Sea to Sky Gondola

Sea to Sky Gondola Reopening February 14th

Peter Landsman7 Comments

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188 days after someone brazenly cut its haul rope in the middle of the night, the Sea to Sky Gondola will again lift sightseers above Howe Sound on Valentine’s Day.  The weekend will be a celebration of hard work by many people to get the nearly six year-old gondola back in action.  Fatzer and CWA fast-tracked a new rope and cabins from Switzerland while the Sea to Sky team and partners worked to remove damaged components by helicopter.  The new haul rope arrived October 24th and was pulled and spliced in just a few days.  By December, thirty new cabins had reached Squamish.  Final certification by the BC Safety Authority is scheduled for the first week of February.  In a silver lining, nine of the original undamaged cabins will be saved to bring the gondola to final capacity some time in the future.

“We are opening earlier than anticipated and the task has been huge,” said Kirby Brown, Sea to Sky Gondola General Manager.  “Our industry partners were there every step of the way, from assisting in the clean-up and assessing needs to delivering major components with absolutely no notice.  Our amazing team rose to the challenge and have done everything required to get us back up and running as quickly as possible,” he continued.  “Our community stood by the gondola and showed us overwhelming support, confidence, and love through the last six months, and for that, we are so grateful.”

The culprit(s) have not been publicly identified or apprehended but security has been increased.  “The fact that the main haul cable was completely severed was, and still is, shocking, and the investigation with the RCMP is ongoing,” said Brown.  “However, we want our guests to know they can travel to the summit on the Sea to Sky Gondola with complete confidence.  Our protocols would never allow the line to run if there was any damage to the cable and the security measures installed since the incident will ensure the gondola is secure and protected from any other criminal activity.”

To celebrate its reopening, the gondola will offer 50 percent off tickets all Valentine’s weekend.

News Roundup: Stalking Horse

Peter Landsman6 Comments

News Roundup: Unboxing

Peter Landsman16 Comments
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  • Berkshire East and Catamount owner Jon Schaefer finds success staying away from detachable lifts and acquiring used lifts from across the country.
  • Ikon Pass sales rose 60 percent over last year.
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  • Frost Fire, ND reopens after a missed season.
  • A 3S gondola to Snowbird and Alta would cost more than $300 million to build and $12 million a year to operate.
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  • The Forest Service green lights construction of a new Big Burn lift at Snowmass.
  • A new version of Eagle’s Rest comes Jackson Hole.
  • A downed tree causes extended stops at Silver Mountain.
  • The one year old Blackcomb Gondola went down Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
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  • Copper’s Tucker Mountain becomes lift served for the first time today.
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Peter Landsman12 Comments
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  • New Sea to Sky Gondola cabins arrive in Squamish.
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News Roundup: SkyDream

Peter Landsman7 Comments

News Roundup: A Late Addition

Peter Landsman16 Comments
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  • Thanks to Collin Parsons for these awesome photos of the gondola construction at the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex.

 

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Peter Landsman10 Comments
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  • Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visits Granite Peak to see how lifts are inspected and learn about a proposed expansion.
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  • The new Gould Academy T-Bar at Sunday River will be open to the public whenever four or more major chairlifts go on hold.
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  • The Swiss gondola which lost a cabin on October 20th reopens.

News Roundup: Seven Meters

Peter Landsman9 Comments
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  • The opening of the first lift at Skeetawk is pushed back to midwinter due to delays with SkyTrans’ other project in Illinois.
  • Maine’s Eaton Mountain will not operate this season.
  • Leitner and Kitzbühel partner to build Austria’s fastest monocable ropeway which will travel 7 m/s at a cost of $30 million.
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News Roundup: Wish Lists

Peter Landsman13 Comments

News Roundup: Super Cool

Peter Landsman21 Comments