SKIREBEL Magazine

Five cable reels for Whistler Blackcomb’s PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola are in the homestretch of a 18,000 kilometre/11,000 mile journey as they arrived by train in Whistler. After travelling for over 11 weeks via truck, barge, boat and rail; the final leg of the journey consists of a literal push from the Whistler valley to the Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak lift station located at 1860 metres/6,102 feet.

Navigating the final route from the Mons Road rail siding in Whistler will be our biggest challenge of the entire project,”

says Hermann Amsz, OmniTrans Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, the transportation logistics company that has coordinated the details of this epic journey.
A German built Goldhofer trailer shipped from Montreal will transport the reels up Blackcomb Mountain’s gravel access road. Besides 48 wheels, the trailer features a hydraulic sliding system, which enables the reels to be loaded from the railcars in Whistler, and then unloaded on Blackcomb Mountain, without a crane.
A great deal of work has been completed on Blackcomb’s access road to accommodate the heavy haulage trailer consisting of four sections with six axles each. With eight wheels on each axle, this specialized trailer is specifically designed for extremely heavy loads. Maneuvering this massive trailer up a gravel mountain road will be no simple feat. Due to the extreme weight of each reel, the trailer will be pulled and pushed up the mountain road with two all terrain, off-road haul trucks. All reels will be placed at the lift station ready for stringing by the end of the week.
Almost every cable installed at Whistler Blackcomb originates from FATZER AG’s Swiss factory, and all lift ropes are constantly monitored and inspected by FATZER representatives long after installation.

To be part of the Peak 2 Peak project and to work together with Whistler Blackcomb’s team, who we found to be as dedicated to their jobs as we are, is a great privilege and honour,”

says Peter Kuenzle, FATZER AG General Manager. “Our specialists will be present when the installation of the ropes starts. Our service does not stop when the ropes are sold - that is when our service starts.”
The initial “straw lines” were flown by helicopter to connect Whistler and Blackcomb on June 9th and 16th. With these ultra-light connections in place the real work can begin. It is a 12 to 14 week process of pulling progressively larger cables across the 4.4km/2.73 mile span until the final track and haul ropes are in place. The cable stringing will be managed by lift manufacturer and a ski industry leader, Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group.
“The cable that has arrived will connect our two world class mountains,” says Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb President & Chief Operating Officer.

With all four towers erected and tremendous progress being made on each lift terminal, getting the cable to Whistler to begin the stringing process is another exciting milestone towards the completion of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.”

Whistler’s Peak-2-Peak gondola construction in full swing