whistler blackcomb gondola tower collapse

[skiing is life]

people trapped and injured. its on the news. three cars are totaled. mind boggling about how something that structuraly strong could break.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081216/BC_blackcomb_gondola_081216/20081216?hub=TopStories

 

[RootDKJ]

wow, that is amazing, hope everything turns out ok

 

[ski220]

Heard that there was some type of auto accident and a car hit the tower. must have gone flying off the road.

 

[bvibert]

Wow! I hope everyone is ok! That's got to be a pretty freaky failure. I'd like to hear more about what actually happened.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I know Whistler had issues with YAN lifts about a decade and a half ago..wow..bad publicity..

 

[2Planker]

MSN Link


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28268812/

 

[davidhowland14]

the story I heard said the bolts holding the tower to the pilings sheared off. But that's just what someone said on TGR, so don't take it as the gospel truth. vibes to those injured and trapped.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

I know Whistler had issues with YAN lifts about a decade and a half ago..wow..bad publicity..

Everyone had issues with Yan lifts. Detachables, specifically. But the man was genius. Most of today's detachable technology that we all take for granted was the brainchild of Yanek Kunczynski.


This is an interesting failure. I really wish news reporters who write about this stuff would at least start using the term "wire rope" (or even just "rope" for that matter) in place of "cable." There's a big difference!

 

[bvibert]

I really wish news reporters who write about this stuff would at least start using the term "wire rope" (or even just "rope" for that matter) in place of "cable." There's a big difference!

Not to most people.

 

[drjeff]

Man when I first read that headline I thought that it was their brand new $50million peak2peak gondola that just opened last week.

 

[wa-loaf]

Man when I first read that headline I thought that it was their brand new $50million peak2peak gondola that just opened last week.

That was my first thought too! :-o

 

[bvibert]

That was my first thought too! :-o

Same here. Now that could have been a real disaster!

 

[davidhowland14]

explanation I heard on TGR form someone hypothesizing is that water could have filled up inside the tower, and then with the recent solid cold (-25) it froze, expanded, and popped the bolts. any lift mechanics here have any input on that?

 

[BushMogulMaster]

explanation I heard on TGR form someone hypothesizing is that water could have filled up inside the tower, and then with the recent solid cold (-25) it froze, expanded, and popped the bolts. any lift mechanics here have any input on that?

Doesn't sound likely to me.

There could be all sorts of explanations resulting in a dramatic change in the dynamic forces acting on the tower.

I don't want to speculate without a LOT more details.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

 

[davidhowland14]

here's the original post from TGR

not saying this is what happened but,
2 yrs ago all ski areas everywhere got the memo to check all 2 and 3 part towers for water inside the towers.
towers are hollow,they are capped w/ a weld.
2 and 3 part towers are bolted together like big legos, not capped w/ a weld.
when the lift is installed, sealant is applied between the tower parts.
somewhere in the northeast one of these seals failed,and filled the tower with water during the next thunderstorm. enter winter, within a couple cold nights the tower froze solid. it snapped during the night as snowmakers were using it.
the tower snapped right at the bolts where part one meets part two. expansion of ice pushed the bolts/tower apart.
all lift mechanics everywhere were supposed to immediatly and manually check each tower by tapping it at the base to listen for hollow or solid sounds.

not saying thats what happened here, but thats the only time i have ever heard of a tower breaking like that.

it seems likely to me, but im not expert.

 

[Method9455]

Seems plausible, looking at the picture above the top of the bottom tube is white. If it were empty it should be darker than the tube. The white says to me there is ice in there.

Could be another explanation, but seems logical.

You would think there would be some drain holes if this were a problem

 

[BushMogulMaster]

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Could be, based on the photos. Not sure yet.

Sucks, regardless of causation.

 

[drjeff]

About 11PM Tuesday night, it was the top story on CNN's right column of stories Just the kind of PR that W/B loves just over a year from the Olympics