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Construction Crews Destroy One of Snowbird's New Tram Cabins

ss20

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Updated KSL story has Dopp saying they'll get a new cabin by winter.
"One of the new cabins was damaged and Doppelmayr has indicated it will be replaced in time for the 2022-23 winter season. Doppelmayr is also working on a plan to have at least partial tram service operational for this summer."
 

deadheadskier

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Has there been a reasonable explanation as to how they screwed up and caused the accident?
 

jaytrem

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Has there been a reasonable explanation as to how they screwed up and caused the accident?
image-asset.jpeg
 

ss20

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Has there been a reasonable explanation as to how they screwed up and caused the accident?

Here's a pic from twitter right after it fell. Everything looks intact... I would think either the million-dollar+ precision engineered cabin had a structural failure or Bob and Joe got the rigging wrong after skimming the manual on their United Rentals equipment... gee wonder what it could be ;)

FT82X2OUsAEddu7
 

thetrailboss

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Here's a pic from twitter right after it fell. Everything looks intact... I would think either the million-dollar+ precision engineered cabin had a structural failure or Bob and Joe got the rigging wrong after skimming the manual on their United Rentals equipment... gee wonder what it could be ;)

FT82X2OUsAEddu7
There appears to be a short 35-second video of the accident posted in response to the Tweet posted by David Amirault. I’ve read that the rigging failed. Apparently Doppelmayr is taking full responsibility for the incident (or saying they are) and trying to make it right. As many of you know they have the largest share of the ski lift market. Additionally, Poma-Leitner has moved in to Utah and is giving them some competition. Poma has done some fairly high profile projects such as the last six pack at Snowbasin and the new Sunnyside lift at Alta. So obviously they want to make this right.
 

drjeff

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I guess if this had to happen (from a fabricate a new one standpoint) this isn't the worst time of the year, since the cabn manufacturers have typically completed most, if not all of their cabins for installation in projects for the next ski season for their Northern hemisphere clients by now to allow for shipping times prior to installation, and while they likely do have some projects for Southern Hemisphere Clients as well as non ski resort based projects going, I would suspect that those aren't of the volume as the Northern hemisphere ski industry orders are. Most of their fabrocation work for projects for the '23-'24 Northern Hemisphere ski season as I understand it, don't start ramping up from the fabrication standpoint until late in a year when resort operators have started signing contracts for the following season for new installations/cabin upgrades

Wish them luck in getting this project done on time.

And from having heard her interviewed on a couple of ski industry podcast before, Dopp USA's CEO, Katharina Schmitz, comes across as a very competent, "here's the problem, lets solve it now" type leader, whom I am guessing if needed would put her own engineering backgorund to use if her team needed it on this project
 
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drjeff

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Wow. Very lucky someone did not get hurt or killed. There could have been one or two guys below with guide ropes in addition to spotters.
Or just as bad, as I am guessing that not too long after the cabin would of been positioned into place by the crane under the hanger mechanism, you would need to have a workman, or a few of them, on top of the cabin to presumably verify the postioning of the cabin on the hanger arm and then place and tighten the connecting bolts. I am sure their safety harnesses would of been connected to something, but would that of been the cabin or the hanging arm or both? :dontknow: :dontknow:
 

jimmywilson69

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with how low that was to the ground they likely would've been in man lifts or tethered to something that wasn't the actual cabin. Still this could've resulted in Deaths and severe injuries. glad we're just talking about the replacing a cabin.
 

thetrailboss

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with how low that was to the ground they likely would've been in man lifts or tethered to something that wasn't the actual cabin. Still this could've resulted in Deaths and severe injuries. glad we're just talking about the replacing a cabin.
I think one can see a man lift in the picture.
 

ceo

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Here's a pic from twitter right after it fell. Everything looks intact... I would think either the million-dollar+ precision engineered cabin had a structural failure or Bob and Joe got the rigging wrong after skimming the manual on their United Rentals equipment... gee wonder what it could be ;)
I read somewhere, probably LiftBlog, that it was a Doppelmayr crew doing the install.
 

thetrailboss

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I read somewhere, probably LiftBlog, that it was a Doppelmayr crew doing the install.
That's my understanding as well which makes it all more confusing.

Of course, like everyone else, it is hard right now to find good help. Perhaps this was the JV team doing this job. I would hope not considering the size and scope of the work. This was not a T-Bar install on a local ski hill--it was a replacement of a signature lift in Dopp's backyard.
 

Dickc

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That's my understanding as well which makes it all more confusing.

Of course, like everyone else, it is hard right now to find good help. Perhaps this was the JV team doing this job. I would hope not considering the size and scope of the work. This was not a T-Bar install on a local ski hill--it was a replacement of a signature lift in Dopp's backyard.
I would assume (there is that word!) that many on the install crew are locals hired for the duration. Its any ones guess if some of theses locals were in the hanging crew or if it was all Dopp Professionals.
 

ss20

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I would assume (there is that word!) that many on the install crew are locals hired for the duration. Its any ones guess if some of theses locals were in the hanging crew or if it was all Dopp Professionals.

My understanding is that the crew's are led by someone from dopp\poma but other than that yes it is local talent. But they all (in a normal year) have decent mechanical knowledge or a construction background. I considered working on the Sunnyside 6 lift crew this summer but after talking to a few guys who were on the Supreme lift crew from a few years ago determined it wasn't for me.
 
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