View Full Version : Blackcomb Gondola Collapse
BrumbyJack
17-12-2008, 12:38 PM
Hi, just got home from training, hearing on the radio and saw on TV that a tower on the Blackomb Gondola collapsed today.
Just snapped clean in half...
Very lucky, no serious injuries reported so far. None really expected but a pretty cold wait for the poor buggers still trapped in Gondola cars... it's just got dark here and it's still cold. Luckily Whistler isn't that cold.
Excalubur Gondola Incident
At approximately 2:30pm PST on Tuesday, December 16, a structural failure on tower 4 on Blackcomb Mountain's Excalibur Gondola caused the gondola to cease operation. No gondola cabins came off the line. There were several injuries that appear to be minor. Injured guests were treated at the Whistler Medical Clinic. The cause of the incident is unknown at this time and will be investigated, however the immediate priority has been to secure the tower and evacuate guests.
There is an upper and lower section to the Excalibur Gondola. The failed tower 4 on the lower section was secured by a crane and Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol and the Whistler Fire Department immediately implemented an emergency lift evacuation procedure. The upper section of the gondola, independent of the lower section, was unaffected by the incident and was cleared immediately of guests by normal procedure.
Fifty-three guests are being evacuated from the lower section. Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol, Whistler Fire Department, RCMP, BC Ambulance and Emergency Social Services are currently aiding in the evacuation and are extending care to guests being evacuated. The evacuation is well underway and is expected to be complete by 6:30pm. Communication to the guests still on-board is currently underway.
The Excalibur Gondola was built in 1994 and undergoes an extensive safety check every year by the BC Safety Authority. The last check took place within the past six months. Each gondola cabin holds eight people. The gondola section where the incident took place is approximate 30 feet above the ground.
A full investigation is underway by Whistler Blackcomb and the BC Safety Authority. Whistler Blackcomb will release further information as it becomes available.
BrumbyJack
17-12-2008, 12:54 PM
Link to CBC news here. (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/12/16/bc-gondola-tower-snapped.html)
From this post (http://forums.ski.com.au/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=564954#Post564954) on SI
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1460/50/77/1034353609/n1034353609_236093_2493.jpg
More pics here (http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081216/BC_blackcomb_gondola_081216/20081216?hub=BritishColumbia)
From the last link - this shot really shows it well.
http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20081216/650_bc_blackcomb_gondola_accident_081216.jpg
New gear requirement - pack a change of undies along with the extra layer!
Damn that is amazing. Glad no-one was serously hurt.
Jahoota
17-12-2008, 01:43 PM
faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark. :eek:
I hope they fix it before I get there soon!
Jahoota
17-12-2008, 02:16 PM
looks like a weld failure.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/global-video/index.html?playlist=globalnews&video=3328808&title=Whistler%20gondola%20accident
How much would the people in this one be freaking out?????!!!!!
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z59/xenamojo/650_bc_blackcomb_gondola_accident_2.jpg
Jahoota
17-12-2008, 02:32 PM
brown underpant time!
main street
17-12-2008, 02:33 PM
Some more pics....
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o91/jorb59/gond1-1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o91/jorb59/gond3-1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o91/jorb59/gond2-1.jpg
Snow Yeti
17-12-2008, 03:15 PM
Well our new Gondola at Revvie opens this weekend, I hope it'll be okay! Feel sorry for those who were involved in the collapse today!
Polaris
17-12-2008, 04:12 PM
Whoa!!!!!!!!!!
Podlettte
17-12-2008, 04:22 PM
So we're not going there are we BH and co? ;)
Glad everyone is ok, hope the person taken to Vancouver hospital is ok with nothing long lasting.
Polaris
17-12-2008, 04:38 PM
can't quite tell by the shots, but is that a compression tower?
anyone have any recollection?
Would have been an interesting ride if it was :eek:
carvit
17-12-2008, 04:59 PM
that is my worst fear..
:eek:
Podlettte
17-12-2008, 05:30 PM
what's a compression tower polly?
Polaris
17-12-2008, 05:45 PM
a tower that "holds down" the rope to the contour of the hill as opposed to a tower that holds the rope up off the ground.
I think that makes sense :confused:
Think of the tower that takes the rope down into middle station of, for example, Interceptor or Ridge chair.
Princess
17-12-2008, 05:45 PM
Damn!
It wouldn't have anything to do with the super cold temps BC has been experiencing would it?? This might be a really bad comparison, but those super heavy chains you see them use on Ice Road Truckers can easily break in the cold temps they're in. I know it's not the same thing, but the principle must be about the same yeh??? But then you'd think the cables would snap. Who knows???
Podlettte
17-12-2008, 05:49 PM
Pol - ah ok, yep I know exactly what you mean!
[ 17.12.2008, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: Podlettte ]
For a moment there when I first read the title I thought that maybe the Peak 2 Peak gondola had broken already. that'd be bad.
Legolas
17-12-2008, 07:29 PM
I can't believe it, but am so glad everyone is reasonably intact.
What a stroke of luck that no-one was badly injured. graemlins/woohoo.gif
chunky
17-12-2008, 07:43 PM
Who is comfortable now going on the gondola that has an unsupported span of 4.4km?
John Deere
17-12-2008, 09:18 PM
Originally posted by Polaris:
a tower that "holds down" the rope to the contour of the hill as opposed to a tower that holds the rope up off the ground.
I think that makes sense :confused:
Think of the tower that takes the rope down into middle station of, for example, Interceptor or Ridge chair. Back in the days of powerline stringing we called them Uplift towers as opposed to Suspension towers. The mode of failure makes sense if it was an uplift tower.
Originally posted by chunky:
Who is comfortable now going on the gondola that has an unsupported span of 4.4km? I'll tell you soon enough, whether I did or not!
10 days, 10 hrs to go!
Although I get to build my confidence up at Big White first, so won't be at Whistler till 10 Jan.
Polaris
17-12-2008, 11:31 PM
Originally posted by John Deere:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Polaris:
a tower that "holds down" the rope to the contour of the hill as opposed to a tower that holds the rope up off the ground.
I think that makes sense :confused:
Think of the tower that takes the rope down into middle station of, for example, Interceptor or Ridge chair. Back in the days of powerline stringing we called them Uplift towers as opposed to Suspension towers. The mode of failure makes sense if it was an uplift tower. </font>[/QUOTE]Exactly why I asked the question ;)
karen97
17-12-2008, 11:45 PM
Wow!! I have ridden that thing loads of times! :eek: Glad everyone is ok tho
D-Dog
18-12-2008, 08:01 AM
thats amazing how a tower can just snap like that, will be very interested to find out exactly why it did.
Official reason at this point in time is -
Several factors converged to cause the tower failure. The structure of the tower is such that two parts are spliced together. Water had seeped into the tower which had turned to ice with the recent extreme cold temperatures. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as "ice-jacking".
Paul Oberin
18-12-2008, 10:23 AM
Originally posted by Xena.:
Official reason at this point in time is -
Several factors converged to cause the tower failure. The structure of the tower is such that two parts are spliced together. Water had seeped into the tower which had turned to ice with the recent extreme cold temperatures. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as "ice-jacking". That is not a good answer, as that means it can happen over and over again, I would have felt safer if it was a weld breaking, and why did it break now, as this is not the first time that they have had such cold temperatures.
I think we will hear more at a later date.
John Deere
18-12-2008, 10:29 AM
If the tower has been spliced, I would think it was welded, if it was welded to the appropriate standard, water ingress should not occur.
I am surprised they dont do non destructive weld tests on the towers periodically.
I ahdn't heard that it was "that" cold in whistler. Inland yes but WB is on the coast and doesn't get the same stupidly cold. graemlins/cold.gif
SnowSnow
18-12-2008, 01:22 PM
Heard about this on Tripple M sydney this morning. They had a guy "logan" i think that claims he was stuck in one of them for about an hour and was fortunate to be closer to the top. Said they didn't really know what was going on that it had just stopped untill about 1/2hr had passed. yikes.
Logan Swayze - must've been the only person interviewed, because every news report quotes him. Any relation to Patrick? Can he dance too? Some peope weren't rescued for hours and were freezing their butts off.
[ 18.12.2008, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: Xena. ]
Will they get this reopened this winter??
Would be guessing the tower will require replacement and couldnt imagine that being an easy job with snow on the ground??
Don't reckon they will - lucky for the new P2P.
Paul Oberin
18-12-2008, 08:13 PM
Originally posted by TB:
Will they get this reopened this winter??
Would be guessing the tower will require replacement and couldnt imagine that being an easy job with snow on the ground?? There is a road right next to it, so it is doable, although it is really only an access chair from the Village to an Upper carpark, you can do a short walk or catch the free shuttle bus to Blackcomb and catch the chair up from their.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.11 Copyright © 2012 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.