Snowboarder spends 15 hours trapped in California ski resort gondola

A snowboarder who was reported missing in California on Thursday was found the morning after spending 15 hours trapped in a ski resort’s gondola amid freezing temperatures.

The Associated Press reported that Monica Laso was riding at Heavenly Ski Resort on Thursday and became too tired to ride down the mountain.

Instead, Laso decided to hop aboard the gondola to return to the base of the mountain at about 5 p.m.

Minutes after boarding the hanging cable car, she told Sacramento station KCRA that the gondola stopped and she was left suspended in the air.

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A skier kicks up some powder at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, April 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Dino Vournas)

Laso told the station she yelled for help but could not be heard. She was also unable to call for help because she did not have her cellphone with her.

"I screamed desperately until I lost my voice," Laso told the station in an interview in Spanish.

She also reportedly told the station she rubbed her hands and feet together in an attempt to find warmth throughout the night as temperatures dipped down to 23 degrees.

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A woman became trapped on a gondola at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, on Jan. 25, 2024, spending about 15 hours in the cable car overnight amid freezing temperatures. (George Rose/Getty Images)

Laso’s friends reportedly contacted the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday evening to report their friend was missing.

Fox News Digital reached out to the sheriff’s office with inquiries about the missing person’s report but did not immediately hear back.

On Friday morning, crews started up the gondola for the day and discovered Laso had been trapped in one of the cars overnight.

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Heavenly Ski Resort officials are investigating how a snowboarder became trapped inside one of its gondolas overnight amid freezing temperatures. (George Rose/Getty Images)

She was reportedly responsive and declined being taken to a nearby hospital.

Heavenly Ski Resort is located on the southeastern side of Lake Tahoe at the California-Nevada border.

Resort officials are investigating how Laso became trapped "with the utmost seriousness."

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"The safety and well-being of our guests is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort," Tom Fortune, the resort’s vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.