Vail ski lift "stopped operating" Sunday -- Colorado guests evacuated by rope

Vail Resorts confirmed Monday that one of the lifts at Vail, the Little Eagle chair, "stopped operating" Sunday at around noon, leading ski patrollers to perform an evacuation. An estimated 40 guests at the Colorado ski resort were helped from the lift using ropes.

"We apologize to our skiers and riders who were inconvenienced by this event," wrote Michelle Dallal, senior communications specialist for Vail Resorts.

In a statement sent to CBS Colorado, Dallal wrote: "We place the highest value on the safety of our guests and will resolve the issue before reopening Little Eagle to the public. Until then, the lift will remain closed."

Dallal did not answer questions from CBS Colorado on what caused the problem and if anyone was injured. Her statement said Vail Mountain Ski Patrol used ropes to get people off the chairs.

On social media, some commenters claimed they heard a loud noise and that a cable snapped, but Dallal did not respond to questions about those accounts.

She said it took ski patrol about 90 minutes to evacuate guests from the chairlift.