Peak 2 Peak Gondola
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a cable car near Whistler (British Columbia) , Canada , which connects the two ski areas on Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Peak across the steep and deeply cut valley of Fitzsimmons Creek. Between the "valley station" on the plateau below the summit of Whistler Mountain ( 2181 m ) and the "mountain station" at Blackcomb Peak ( 2436 m ) there is only a difference in altitude of 255 m, but a distance of 4.4 km (as the crow flies). According to the operating company, the two stations are the largest cable car stations in the world. On each side there are two cable car supports between 35 and 65 m high , with a free span of 3,024 m in between. Although the ropes sag significantly at this distance, the gondolas are at the lowest point of the ride across the valley 450 feet above Fitzsimmons Creek.
history
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a 3S gondola built by the Doppelmayr / Garaventa Group in 2007 and 2008 . The 28 detachable gondolas for 28 people each (22 seats, 6 standing places) hang on two permanently installed suspension ropes and are moved by an evenly circulating, endlessly spliced pull rope at a speed of up to 7.5 m / s (27 km / h) . In the stations, they are automatically uncoupled from the pull rope and slowed down to get off. Then they drive around the curve to the boarding area, hanging on rails. Finally, every 49 seconds a gondola is accelerated, coupled to the pulling rope again and driven onto the two carrying ropes in the opposite direction. The cable car has a capacity of 2,500 people per hour and in each direction. At night, the gondolas are hung from sidings and driven into the garages of the two stations. The gondolas are painted red except for two silver gondolas that have a glass floor.
The 4 suspension ropes with a diameter of 56 mm each have a length of 4,600 m (including the length required for the anchoring and the tension weights) and a weight of 90 t each. The pulling rope with a diameter of 46 mm is 8,850 m long and weighs 80 t. The ropes were manufactured by the Swiss company Fatzer AG and wound onto cable drums, which were brought by ship to Vancouver and from there with special transporters to Blackcomb Mountain.
The Peak to Peak Gondola is designed for wind speeds of up to 80 km / h. Tests on other 3S lifts were carried out at wind speeds of up to 120 km / h. The gondolas are equipped with a radar warning device ( Obstacle Collision Avoidance System ), which warns aircraft of the cable car crossing the valley.
See also
Web links
- Website of the operating company (English)
Coordinates: 50 ° 4 ′ 10.5 ″ N , 122 ° 56 ′ 44.8 ″ W.