Whistler's Peak to Peak Gondola Opened today!

Adriana✿

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Happily Ever After!
New PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola
Whistler Blackcomb’s award-winning big mountain experience just got a whole lot bigger! The record-breaking new PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola links together Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains for the first time. Boasting the longest unsupported lift span in the world at 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles), it’s also the highest lift of its kind at 415 metres / 1,361 feet. Take advantage of incredible deals on winter packages and you’ll be skiing or riding both mountains without ever touching the ground











Technical details


Speed
7.5 meters per second.

Ride Time
approximately 11 min.

Frequency
one cabin departs every 49 seconds

Total Distance
4.4km/2.73miles (straight line)

Length of Unsupported Span
3.024km/1.88 miles (straight line between the two towers that are furthest apart)

Highest Point
above the ground is 436m/1427 feet over Fitzsimmons Creek

Number of Cabins
28

Capacity of Cabins
22 seated, 6 standing

Capacity
2050 people per hour each way

Number of Towers
4 (2 on Blackcomb and 2 on Whistler)

Height of Towers
35-65 meters/100-213 feet

Track Ropes
the two stationary ropes that the cabin rides upon-each rope is 56mm in diameter. Total length of the track rope with the sag is 4600m

Haul Rope
the single rope that pulls the cars along the track ropes is 46mm in diameter. Total length of the haul rope loop with the sag is 8850m


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.






http://www.earthcam.net/users2/interface.php?i=0&id=1490&projectid=899&clientid=707

http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/p2pg/


http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/cams/index.htm
 

capn_1_eye

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Sep 1, 2007
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What can you do in 11min?

Noticed the ride time was 11min.....hmmm....Adrianna?:D

Unfortunately, not a 2-person trip....LOL....might be ok for the exhibitionists out there!
 
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slacker

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Aug 14, 2006
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Being a bit scared of heights, you probably won't catch me on that thing!

Really this thing seems a bit stupid, at least from a skiing point of view. You get on at the top of a mountain ... and end up at the top of a mountain - defeats the purpose of skiing. Seems like it would be much more fun skiing to the bottom and taking a regular lift up the other mountain. Only seems useful if there isn't snow all the way to the bottom.

I guess this is really just a tourist attraction.
 

Purrr VertIcal

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Oct 4, 2008
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I'm especially critical here.
Since its inception, this idea-now-reality has always struck me as not just ridiculous,
but needlessly wasteful...even stupid.

I'm a lifelong skier. I have no use for such an item.
My fellow advanced skiing friends agree.
Especially, I can't imagine having purchased a lift pass for Blackcomb, and suddenly thinking, 'I need to be over at Whislter' - for another forty bucks or-whatever-extra-ridiculous it is. even if it was a free part of the lift pass, it's silly.

Each mountain is so big as to fill a full day of skiing with variety, by itself.

I don't see the quality-of-value as a tourist attraction, either. Once you are on top of the mountain, you've got the best there is. The marmots are not greener on the other side, and there is not much different of a view.
It's a 'white elephant' which will eventually be more expensive than it's value, and upkeep.

And now for the practicality comment:
It's trite to hear people use this phrase with regard to many projects governements and businesses do, but it applies here with gusto:

That money could have been so much better spent.

For the same money, how many very excellent,
much better ways could the Resort improve itself???

I am amazed this project ever got off the ground.
 

BDAClub

New member
Jun 23, 2004
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Lower Mainland
I'm especially critical here.
Since its inception, this idea-now-reality has always struck me as not just ridiculous,
but needlessly wasteful...even stupid.

I'm a lifelong skier. I have no use for such an item.
My fellow advanced skiing friends agree.
Especially, I can't imagine having purchased a lift pass for Blackcomb, and suddenly thinking, 'I need to be over at Whislter' - for another forty bucks or-whatever-extra-ridiculous it is. even if it was a free part of the lift pass, it's silly.

Each mountain is so big as to fill a full day of skiing with variety, by itself.

I don't see the quality-of-value as a tourist attraction, either. Once you are on top of the mountain, you've got the best there is. The marmots are not greener on the other side, and there is not much different of a view.
It's a 'white elephant' which will eventually be more expensive than it's value, and upkeep.

And now for the practicality comment:
It's trite to hear people use this phrase with regard to many projects governements and businesses do, but it applies here with gusto:

That money could have been so much better spent.

For the same money, how many very excellent,
much better ways could the Resort improve itself???

I am amazed this project ever got off the ground
.

What he said completely!! Especially the bolded out part.....how about using that money for affordable housing and developing the infrastructure within the community of Whistler made up of the people who actually make Whistler function....how about that money developing that so the families and single people that work there have the affordable resources to make it viable to be in what is truly a stunning place to live.

This project got off the ground because Whistler town council doesn't care about what makes sense and is practical and helpful for the people that live here they only care about patting themselves on the back and the "look at me" syndrome

The Arrogance of Whistler is why they pissed away money on this and allow landlords to basically rip people off and look the other way.

It's an awesome place to live with all the outdoor stuff to do, don't get me wrong but when they start with the "Make Whistler sustainable " talk every local rolls there eyes because it's just alot of posturing!!
 

Thatotherguy

Active member
Jan 31, 2008
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I'm especially critical here.
I don't see the quality-of-value as a tourist attraction, either. Once you are on top of the mountain, you've got the best there is. The marmots are not greener on the other side, and there is not much different of a view.
It's a 'white elephant' which will eventually be more expensive than it's value, and upkeep.
See here's the thing though - from what I've heard about it, the peak-to-peak gondola was really designed as a tourist attraction rather than as a skier's utility (although with the idea that it could also be used by skiers wanting to ski on both mountains - how popular that will be is beyond me, and I tend to agree with your feelings on that). It's the longest unsupported span of its type, as well as the highest. Things that are the longest and the highest always attract tourists who wouldn't come otherwise. Also, Whistler gets many tourists year-round, not just during the ski season (although obviously it gets way more during the ski season). The mountains are losing out on a lot of revenue from the off-season tourists right now. Sure, they can charge a little for the lifts going up the mountains, but there's not that much for people to do at the peaks when they get there, so it's not much of an attraction. Now that there's the peak-to-peak gondola, that's one more thing for people to do at the peak, and that's another reason for tourists to go up the mountains during the off-season, thus adding a year-round source of revenue. So yeah, I can see the reasons why this project was conceived and went forward. Now whether the added off-season revenue will be enough to offset the construction and operating costs of this thing, I have no idea, but presumably they've done studies and crunched numbers to figure that out.

At any rate, I really want to ride it, and I'll probably be taking a trip up to Whistler specifically for that reason. So that's at least 1 more tourist (not a skier) spending money there who wouldn't have even come otherwise!
 

Thatotherguy

Active member
Jan 31, 2008
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What he said completely!! Especially the bolded out part.....how about using that money for affordable housing and developing the infrastructure within the community of Whistler made up of the people who actually make Whistler function....how about that money developing that so the families and single people that work there have the affordable resources to make it viable to be in what is truly a stunning place to live.
That's pretty much the problem with any resort town, Whistler's just worse than most. Most resort towns have a cheaper, less luxurious, less prestigious town nearby where the workers all live. Where can they live for Whistler? Pemberton? It's not all that suitable for the job, is it? It's a serious problem that the Whistler town council really needs to work on.
 

Purrr VertIcal

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Oct 4, 2008
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Also, Whistler gets many tourists year-round, not just during the ski season (although obviously it gets way more during the ski season). The mountains are losing out on a lot of revenue from the off-season tourists right now. Sure, they can charge a little for the lifts going up the mountains, but there's not that much for people to do at the peaks when they get there, so it's not much of an attraction. QUOTE]


Ummm...
You should rephrase that, or get a new thought.

There's actually more to do there in the summer than there is in the winter, and the lifts are running for tourists to the top (without the P2P monstrosity), the restaurant at the top, and shuttling mountain bikers up. etc.
 

Thatotherguy

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Jan 31, 2008
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Ummm...
You should rephrase that, or get a new thought.

There's actually more to do there in the summer than there is in the winter, and the lifts are running for tourists to the top (without the P2P monstrosity), the restaurant at the top, and shuttling mountain bikers up. etc.
You're really not thinking this through from the point of view of the owners of Whistler Blackcomb, are you? It doesn't take any specialized knowledge to figure out the reasoning behind building this, just some thought and common sense.

There are different distinct market segments of tourists. For one specific market segment (those who love all sorts of outdoor activities like mountain biking and hiking) there's plenty to do at the peaks during the off-season. Those clearly aren't the people this was built for (although presumably many of them will use it).

For the much larger market segment of families on vacation (which is probably proportionally smaller in Whistler than in many tourist destinations, but is still large), there's much less to do at the peaks. If you've got young children, you're not going to be mountain biking, and at best you'll only be doing a very small amount of hiking (quite possibly with major complaining from the kids). There really isn't anything else up there that parents of young children can get their kids excited about (other than the lift to the top itself). The restaurant? There's plenty of places to eat in the village. The peak-to-peak gondola is something cool that will make families more likely to go up to the peaks.

There's absolutely no question that it will increase the number of off-season tourists who go up the mountains. The only question is whether the increase in tourists going up will be enough to justify its cost. Like I said, I expect that they've done studies and crunched numbers to show that it'll be worth it. They could always be wrong, though. It wouldn't be the first time a corporation over-estimated the number of new visitors that would actually be attracted by their new attraction.
 

BDAClub

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Jun 23, 2004
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You're really not thinking this through from the point of view of the owners of Whistler Blackcomb, are you? It doesn't take any specialized knowledge to figure out the reasoning behind building this, just some thought and common sense.

There are different distinct market segments of tourists. For one specific market segment (those who love all sorts of outdoor activities like mountain biking and hiking) there's plenty to do at the peaks during the off-season. Those clearly aren't the people this was built for (although presumably many of them will use it).

For the much larger market segment of families on vacation (which is probably proportionally smaller in Whistler than in many tourist destinations, but is still large), there's much less to do at the peaks. If you've got young children, you're not going to be mountain biking, and at best you'll only be doing a very small amount of hiking (quite possibly with major complaining from the kids). There really isn't anything else up there that parents of young children can get their kids excited about (other than the lift to the top itself). The restaurant? There's plenty of places to eat in the village. The peak-to-peak gondola is something cool that will make families more likely to go up to the peaks.

There's absolutely no question that it will increase the number of off-season tourists who go up the mountains. The only question is whether the increase in tourists going up will be enough to justify its cost. Like I said, I expect that they've done studies and crunched numbers to show that it'll be worth it. They could always be wrong, though. It wouldn't be the first time a corporation over-estimated the number of new visitors that would actually be attracted by their new attraction.

Bullshit....what does it ad?? It's another 11 minute gondola ride that's it , you think parents with cranky 3&5 or 11 & 13 year olds complaining about being up there are really interested in going 11 minutes from Roundhouse to Rendesvouz(one restaraunt to another) with the cranky kids and all the tourists are going to ooh and ahh that. It's to impress a bunch of Olympic people and Fortress investors nothing else. If I want to Ski Whistler Mtn I'm going to ride up and ski it down and then I'm going to take Excalibur about 60 seconds away and go up Blackcomb and ski it down I'm not going to ride up Whistler take yet another Gondola ride over to Blackcomb befor I finally ski something.

In the summer they ride up eat lunch hike and come down. They just spent 10 minutes coming up the mtn oohing and ahhing aanother 11 minutes isn't going to be all that attractive.

This is Fortress selling how amazing this will be to investors who are ignorant and a bunch of idiot suits sitting around a table that have rarely been on the mtn they are talking about never mind understanding what the people who actually go there are interested in.

Pissing money away got Whistler Council to give them another 400k to finish it and for what....a bunch of fuckin horseshit!!

Now about that swamp land!!:D
 

Thatotherguy

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Jan 31, 2008
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Bullshit....what does it ad?? It's another 11 minute gondola ride that's it , you think parents with cranky 3&5 or 11 & 13 year olds complaining about being up there are really interested in going 11 minutes from Roundhouse to Rendesvouz(one restaraunt to another) with the cranky kids and all the tourists are going to ooh and ahh that.
Yeah, because if there's one thing the average tourist hates, it's lining up to experience something that they wouldn't be able to experience anywhere else in the world. :rolleyes: Get your head out of your ass. If you really think that nobody's going to want to ride on the longest, highest unsupported gondola in the world, you're an idiot. There's absolutely no way anyone can claim with a straight face that this won't increase the number of people going up the mountains in the off-season. The only question is whether the increase will be enough to justify building the thing.
 

BDAClub

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Jun 23, 2004
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Your right maybe there are enough sheep in the world. Apparently your one of them!!
 

viola

I'm a bloke BTW!
Nov 13, 2006
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The name peak to peak is a classic advertising 'untruth', since it doesn't get anywhere near either peak. Locals refer to it as the 'Eat to Eat' ;) since it just lets fat summer folk eat at one mountain's food barn and then repeat at the other one!:D

It really has almost no impact as far as serious skiing goes, and the money would have been far better spent improving the old, slow and outdated lifts on either or both mountains.
 

viola

I'm a bloke BTW!
Nov 13, 2006
118
28
28
Wow, planetman

Seems like you need to get laid... Should release some of that anger, although with such an attitude I doubt you have the ability to hold down a job and thus have the cash to 'buy' relief, and few girls I know would willingly go with such a grouch!

Enjoy life... Don't be so grumpy!;)
 

summerbreeze

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Sep 19, 2004
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Having a backup way of getting people off the mountain with the lower lifts out of commission is also a consideration (not enough snow to ski out, late in the day, huge lineups and a lift failing is the nightmare Blackcomb operators sweat about)

Probably one of those things which is difficult to predict in advance the use and appeal...... but has enough general use to justify building.

Sounds like there are some pretty opinionated self appointed experts around who think just because they don't like something that it was ill conceived by incompetents or corrupted executives.

Might be a bit of a narrow perspective to condem things which only the test of time will confirm its value.

Probably great photo ops and think of the cell phone reception you would get.......:)
 
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