Gondy accident??!!

i've heard that the towers were supposed to be seal and were. and water got in and froze

looks like a real possibility.

was derwood driving?

Not this time,although I did go for a look see shortly after.

….bunch o' frakin' whiners…..

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Yea ok!, you know mike trick? My friend said he was in the one that hit the ground. But she didnt say if he is okay. Any word ?

Operations to resume following final inspections at Whistler Blackcomb

Contact: Public Relations

604-938-7668

[email protected]

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB OPERATIONS TO RESUME FOLLOWING BC SAFETY AUTHORITY SECONDARY INSPECTION

WHISTLER BC, December 17, 2008 [HTML_REMOVED]#8211; Early this morning, the British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA), in conjunction with Whistler Blackcomb, will complete a secondary inspection of mountain lifts currently in operation. A preliminary inspection across Whistler and Blackcomb was undertaken throughout the night by a team of 20 lift maintenance staff. After determining the cause of yesterday[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s tower failure on Blackcomb Mountain[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s Excalibur Gondola, and reviewing all similar tower structures to confirm that no similar issues exist, the BCSA is expected to confirm Whistler Blackcomb[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s findings that the integrity of other towers have not been compromised.

Whistler Mountain will open for regular morning operations as early as 7:30am, as the Whistler Village Gondola and the Creekside Gondola are different types of lift installations and have different tower structures. Remaining Whistler Mountain lifts as well as Blackcomb Mountain lifts are expected to open when the secondary inspection by BCSA is complete; Whistler lifts by 8:30am and Blackcomb lifts by midday. The one exception is the Excalibur Gondola, which will remain closed.

Tuesday afternoon at approximately 2:30pm, a structural failure on tower 4 of the Excalibur Gondola caused the gondola to cease operation. All gondola cabins remained on the line; however a number of the cabins dropped approximately 30 feet with the sagging span, and two cabins hit the ground, injuring several people. Twelve guests were treated at the Whistler Medical Clinic and all walked out on their own accord later that evening. A total of 53 people were evacuated off the affected lower line of the gondola. The evacuation was completed by 5:51pm.

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 [HTML_REMOVED]#8220;ice-jacking[HTML_REMOVED]#8221;.

[HTML_REMOVED]#8220;As always, our top priority is for the safety and well-being of our resort guests and employees,[HTML_REMOVED]#8221; says Doug Forseth, senior vice president of operations. [HTML_REMOVED]#8220;Whistler Blackcomb will delay opening some of our lifts this morning until the BCSA can confirm our findings and provide a secondary inspection. After the work conducted throughout last night by our own lift maintenance team, and a secondary inspection that will be completed this morning by the BCSA, access to all our operational lifts, with the exception of the Excalibur Gondola, is expected to be available by midday.[HTML_REMOVED]#8221;

Yesterday[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s evacuation of 53 people was completed within three and a half hours of the tower failure. [HTML_REMOVED]#8220;I would like to recognize the concerted efforts of the Whistler Fire Department, RCMP, BC Ambulance Services and Emergency Medical Services, in conjunction with the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol, for an incredible response effort,[HTML_REMOVED]#8221; says Forseth. [HTML_REMOVED]#8220;We are extremely thankful that no-one was seriously injured in this incident.[HTML_REMOVED]#8221;

The Excalibur Gondola is a Doppelmayr lift, and was installed in 1994. A world-leader in lift design and manufacturing, Doppelmayr lifts are in operation throughout the world and their safety record is excellent.

For further information about Whistler Blackcomb operating hours, open lifts, snow conditions and open terrain, please visit www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

Do the people in the cabins get free season's passes and gear?

I'd push for that.

I wouldn't needlessly sue though, but I'm sure some Americans are.

Welding failure on the tower and the recent extreme cold temps??

ouch!

Do the people in the cabins get free season's passes and gear?

I'd push for that.

I wouldn't needlessly sue though, but I'm sure some Americans are.

I heard that a few years ago people got stuck on the peak chair for a few hours in a storm and they all got lifetime passes. This was a friend of a friend of a friend though, so I'm not sure how accurate that is.

Do the people in the cabins get free season's passes and gear?

I'd push for that.

I wouldn't needlessly sue though, but I'm sure some Americans are.

i'm thinking the average canadian would get a free hot chocolate, walk to the medical centre themselves and call it a day

if there was an american in the gondie this will be in the courts for years

Wow! just heard about it, sure it was pretty scary for all involved and well done to those who helped everyone down. Couple of things come to mind, shouldn't these things be designed to handle extreme freezing temps and the peak to peak is looking a lot more useful all of a sudden.

^all the p2pers can now say i told you so

i'm thinking the average canadian would get a free hot chocolate, walk to the medical centre themselves and call it a day

And bitch slap the Yankie Touron for whining like a ass raped Whiskey Jack.

And bitch slap the Yankie Touron for whining like a ass raped Whiskey Jack.

no, the average one would look at them with a mix of pity and disgust, shake their head, kneel down and whisper in their kid's ear "see, thats why you are not allowed to play baseball instead of hockey"

Let's keep in mind the overall picture. This being in like 30 years there has been only 2 major incidents in Whistler involving chairlifts. This one and the Quicksilver incident. And the Quicksilver incident was caused by an engineer failure.

Yes, it was a bad day. But the reality is that after years of lifts and millions of lift hours in Whistler there will be at least one problem. with a lift. And if you think about it that's pretty good.

One thing though this incident highlights is how good guys like Skid and rescue crews in Whistler are. Hopefully someone bought those guys some beer.

no, the average one would look at them with a mix of pity and disgust, shake their head, kneel down and whisper in their kid's ear "see, thats why you are not allowed to play baseball instead of hockey"

:lol: