Blackcomb Gondola Stage 2 – Whistler Blackcomb, BC
The upper section of the Blackcomb Gondola runs from near the top of Excalibur to the Rendezvous.Lift line just above the bottom terminal.View up the line.Cabins can run the whole line with the first section or be turned around at the middle station.Angle station seen from above.Another look at the intermediate station.There are two rails for transferring cabins between the lifts and parking facility.Parking rail for section 2.Cabin parking entrance.Cabins turning around on the upper segment.Towers 1 and 2.Loading area for stage II.Unloading area at the top.Rendezvous station.Multiple cabins load at once on the straightaway.Operator house and drive terminal.Side view of the very long station.Two generators provide backup power.A cabin departs the top with Whistler Mountain in the background.View down from the summit.Top terminal seen from below.The last three towers before the summit.Dual generators.Another view of the breakover.Terminal underskin.Looking up a the top terminal.A four section splice tower.View down the lift line.A CWA Omega IV 10 LWIUpper part of the lift line.Middle lift line.Lower part of the line near the old Solar Coaster station.Mid-station seen from above.Side view of the mid.Cabin parking building.The bottom return station for section two.A cabin arrives at the mid-station.The top terminal seen from Jersey Creme.
Why are they running it as two different sections? I really think that at the end of the day on Excalibur when they make you get out at the mid, that they should only run the first section and not both. It seems like a waste of energy and a valuable feature.
They are probably having issues with the connector rails. Sometimes Killington will run the Skyeship Gondola as two separate stages for this reason. Problem is on the Blackcomb Gondola the terminals at the mid are too short to only load on the straights and the turnarounds are geared faster than the straights. This means they have to run it super slow so that people can load on the turnarounds.
Wind can also be a big factor. Given they weren’t allowing people to use the ski racks outside of the gondola that day I would assume it was pretty windy that day. That’s probably why they’d run it like that.
I really like how they lowered the elevation of the mid station of this lift all while ensuring the traverse down to excelerator remained within the constraints of the location. They did a really good job designing this. The runs are now quite long so I don’t care very much that I have to take my skis off.
The midstation is the top station for Stage 1 and the bottom station for Stage 2, with two seperate haul ropes and bullwheels. Cabins are passed through on the rails when they arrive to go from one stage to the next – if there are any issues they can close the contours so that the cabins are turned around in the midstation and are sent back on their respective stages. Typically used when the top stage has a wind hold or other weather event – this allows them to still operate the bottom section. It takes about 20-30 minutes to switch from single section to separate sections (and vice versa) if needed.
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BEauty lift eh? 4,000 per hour capacity. When it is running of course.
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Why are they running it as two different sections? I really think that at the end of the day on Excalibur when they make you get out at the mid, that they should only run the first section and not both. It seems like a waste of energy and a valuable feature.
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They are probably having issues with the connector rails. Sometimes Killington will run the Skyeship Gondola as two separate stages for this reason. Problem is on the Blackcomb Gondola the terminals at the mid are too short to only load on the straights and the turnarounds are geared faster than the straights. This means they have to run it super slow so that people can load on the turnarounds.
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Wind can also be a big factor. Given they weren’t allowing people to use the ski racks outside of the gondola that day I would assume it was pretty windy that day. That’s probably why they’d run it like that.
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Both gondolas at snowbasin have ropes on the doors so they can secure skis and boards on windy days. WB should get them too.
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Is this the highest capacity lift in North America?
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No, the Squaw Valley Funitel has slightly higher capacity
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As of December 2023, I believe the Adventure 8 at Mount St Louis Moonstone has took that title for the highest capacity ski lift in North America.
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Did this lift replace Solar Coaster and Wizard?
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Yes it did
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I really like how they lowered the elevation of the mid station of this lift all while ensuring the traverse down to excelerator remained within the constraints of the location. They did a really good job designing this. The runs are now quite long so I don’t care very much that I have to take my skis off.
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I think there’s a typo in photo 26. “Looking up a the top terminal.” Did they mean at?
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how does the lift go from 2 diffrent sections to one section
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The midstation is the top station for Stage 1 and the bottom station for Stage 2, with two seperate haul ropes and bullwheels. Cabins are passed through on the rails when they arrive to go from one stage to the next – if there are any issues they can close the contours so that the cabins are turned around in the midstation and are sent back on their respective stages. Typically used when the top stage has a wind hold or other weather event – this allows them to still operate the bottom section. It takes about 20-30 minutes to switch from single section to separate sections (and vice versa) if needed.
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