July 9, 2008

Stringing of 28km Worth of Rope Cable Currently Underway on PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Construction

Four Track Rope Cables and One Haul Rope to be Installed Between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains

With sightseeing, mountain biking, and glacier skiing taking place on the mountains, Whistler Blackcomb's guests have been able to get up close and personal to watch the exciting construction action taking place on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. Those lucky enough to time their visit right may witness the current task of stringing 28 kilometres worth of cable across the valley. This feat of engineering is an extremely complicated process taking 12 to 14 weeks, and slated for completion by early to mid-September.

The delivery of five gargantuan reels of cable on June 17 was a huge milestone in this project's construction journey, and since that date, each reel has made the slow journey up to the Blackcomb terminal station to await stringing.

"The rope works crew has installed and tensioned the first track rope across the valley and they are currently working on the second one," says Rick Temple, Whistler Blackcomb's PEAK 2 PEAK Construction Manager. "The process of stringing the track rope is being managed by a team of 15 from the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group, lift manufacturer and ski industry leader."

After the second track rope has been installed, two additional track ropes and the haul rope will remain. Since these cables are too heavy to string across at the outset, progressively larger and larger cables have been pulled down from Blackcomb's terminal station, to Fitzsimmon's Creek in the middle, and then up Whistler Mountain's flank to the terminal station there. 

A small temporary cable lift has been built in the valley near the middle of the span which pulls each cable down the valley from Blackcomb with the help of a linear pulling machine which feeds the cable through two jaws working "hand over hand," one metre at a time, 240 metres per hour.  When the final 56mm track rope finally arrives in the valley, it is slowly hauled up Whistler's flank with a 50 ton winch until it arrives at the Whistler terminal station to be attached to an anchor bollard and threaded onto the saddles of each of the four lift towers. 

There are four track ropes to be installed across the valley, creating two stationary "train tracks" going each way across the valley. Doppelmayr's unique 3S gondola technology has each cabin traveling along these track rope cables with the 46mm haul rope cable looped across the valley and pulling in the middle of each set track. The haul rope is not stationary and will need to be spliced to create the continuous loop from Blackcomb to Whistler. 

Great progress has also been made on the Whistler and Blackcomb terminal buildings.  Guests on both mountains can check out the full immensity of the project by viewing the framework of these terminal buildings, and the machinery and concrete work taking shape inside. For those who can't make it up in person, the progress is captured daily via webcams, and weekly via photography and news updates on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola microsite at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.


Consistently ranked as North America's top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb continues to raise the level of mountain excitement for its guests. With the landmark PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola project underway, the return of the popular Symphony Amphitheatre, and a host of other on-mountain improvements, this winter promises to be one of the most exciting yet. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the spectacular 'Sea to Sky' Highway, this resort is home to the continent's two greatest vertical-rise ski mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb. With over 17 alpine bowls, four glaciers, 200 trails, 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and a one mile vertical rise, the choices of where and what to ski/ride at Whistler Blackcomb from beginner to advanced terrain are staggering. Joined at the base by a vibrant pedestrian village filled with restaurants, patios, cafes, shops, galleries and spas, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, this four season resort is spectacular. Check it all out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

About Intrawest ULC

Intrawest is a world leader in experiential destination resorts.  The company has interests in ten resorts at North America's most popular mountain destinations including Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The Intrawest network also includes Canadian Mountain Holidays, the largest heli-skiing operation in the world, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida and Club Intrawest—a private resort club with locations throughout North America.   In addition, Intrawest develops real estate at its resorts and at other locations across North America and in Europe.  Intrawest is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.intrawest.com

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Proud to be a venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games


MEDIA NOTE:  Whistler Blackcomb is pleased to provide high resolution photographs available for editorial use, and downloadable at the following link /photo/index.htm.

Please credit – Whistler Blackcomb, Location: Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia.