Cable cut, sending cable cars crashing to the ground in Canada's Howe Sound

Tim Stich wrote: They bring up the point that it may simply be a materials failure, which is spooky of course. We will see hopefully once an investigation is done.

Correction, some dude with his headshot to be a double in point break has a stupid theory and wants to blame it on "Chinesium". That might be one of the dumber things I've read in recent history. 

 It's good to see monkey wrenching is still alive and kicking. I thought eco terrorism would've died the first day of the patriot act.

 OH.. and fuck that eyesore. the real tourist trap is another hour up the 99 in Disney land.

Operation Latte Thunder

• Primary Objective Destroy a piece of corporate art. 
• Secondary Objective Trash a franchise coffee bar. 

If you talk to Squamish locals, including the non-climbers - they HATE the gondola. Not surprised this happened at all.

And agree with B Kirby, the gondola is a fugly joke. 

Meh - I went back to Squamish last year after being MIA for a decade and had low expectations having read the controversy.  When I got there I laughed as it's not even remotely a big deal.  Several friends that are way more crunchy than I had also relayed similar thoughts - absolutely no big deal.  That area was an eyesore gravel pit / pull out when I was last there and now was much better maintained.  Yes, a parking lot but there are several others that have the same vibe all near by (Murrin when crowded, Shannon Falls etc etc). Never Mind you can see BC Hydro wires all over as well.  Squamish is a blend of nature and industry - those expecting some pristine backcountry vibe are looking in the wrong spot.  Lift access to slightly more wilderness is a great idea IMO.  Anyone who's been to the Alps / Dolomites etc and experienced the crazy lift networks over there can understand.  There's PLENTY of open space back there.  Spreading the population out, away from 99 just a smidge isn't a bad thing.  Dear God Shannon Falls needs some relief.

mattm wrote: Meh - I went back to Squamish last year after being MIA for a decade and had low expectations having read the controversy.  When I got there I laughed as it's not even remotely a big deal.  Several friends that are way more crunchy than I had also relayed similar thoughts - absolutely no big deal.  That area was an eyesore gravel pit / pull out when I was last there and now was much better maintained.  Yes, a parking lot but there are several others that have the same vibe all near by (Murrin when crowded, Shannon Falls etc etc). Never Mind you can see BC Hydro wires all over as well.  Squamish is a blend of nature and industry - those expecting some pristine backcountry vibe are looking in the wrong spot.  Lift access to slightly more wilderness is a great idea IMO.  Anyone who's been to the Alps / Dolomites etc and experienced the crazy lift networks over there can understand.  There's PLENTY of open space back there.  Spreading the population out, away from 99 just a smidge isn't a bad thing.  Dear God Shannon Falls needs some relief.

chrispatrick wrote:

Did you have something to say?

 Never been to Squamish, but to relate to the Dolomites...I found the chairlifts/gondolas easy access to gain some elevation  rather than a grueling approach.  Felt blessed to have it to be honest

With all the talk about monkey wrenching, this is a fun read.

chrispatrick wrote:  Never been to Squamish, but to relate to the Dolomites...I found the chairlifts/gondolas easy access to gain some elevation  rather than a grueling approach.  Felt blessed to have it to be honest

In Squamish the gondola doesn't grant access to much (any?) climbing. 

grog m wrote:

In Squamish the gondola doesn't grant access to much (any?) climbing. 

Not much, but some....

Go here: https://www.seatoskygondola.com/visit/interactive-map

Click on Rock Climbing
Click on the 4 image links that appear on the map. Click on the "Read More" link in those.

Tim Stich wrote: They bring up the point that it may simply be a materials failure, which is spooky of course. We will see hopefully once an investigation is done.

This picture someone posted brought me back. Ha ha ha. When the Bond movies went full on camp. Gahhh. So bad.

This picture always reminds me of a girl I dated.

grog m wrote:

In Squamish the gondola doesn't grant access to much (any?) climbing. 

IIRC it provides quicker access to Mount Habrich and the Sky Pilot area.

The Raven wrote:

Probably not under that much tension. You could cut that with a sawzall and enough blades and batteries. The downhill weight on either side would facilitate that cut. 

It’s under a lot of tension. Try around 30,000 lbs of tension, unloaded w cabins on line. A sawzall would take a long while.

Yes, the cut would be downright scary and graphic when the individual wires and strands of the cable ping off in each direction under tension. Maybe they used a cordless angle grinder with a cut wheel, if you were traveling light. But a Stihl gasoline chop saw would be the tool of choice here. Check your underwear afterwards, as previously stated. 

grog m wrote: If you talk to Squamish locals, including the non-climbers - they HATE the gondola. Not surprised this happened at all.

And agree with B Kirby, the gondola is a fugly joke. 

Disagree. Most of the locals I know are either unconcerned with the gondola or have annual passes. I have yet to meet someone here who is staunchly anti-gondola. The new LNG plant however...

Marc801 C wrote:

I'm more interested in how they managed it with out serious risk of getting killed by cable whiplash.

What Marc801 said. Having worked in the ski industry for decades and doing a lot of lift maintenance, cutting a cable is pretty scary. A 2” cable is big enough to have enough weight to create a lot of tension. You’re dealing with a lot of forces here.... Yikes.

Don Harder wrote:

What Marc801 said. Having worked in the ski industry for decades and doing a lot of lift maintenance, cutting a cable is pretty scary. A 2” cable is big enough to have enough weight to create a lot of tension. You’re dealing with a lot of forces here.... Yikes.

I'm thinking if you cut the sucker at the middle of the wheel, you're good. Top of one of the towers at a mid-point... slice/dice... no problem. The cable is gonna go bye bye bye. I do love my appendages and if I were to lose my f'ing mind and echo my inner psychotic split personality and decide to gnaw on a cable... I'd probably weight the cutting device with some fancy pants something to keep the blade in contact and tape the trigger of said power tool and let it ride. I'd pop open a beer and watch the sparks fly from a safe distance. There's literally a 1000 ways to cut a cable of said size w/o risking bodily harm. Seriously folks... do you really marvel at this? We are in an age of technology which offers multitudes of options to accomplish any task. I'm sure there's probably a YouTube video if you search "How to cut Gondola cables?" 

An after thought... ACID! I know there's some f'ing corrosive shiite out there that will eat through metal in seconds. I've seen it in the movies a hundred times. 

Nick Niebuhr wrote: Why? From my knowledge Squamish climbers are known to be pretty respectful. The gondola gives access to more remote alpine climbs.

Climbers were vocal opponents of the proposition from the beginning...