboarders are urged to carry their cellphones and notify friends or family of their plans to ensure their safety on the slopes.

As the investigation continues, it is hoped that measures will be implemented to prevent such a distressing incident from occurring again, ensuring the safety and well-being of all visitors to Heavenly Ski Resort.