WHISTLER BLACKCOMB PEAK 2 PEAK GONDOLA TO LAUNCH FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12

On-mountain launch ceremony and Grand Après in Skiers Plaza celebrate the day

Whistler Blackcomb’s PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will officially open to the public December 12, 2008. The launch of this mountain marvel set to become a new Canadian tourism icon will forever revolutionize the way visitors experience this all-season resort. Plans to celebrate the grand opening have been underway for months and will launch the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola in style.

The official ceremony will get underway at 10:30am on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains at the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola terminals. A great view is guaranteed for everyone as screens on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains will broadcast what’s taking place on the opposite mountain. The official speeches will take place on Whistler Mountain; the Ride of Their Life winners will be present on Blackcomb and will take part in the opening ceremonies there. Emcees on both sides, as well as a tightly choreographed show that will unfold on the screens, will ensure the launch event is exciting and historic for both sides.

 At 11am the official ribbon cutting will take place, and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will depart both terminals with its first guests on board. And get ready for the ultimate thrill, as Red Bull drops in and gives wings to the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Launch. The Gondola will run throughout the afternoon on its first day of operations, open to all guests – skiers, snowboarders, and sightseers – until 3pm.

Inside the Roundhouse Lodge from 11:30am to 1:30pm, guests can check out the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Open House. Guests can view the artwork from the Commemorative Poster Competition, check out the Technology Zone illustrating the mechanics of the Gondola construction, or just grab a slice of the celebration cake. Kids and families can make some new friends as animated characters revel in the fun, can get their faces painted, or join in the PEAK 2 PEAK coloring competition.

After an historic day on the mountain, the fun continues into the evening too. There’ll be ‘Grand Après’ festivities in Skiers Plaza from 3pm to 5:30pm including a DJ and video screens courtesy of Red Bull, a live art showcase, plus a kid-friendly performance by well known entertainer Norman Foote from 3:15pm to 4:15pm.  Launch celebrations will also continue in all three of the Whistler Blackcomb après locations – Merlins, Dusty’s and the Garibaldi Lift Company. 

Limited edition PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola commemorative posters, by local artist Vanessa Stark, will be available during après hours for guests, absolutely free, while supplies last. The poster will be distributed in Skiers Plaza throughout the Grand Après, at Creekside in Guest Relations from 3pm to 5pm, and then Dusty’s after 5pm; and at the Blackcomb Daylodge in Guest Relations from 3pm to 5pm and then Merlin’s after 5pm.

Those who can’t make the launch can still check out all the action as a live webcast will broadcast the launch ceremony.  The live webcast will launch at whistlerblackcomb.com/webcast at 10:30am PST.

PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Launch Schedule – December 12, 2008

7:30am - Fresh Tracks Breakfast presented by Nature’s Path

8:30am - Mountains open for skiing and riding

10:30am – Official Opening Ceremony gets underway at the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola terminals on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains

11:00am – Official Ribbon cutting at the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola terminals on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, and the first rides begin. And get ready for the ultimate thrill, as Red Bull drops in and gives wings to the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Launch.

First Cabin from Blackcomb to Whistler – “Ride of Their Life” contest winners; 22 locals nominated as those who most deserve to be on the first ride;

First Cabin from Whistler to Blackcomb – Auction winners who bid for the seats in the first cabin with proceeds going to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, supporting community organizations throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor.

11:30am to 1:30pm – Open House in the Roundhouse Lodge featuring an Artist Gallery, a Technology Zone, and a Kids’ Corner.

3pm to 5:30pm – Grand Après celebrations take place in Skiers Plaza including the Sugga DJ and video screens courtesy of Red Bull, a live art showcase, plus a kid-friendly performance by well known entertainer Norman Foote from 3:15pm to 4:15pm.

3pm to late – The ultimate après locations – Merlins, Dusty’s and the Garibaldi Lift Company – will celebrate the launch well into the night

Greg Paddon, Provincial Safety Manager of Amusement Devices and Passenger Ropeways for the BC Safety Authority was on site at the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola to inspect towers, sheaves, and the de-ropement switches on the assemblies and foundations of each of the gondola’s four lift towers.  One of the most important tests is the full load test to simulate how the gondola operates with a full load of passengers.

The P2P gondola went through a full load test with three concrete blocks totaling 2250 kilograms in each Sky Cabin. With a full load, the gondola was put through various operational scenarios to check that components such as the drive systems and brakes were working as per the manufacturer’s specifications.

The 3S ropeway is a new configuration of passenger ropeway to North America but there are four others in the world like it.  The 3S stands for three ropes - two track ropes and one haul rope pulling in the middle. The 3S design incorporates reversible tramway technology with detachable grip technology in a new and novel configuration.

Some advantages to the 3S Gondola system is that it is very dependable; the design allows for large rope spans with fewer towers; it has increased stability in exposure to high winds; and it supports lower energy consumption.  The numerous redundancies built into the system to ensure uninterrupted operation of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola were also tested by the BC Safety Authority. 

These redundancies include;

- Generators to back up station equipment power supply;

- Second electrical power loop to back up power supply to electric drive motors on Whistler Mountain;

- Spare frequency converters and motors to run station accelerator and decelerator systems at each station;

- All bullwheels have emergency bearings which will allow bullwheels to turn for evacuation even after failure of the main bearings;

- Tire conveyors in each station can be interconnected in case of failure of one motor or converter;

- an independent evacuation drive which would move cabins into the stations in case of failure of the main drive motors or gear box;

- an independent rescue system has been designed to evacuate passengers form cabins in case of failure of the main and evacuation drive systems;

- A “state of the art” Obstacle Collision Avoidance System (OCAS) has been installed to prevent interference between ropeway and aircraft operations.  BCSA has worked closely with Transport Canada to have the air space beneath the passenger ropeway designated as Restricted Airspace.

Follow the Tour online

The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Sky Cabin embarks on its epic Canadian adventure on Monday October 20 after being on display for the duration of the 2008 Toronto Ski, Snowboard & Travel Show.The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Tour will explore Canada’s vast terrain with a GMC Yukon Hybrid, visiting Canada’s best-loved tourism icons.The PEAK 2 PEAK team will document their experiences as they discover the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola’s place among Canada’s top tourism icons including Toronto’s CN Tower; Old Montreal, The Forks in Winnipeg, Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park; The Vancouver Aquarium; and everything in between!

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Inspired by letter to the editor, long time local George Huxtable secures first “first ride”, with 20 more spots available.  Whistler Blackcomb has launched the “Ride of Your Life” competition inviting Whistlerites to nominate who they think should be on the first sky cabin when the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola opens December 12.

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With the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Sky Cabins strung on the line and safely travelling across the 4.4km span between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains the work of load testing has begun.  From the beginning of Oct through to the end of the month Sky Cabins will be loaded with weight to simulate full passenger capacity. 

Visitors and locals have been able to finally see what the cabins look like on the line!  It is pretty awe-inspiring to see the cabins moving from one mountain to the other and anticipation is building for the day when we will all be able to load in and enjoy our first rides!

Everyone knew the first crossing of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola’s Sky Cabins was going to be a momentous occasion. We just didn’t know exactly when it would happen. The Sky Cabins were on the mountain, the carriages were installed and the only thing left to do was wait for the okay from the mechanical and electrical teams.

On Thursday, September 18 a press event was held to announce the official opening date of December 12 as well as to show off the Blackcomb terminal building and all of the Sky Cabins. There were even a few cabins out on the line! To our surprise, Thursday was also the day we found out it was very likely the first twelve cabins would be making their way across the 4.4km/2.73 mile span to Whistler Mountain the very next day on Friday, September 19.

Finally, the day we had all been waiting for (besides the official opening) was here! We were told it would happen after 8am so we made sure to be on the mountain early. Time passed with no action until finally around 10:30am we could make out a faint red blob against Blackcomb’s flank.

My cell phone rang and I was told by Construction Manager Rick Temple that we should watch for the first Sky Cabin and its passenger, Mathias Zundrell. Passenger….WHAT!?

Apparently, it is normal procedure for a Doppelmayr engineer to ride the carriage of the first gondola across, never mind if that puts him 436m/1,427ft above the valley floor with just a harness and a hardhat!

Mathias looked very nonchalant from his perch on Sky Cabin No. 5 and he waved as he glided by high above us. At each lift tower the PEAK 2 PEAK stopped so he could check the gondola’s mechanisms. The remaining Sky Cabins followed and now Whistler’s terminal is housing twelve Sky Cabins so the remaining 16 can be put on the line over at the Blackcomb terminal.

Construction on the terminal buildings is still ongoing but we are getting close to the end of this two year construction project!

As early as 8 a.m. on Friday, September 19, twelve PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Sky Cabins will make the very first, epic journey across the 4.4km/2.73 mile span between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains. With the official opening day of December 12, 2008 announced this milestone is all the more exciting.

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Whistler Blackcomb’s PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will officially open to the public December 12, 2008. This engineering marvel is set to become a new Canadian tourism icon, and will forever revolutionize the way visitors experience this four-season resort.

“This spring we had to move massive amounts of snow so it was a slow start but we have been able to stay on track with each construction phase,” says Rick Temple, PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Construction Manager. “To be at this point in construction at this time is unheard of. Typically for a lift installation you are fighting the weather in November to get things done. However due to the incredible work by everyone involved we are ahead of schedule. We are very excited to have our official opening day announced and are looking forward to the day when our guests can experience this gondola.”

The arrival of 28 Sky Cabins, including two with glass floors, and the completion of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola ropework has set the stage for what will be the biggest construction milestone of the lift installation – the first Sky Cabin to cross the record-breaking 3 kilometre/1.88 mile, unsupported span between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

Through October and November load testing will take place as well as evacuation training and simulations, and operator training.  The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will also be examined by the British Columbia Safety Authority through their Passenger Ropeways Safety Program which regulates the safety of lifts.

“There is always a ton of anticipation for the winter season and being able to announce the official opening for the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola gives our guests something else to look forward to this winter, a definitive date to mark on their calendars,” says Dave Brownlie President and Chief Operating Officer of Whistler Blackcomb. “We know that on December 12, the way our guests use Whistler Blackcomb will be changed forever and we are extremely excited for that day to come.”

The completion of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola ropework and the arrival of 28 Sky Cabins set the stage for what will be the biggest construction milestone of the lift installation – the first Sky Cabin to cross the record-breaking 3 kilometre/1.88 mile, unsupported span between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

“With the haul rope spliced and all 28 Sky Cabins transported to the Blackcomb terminal, our next objective will be to get the cabins on the line and to send 12 across the span to Whistler,” says Rick Temple, PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola Construction Manager. “We are aiming to send them over by mid to late September, and are on track for the upcoming December grand opening.”

The Sky Cabins were shipped across the Atlantic from Olten, Switzerland where they were manufactured by CWA, global leader in design and construction of cableway vehicles. The Sky Cabins were then loaded onto ten trucks for the journey through Canada. Two cabins feature glass floors, enclosed by a railing, for a bird’s eye view of the Fitzsimmon’s Valley 436 metres/1,430 feet below.

Another significant milestone was the splicing of the haul rope to create a continuous loop, which took place August 29 and 30. The splice was 68 metres/220 feet long, and took a crew of 14 people over 15 hours to complete. Norm Duke, a FATZER AG certified splicer from Wyoming, lead the team of seven Whistler Blackcomb employees and six Doppelmayr/Garaventa employees to complete the job. Duke has spliced many of Whistler Blackcomb’s FATZER AG ropes and spliced the Symphony Express rope in 2006. The splice was achieved by untwining strands from each end of the steel cable and then re-braiding them together to ensure a perfect bind that maintains the haul rope’s diameter of 46mm.

Doppelmayr’s unique 3S gondola technology has each cabin traveling along two 56mm track ropes which bear the weight of the Sky Cabins, with the haul rope pulling in the middle of the two tracks. The haul rope was the only splice needed for the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola since the track ropes are stationary and do not loop from Blackcomb to Whistler.

The terminal buildings are nearing completion with cladding installation in the final stages and station set-up taking place. Construction progress of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is captured daily via webcams, and weekly via photography and construction blogs on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola microsite at www.whistlerblackcomb.com. The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will open in December.

All PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola cables are on line and tensioned with the completion of the haul rope splice taking place August 29 and 30th.

The splice was 68m/220 feet long, and took a crew of 14 people over 15 hours to complete. Norm Duke, a Fatzer AG certified splicer from Wyoming, lead the team of seven Whistler Blackcomb employees and six Doppelmayr/Garaventa employees to complete the job.

It is a “long splice” where strands from each end of the cable are untwined and then re-braided together without the plastic core of the rope to ensure a perfect bind that maintains the haul rope’s diametre of 46mm.

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