The Engineering Genius Of The Largest Ski Lift Ever - Peak To Peak - Engineering Documentary

[@irshduck]

As a fellow quality engineer I am very happy to see the amount of precautionary work and testing that went into this mega project. The engineers handle the issues that came up exactly as you'd hope. Even with the pressing deadline it seemed quality and public well-being wasnt put second even when it's very easy to take shortcuts in those moments because of the financial circumstances. Great job!

[@tmonster1498]

AGREED 100% Renewed hope for Man Kind 🙏🏼

[@KimJongWilll]

Engineers will always remind you that they are engineers

[@danstewart42]

@@KimJongWilll they just can't help it... Take me, for example.. I'm not an engineer, but I AM a pilot.. And everyone must know.. haha

[@sarabellaj]

I've always been told, Safety codes are written in blood.

[@BirnieMac1]

Transferring from healthcare and going through the degree at the moment; and I really love the aspects of the design process they teach, things like when you need redundancy, designing things to fail in a way that a non-critical part (e.g. the cable doesn’t snap and everyone dies) fails first A lot of the kind of things that feel obvious in hindsight, but aren’t always readily apparent until they’re pointed out; especially coming from healthcare where the risk assessment stuff is a lot more of professional judgement (e.g. patient comorbidities and risk of other complications) - Especially that it’s actually feasible to quantify risk in the assessments a lot more accurately in engineering things instead of trying to gauge really subjective things like cardiac event risk for an individual based on BP readings, pathology and kidney function tests, etc Though I do miss when the math still had numbers ahahhahahhaha

[@MrWolf-kd8yh]

I was one of the drivers for the cement company for the build when I lived in that area before I moved Great video

[@travbrack]

Was it as bad as the boss thought?

[@1SNOWMANNH]

Thank you driver. You are clear to the next peak.

[@m.5051]

It's weird that you would call it cement and not concrete given your experience.

[@311mdub]

@@m.5051 or mud.. I guess no one else gets it

[@brandonbrook9664]

@@m.5051 It wouldn't be weird to the many hundreds of BC's employees (including drivers) whose paychecks are issued by OCEAN - Heidelberg CEMENT Group or LAFARGE CEMENT. It's weird that you don't know that 'concrete' is one of a number of products produced by CEMENT companies. Or maybe you thought that some podunk local regional Ready-Mix Concrete batch plant supplier could possibly supply the consistant volume required for a project of such magnitude? Sheeesh... some guys.

[@hughmarcus1]

I rode this thing in the autumn of 2019 just before Covid. Unfortunately I have a bit of an engineering brain so was fascinated by it & was busy reading all the info boards while we waited in line to get on. Then I began to over think it all. By the time we were moving all I could think was that we were a mile above the valley floor hanging on a cable 2 inches thick. I was savaged witless 😆 I’d spent 20yrs working on roofs so heights (within reason) didn’t scare me. This was a different league though. I know the narrator in the film says the carriages don’t move. Trust me they do. The ropes swing & dip too. There has to be tolerance in a cable that long. Anyhow there was a bar at the other end & let’s just say I spent an hour there before the return trip 😂 Meanwhile my wife & daughter who’d spent the time on the first run admiring the view, when not teasing me, enjoyed several repeat runs on the Peak to Peak. Truthfully though, it is an amazing feat of construction. It’s only when you’ve been up that mountain & see how steep those access roads are, that you begin to appreciate the logistics of getting all the materials up there to build this thing. Those 90 ton cable drums must have made a few people sweat. Kudos to everyone involved 👍👍

[@derekp6636]

lmao I totally get it, a few times on the upper runs that bounce and sway of the cable makes me nervous too!~

[@masterquacc]

Having an engineering brain isn’t unfortunate, it’s amazing!

[@imcacklinghere8693]

Ha! Great comment. Thanks for sharing your experience. Completely understandable, BTW.

[@micheandmikey]

This was such a great documentary! Now, imagine 5 engineers from BP North America as we stepped into the gondola 1 week after it opened. We were picking our jaw's up off the floor of that gondola in utter amazement and crunching calcs and ides while we rode over to Blackcolm. LOL, the people in the gondola with us must have been crapping their pants with us second guessing everything we saw. I've ridden it countless times since that day and it never gets old dropping off either side of the mountain. Well done to ALL participated in this project, it truly is a thing of beauty!

[@robertoalvarez2777]

An engineering marvel. A logistics marvel. A testament to what humans can build. Luger’ Run...what an honor! Gotta ride it. CONGRATS to all that were involved in this project. Simply put...Awesome!

[@roguexxrenegade]

Testament to what MEN can build.

[@toquelau5715]

@@roguexxrenegade women busy doing nails and looking pretty on tiktok instead of... uuuh.... studying science and engineering? and later feminazis complain about sexism, when most women don't choose the sciences on their own volition, to be 'influencers'. wow great influence

[@roguexxrenegade]

@@toquelau5715 yeah then they say it’s somehow mens fault that women make the personal choice not to go into STEM fields.

[@fbi9007]

@@toquelau5715 there are plenty of woman engineers/construction workers. Don't be so closed minded and ignorant.

[@andrewjensen8189]

Funniest thing is record low snowfall made the Vancouver Olympics an embarrassment to us locals.. They had to fly in snow from other mountains, thats how far bellow the seasonal average we had. Lol!

[@TheSnowboardGuyBreezy]

As That snowboard guy I appreciate this so much! From the people who put the Doc together for future projects to learn and to the Lift builders and cement drivers, You have given me many great winters!

[@ivanblakely903]

great "doco" if you are interested in the drama of muddy roads and concrete trucks and weather, but falls well short on the real engineering of a major gondola. what happened between starting to string the light lead ropes across and suddenly having all the major cables in place with gondolas on them? how did 5 spools of cable become 3 endless loops? how were the gondolas designed and mounted?

[@Gottenhimfella]

Only one endless loop (the hauling cable). The other four cables are anchored at both ends; their purpose is to stop the bogie from pivoting about the haul cable axis. And to catch the bogie if the haul cable snaps (this happened somewhere near - from memory - l'Alpe d'Huez some time back - 1970s? ) and it that case, the brakes failed. The broken haul cable trailed behind like Snoopy's scarf as the car plummeted down the longest unbroken span on the mountain, and as luck would have, wrapped around the tower at the next ridge crossing, pulling it down to horizontal and gently slowing the car (well, fairly gently) to a stop. The car was full of punters at the time. No injuries.

[@mbrick]

@@Gottenhimfella this would have been great info to share in the documentary. Thanks for sharing!

[@stevecrocker6904]

so how much can they fit into 45 minutes? I thought it all very interesting and informative - we're not all full on engineers but can appreciate the problems involved

[@7pdude]

@Ivan Blakely you also have to take into account that there are only very few players in this specialized market so you won't go too much into details as the competitors are watching also. I think it's pretty obvious that there's a lot of raw (and therefore expensive) materials involved as well as clever engineering, so the team with the best design at the lowest costs will outlive the others.

[@erwinlommer197]

Typical american documentary. Everything is hyperboled to maximum, huge, insane, awesome, biggest everything. Same thing repeated many times and lots of unnecessary cliffhangers added to make it more "exciting". Then the rest is human drama and reality tv.

[@nute2706]

Fascinating how its done, must be very interesting to be involved in a project like that. You can tell its made for US TV as every 5 mins there is a recap of what was just said. You could cut this down from 45 mins to 30 mins without the constant repeating of things.

[@cosybike]

This information will save 45 minutes of your life. I like more substance in documentries! Thank you for the tip.

[@roadie3124]

Whenever I hear a narrator put on an American TV dramatic voice, I know that we're going to get more drama than information. Ah well, this one was still interesting. We didn't need to see people putting mobile phones to their ears to harangue other people in offices. We just needed to be told that there were delays because of xyz and this is how we solved the problem. Mind you, the engineer me says that the engineers and the builders did a terrific job.

[@weldmachine]

You can already guess, this video will be filled with recaps. When you hear the Over Drama voice.

[@Sahadi420]

it's why I don't watch any "big network" channels anymore. They do this constantly. They act like through the commercials you totally forgot what the hell you were watching. It's annoying as hell.

[@nute2706]

The frustrating thing is that it's a very interesting subject. I just want to see how its built without the constant recaps and trying to dramatise the whole thing.

[@devioussounds]

I worked in a factory that built all the beams for this structure , so it's pretty cool to see set up and running

[@Marksfish]

BEAMED!!!

[@tmonster1498]

This documentary gets better and better…Thousands of Engineers & Craftsmen/women at the top of there games

[@scotttaylor8811]

Where was the factory?

[@devioussounds]

@@scotttaylor8811 at behlen industries in brandon manitoba.

[@fernandog.aguirre2791]

I'm a builder and this project is OUTSTANDING! The CREW, Managment, drivers, foremans, logistcs and ENGENIERS! Nothing but OUTSANDING!

[@julianferguson9212]

ive been to enough job sites to know that the organization here is pretty amazing. the amount of setbacks normal builds get its amazing they even finished

[@markthomas7132]

spell 🤣🤣check

[@reggierico]

We skied Whistler/Blackcomb the year the Peak to Peak opened. My three sons and I were so excited the first time we climbed aboard. One of the gondola's has a plexiglass bottom too, pretty cool achievement! Also, I think that first year a base jumper forced the door open and jumped out for the 1600' drop.

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello Jeffrey how are you doing

[@andy5478-MTB]

Great documentary. I had the pleasure of riding the Peak to Peak during a summer visit a couple years ago. Amazing!

[@jweiselii]

Fantastically done documentary. Well worth a look . . .

[@GreggMPlahy]

Outstanding Post. I very much enjoyed it.

[@Brian-wg9wk]

Sometimes, when I dream, I'm the head engineer of this project.

[@78SHAFER]

It was all a dream..

[@lavandolouca6630]

that would be my nightmare

[@tylerh1648]

As an engineer, I agree with lavando, this would be a nightmare

[@simpsons721]

@@tylerh1648 As a plumber, I agree with you.

[@johnnyscanadianlifestyle8285]

@@tylerh1648 as a Mcdonalds cook, I agree with you

[@sea8bass]

CN Rail holding up a major project due to something completely frivolous? Who could have imagined? Having worked with them many times before here in Canada on critical deliveries, our motto for them is "we don't care 'cuz we don't have to"

[@TwinTurboOnly]

Bullshit! A non American company sucks? I don’t believe it

[@degrootklyde6895]

Truly glorious . My experience while working as a volunteer during the alpine skiing events in 2010 was nothing short of a life - time event . I have been involved with ski lift installation in the 90's at Fernie Alpine resort and truly appreciate the stress and expertise involved . Absolutely an amazing feat of modern engineering and scientific collaborative of genius minds , along with so many laborer's giving everything they have. It was a thrill to enjoy . Thank you to every single human involved in this masterpiece .

[@arkthefennecfox2366]

that was impressive to watch, god bless all the crew who made that happen

[@virgillasher5656]

these kind of docs are the best i love them thank you

[@Sketchbag]

Prince George boy here, loved this documentary! I was in whistler when sum redbull guy jumped out of the gondola right at the sweet spot between peaks, guy was the talk of town!!

[@MOAB-UT]

I rode this lift and it was amazing. Very high and very smooth. Huge ski area particularly enjoyable on a powder day.

[@chrisharding2813]

bullllshitttt

[@rorymax]

@@chrisharding2813 what lol

[@MOAB-UT]

@@cattnipp Sure I even have a video include your email and I'll shoot it over to you

[@MOAB-UT]

@@cattnipp Where? You can't post pics in here. Bottom line, not only have I skied there, but most resorts out West (US.) I was also a ski instructor- been skiing since I was 12. It's been good fun but after a brain injury, I am not sure I want to risk it anymore. Getting old is not fun. Also, there is no real need to be soo cynical. I am a bit too. I guess I feel like it protects me from so many who lie, cheat and steal. In some ways it has but comments like yours remind me to try not to be- at least not as much or as vocal about it. It's not really a good look. I don't lie. I have a full life and do many things- travelled much of the world too. I play 4 instruments- (not all well), ski (very well), run (not well), travel a bit, etc. Yes, I have pics of nearly every place I have been too- maybe too many pics. You can post for free in "Amazon Photos" if you have prime. I have not been to Switzerland yet. I noticed that you have been. I wanted to get a few runs in on our way back from Italy a few years back but the wife said no way. I saw you play. I am not a huge fan of the R. Cube but many like it. Sounds too boxy and harsh to my spoiled ears. I run mostly pro-level gear. It does make a difference and you can play better because you hear more. I just got a Fractal FM9 Turbo. I can send you a pic of that too if you don't believe me- or I can point out your last chord on your first video was slightly out of tune. Looked like you were barring a A or Am chord. 1:16 You sounded great playing rush on the RAW Gibson. A good player does not need an amp. You were still slightly out of tune. You might also want to consider using a metronome so you can keep a smoother tempo going. You seem to play decently but you hesitate between some phrases a bit- or maybe you just need to practice more. It takes time. I've been playing on and off a long time- casually. I took lessons from some top guys which helped a lot. I still mostly consider myself a beginner- but a very decent beginner! Check out a dude called ZombieGuitar (in YTbe and he also gives lessons (best.)) He (Brian Kelly) is phenomenal and easy to understand- even for me. I also took lessons from John Mayers teacher but he is a lot harder to follow- very technical. Whenever I think I am intermediate or advanced, I hear a real guitar player- like my instructor"s" and it is very humbling- same with martial arts. I thought I was good at Judo until my smaller instructor very effortlessly kept flipping me, literally with one hand. Stay thirsty my cynical friend!😅

[@MacMcCabe2456]

Great feat of engineering and a lot of people coming together to make it all happen.. I've been on huge auto plant jobs where things don't go as planned, you can't put F in before C so I get it. It's stressful for everyone from the Superintendent down to the laborers. But when all of the pieces of the puzzle finally fit and the stars align It's a great feeling of accomplishment for everyone that was involved in the project. Great job and congratulations to all who lent a hand on this massive task.

[@imcacklinghere8693]

I love the production of this doco. The directors and producers did not NEED dramatic music or to artificially make this exciting. The Story spoke for itself. VERY dramatic and exciting all on its own!!!! I was totally consumed by this WELL DONE documentary!!!!!

[@MrVbobby]

These guys are brilliant. Minds like these are like a valuable national resource. Good job guys I am impressed

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello Robby how are you doing

[@bittnerbs]

Super cool. I’ve always said that construction management isn’t about building anything, it’s about solving problems.

[@W77W]

The sling is not made of Teflon, it's made of either polypropylene or (more likely) UHMWPE. Teflon/PTFE has terrible tensile strength, terrible creep and necking resistance, and it's much more expensive. I'll guess that the film crew heard UHMWPE described as "Slippery like Teflon" and rolled with that as simpler than saying "Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene".

[@anicecoldbepis]

Yep. Those slings are Nylon. Great slings but they generally have a short life cause they don't like being pinched or abraded

[@lrc87290]

Or kevlar

[@daverussell9627]

Dyneema or similar...

[@garbo8962]

Had the think it was the same plastic that you mentioned for a candy line that ran 15 hours a day. 2 good sized metric pre stretched chains ran over this plastic. After 8 years still looked brand new. Was at a FINN COR drive class back in the 1990's and they were one of the top companies to provide drives to power ski lifts in many countries. Somebody bought b them out maybe 20 years ago.

[@woodennecktie]

the narration is far from perfect , but the whole is project the opposite , perfection and perseverance

[@grampy2019]

Love watching mega projects. The planning, design and construction skills needed is top shelf. Professionals for sure A couple things jumped out to me from 35+ years as a power lineman. at 30:15 Surprised that a swivel wasn't used between the pea line - pulling line. Then dude using a 4x4 as a "reel tensioner". Not saying I've never done that...just not the preferred method. Especially when you are standing in the bite like he was at 30:20. Tough on the shoulder when it catches. I'm now that old retired guy with aches and pains .

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello Wild how are you doing

[@grampy2019]

@@lydialas8756 wow, you got me. Hilarious, I forgot all about those comments. It is a cool video but those 2 things jumped out at me. I was surprised they were not edited out actually. I' should crop Wild Willy's picture if I want to elude sleuths like yourself. Thanks for the blast @Lydialas Hope to see you someday soon..on the trail or in the pub.

[@lydialas8756]

@@grampy2019 I hope so thanks I hope we can get to know each other and can you suggest a way we can talk off here if you dont mind

[@erichaskell]

I rode, several times, the double chairlift in Stowe Vermont with three big, heavy ponchos on. The wind was blowing strongly and we rocked crazily back and forth. At the top the thermometer on the building registered 32 below zero, Fahrenheit. Lots of frostbite skiers at the bottom.

[@ttraderjim]

Wha ??

[@FreakishPower]

I really like my new carpet. It brightens up the room quite a bit.

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello Eric how are you doing

[@CutmeMick]

Good times at the resort! Yes sir,I remember up in Montana where I lived it was 27 below on the mountain that day in ‘98 and the liftys were like “what are you stupid?” And we were like “probably” 😂But being young we didn’t care! Nowadays oh heck no!

[@masterquacc]

@@FreakishPower do you still have it?

[@techpriestessfeeb2780]

i like the idea that all the things that keep going wrong are done by the camera crews to make it more interesting. the snow at the beginning was a happy accident for them but they went out and slashed a tire or 2 and dug out the roads a bit

[@colegarthwaite5633]

Been on the it countless times. Definitely been on when its swinging 5 ft side to side and its scary as hell. But hey it does its job well and has some insane views from the valley

[@gerstmanndavid]

Amazing engineering feat. One thing I can't stand about some of these documentaries is how they repeat themselves over and over, when that time could be filled with other aspects of the project. But I get it, after the distraction of all to frequent commercials, the audience, with their short attention spans, have to be reminded to keep them on track.

[@weldmachine]

The repeating/recaps somehow adds to the Over Drama that goes hand in hand with these documentaries.

[@georgH]

Agree, it's so characteristic of US-style

[@FreakishPower]

Its done to deal with commercial breaks, to catch ppl up to speed if they just came across the show channel surfing. I don't like it either btw.

[@gerstmanndavid]

@@FreakishPower; Um, ok. I'm glad you figured that one out.

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello David how are you doing

[@TheCymbalProject]

12 seconds into the video... and you already know they're BC Canucks

[@jeffsrcchannel2191]

What an amazing testament to human endeavour. Well done, wow.

[@6.4scat36]

nothing describes the feeling of riding it, truly amazing

[@bittudxb1749]

can you share with us the feeling of being there

[@decago_]

I’ve been on it like 10 times after the first time it’s just a cool view

[@djscottdog1]

I dont see the point of it , doesnt make sence to ski down one montain and get a lift up to the other

[@mikethejake_BM44]

@@djscottdog1 Sometimes it is snowing at the peaks and raining at lower elevations. Skiing all the way down you have to deal with easy trails at the bottom and the crowd of people at the bottom lift lines. And then take multiple lift to get back to the top of the other mountain. Valuable time wasted when there is great snow at the top of the mountains.

[@djscottdog1]

@@mikethejake_BM44 ah thwts why i ski in europe , ive never experienced rain or massive ques in the alps. As for waisting time on easy trails , better than wasting it on a lift

[@camdenp23]

glad they named the run after him. awesome. lives on forever!

[@kggk6358]

Så kul att se Vera få möta snö fast ni bor i Skåne. Vilket hästjobb du gör Johan!

[@MrHariSheldon]

The issue with the concrete trucks could have been avoided by building a temporary construction ropeway, as it is usually done in Switzerland and Austria for such projects. It could also have been used for faster transport of most other stuff, including machines, to the construction site.

[@jpskiskate2000]

Perfect motivation for me to finish that dynamics homework lol

[@Drymarro]

Wish I went engineering... Good luck!

[@FelixHOLLAND]

I feel like the editor had a bit too much alcohol

[@BlckJack123]

Wrong. The reason certain segments repeat is because that is were the commercial breaks were.

[@mitchmartin5228]

Not as much as me

[@godbluffvdgg]

As the owner of a construction company. It's NEVER been this bad dealing with suppliers, Tradesmen, general labor, and financiers. I just did 35 years in the business. Dealing with those issues, plus, adding in government overreach, it's not worth the headaches...Good health, freedom and success to all those out there taking the beatings to keep the world moving...Dying with my boots on...

[@maxmoovin]

Geezers what a scary project. I'm exhausted just watching this documentary. Amazing what can be done in a short period of time.

[@dday216]

Excited to go ride this in March!!

[@giveitathink6749]

An Amazing build with sudden-stop engineering fixes along the way. Cheers all around!

[@atefxf]

Such an amazing documentary!!! Thank you soo much!

[@computerjantje]

These docs are made these days like everything is on the edge of succeeding. Why? To try to get some extra tension in? I think its stupid. I stopped this one at 14:52 when the narrator said : "They have just 5 weeks before the road is closed for good". The came right after the narration about the tower built: "...the pressure is on to pick up the pase". This is all out of truth crap. Yes there are strive dates. But yes the road is not closed right in the middle if a few trucks still have to travel it. And no the crew up in the tower for sure won't be needing to work faster and make their job even more dangerous.

[@weldmachine]

Always, Over Drama with these documentaries. Seems they think it's the only way we could be interested to watch ????

[@lydialas8756]

@Hello How are you doing dear

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Love this stuff! Love working with people who Always have another plan! Never say No! Keep Cool and think of solutions and progress, not guilt!

[@sanninnaruto1]

B.C is beyond wonderful and having Whistler only a short one’sh hour drive away is great, riding on the peak to peak is a thrill

[@oliviersimonneau4932]

I’ve been on it twice and it never ceases to impress, also it’s not as scary as you would think cuz it’s really smooth

[@jakeroth3879]

Makes the Funitel at the ski area formerly known as Squaw Valley look like a piece of cake! Man, we had had blast building that thing!

[@walterrau3724]

I worked on that one!!!

[@johnwmendenhall9896]

@@walterrau3724 I didn't

[@crowlsyong]

11:13 good on the supplier for prioritizing the drivers safety and equipment safety. cheers mate.

[@evanmoore8578]

@25:27 is that tow bar cast steel? It looks it. Tow bars should be made of forged steel.

[@andrewe.7907]

Calling in Norm Duke to splice cables is like calling the The Wolf when you need a body disposed.

[@Ogsonofgroo]

Great work! I'm a BC boy born and bred, some great engineering around here, this is an amazing project.

[@actionsportster7686]

Watching the tensile strength failure test I couldn't help thinking about the fact that the test was not performed with the wire rope subjected to cold temperature, which might influence the test results. I know they say hindsight is 20/20, but I am surprised they did not consider this when they tested the wire. I know that temperature was not what damaged the wire in this case, but I still think the environment in which the materials will be used should be an important consideration when evaluating their function.

[@jidekakskaks]

It was most probably taken into consideration by the doppelmayr engineers, but they just left it out of the documentary.

[@irshduck]

I'm sure there are standards in place which require testing to be performed at minimum how they performed the test. And the acceptance criteria could be based on whether the cable is conditioned or not. The design of the cable I'm sure went through conditioned testing but not in manufacturing after it's been proved out. Products of all sorts of industries follow this approach. Hope this helped

[@the_retag]

That rope failing would put the repitation of both doppelmayer and the rope maker on the line. They wil have taken no risk

[@TheScropley]

Generally, there are multiple tests to failure. I am sure we only saw the first one. Whether it is climbing rope or wire rope, there are always multiple tests.

[@cmm3338]

You only saw one of many tests done in this video, these wires are tested until the cows come home.

[@ClayBlasdel44]

well produced documentary. It held my interest throughout.

[@JohnSmith-zv8km]

VEry interesting but oh so much repetition. I used to be a project manager before I retired so I have a small appreciation of the stress and skill of these people, well done indeed.

[@savagesteve5894]

These are top notch contactors and riggers. Wow impressive engineering and execution! Plan B on getting around the golfing train blockage was to build a Railroad track around the parked vehicle :)

[@cvn6555]

Plan B should have been asking Moose and Rocco to go to the guy and gently suggest that it was in his best interests to get his playtoy the eff outta the way. The freaking stones on that a-hole to show up and block the line when they knew there was a very important and time-sensitive load coming.

[@tacomundo]

32:02 Safety meetings ALLLLL DAY

[@pdisme]

Watched this for one reason, to hopefully learn how the multiple spools of cable would be attached together while retaining the specified breaking strength. Came away still wondering. But hey, teflon tow ropes are apparently useful...

[@daynosdr]

they arent, loose ends anchored on the 4 rail cables and one continuous driving cable

[@pdisme]

@@daynosdr ah, I see that now in an article about it. I'd still be interested in knowing how they connect the segments of the haul rope. Even though it doesn't require the same breaking strength, I suspect it still has to be a pretty stout piece of cable.

[@m.5051]

@@pdisme They splice/weave the strands at different locations along the cable.

[@martyspargur5281]

@@pdisme I have never spliced a cable as thick as the wire rope haul cable, but look at the machines that are making the 4 cables that the gondolas roll on: Before those 30 or 40 wires in the next layer are laid up ("closed"), they are already bent to the spiral shape they're going to be after it's made. Same with the haul rope, the individual wires are pre-bent before they become the 6 strands that make up the haul rope. Then those six strands in the haul rope are pre-bent into their final shape before they are closed into the final wire rope. I'm mentioning this because that's the secret to making the final splice that makes the haul rope into one big loop. I imagine the splice would need about 36ft of extra cable on each end which would make the splice about 60ft long. All you do is unwind one of the strands 30', and replace it with one of the strands from the other end. The new strand will lay right into the groove that opens up when the first strand is removed. You then repeat that process, until you have six evenly spaced meeting points for the six pairs over the 60' span. The first meeting point is going to be a meeting of one unwound strand 30' long, and one replacement strand that is now 6' long. Cut the long one to be 6' as well. Tie the two strands together with a simple overhand knot, just like the first step to tying a shoelace. Then force each strand into the middle of the big cable, and use them to replace the core cable which I have not mentioned, but am mentioning now! It's OK to cut out pieces of the core cable wherever you need the room for a spliced strand end. The core cable is only there to give the 6 load-bearing strands something to wrap around, it is not there for strength. BTW the core cable needs to stretch when the rest of the cable stretches or there's going to be trouble. So it's not responsible for more than maybe 7% of the total strength, of the cable, instead of 1/7th of it's strength like you would expect. The brief mention of the rigger who did the splice did not mention the 3 highly specialized tools that are necessary for this operation: A "C" clamp, a tapered steel spike, and a hammer. Best if the hammer is brass or plastic so it doesn't cause more damage than it's fixing, as shown when he uses it to pound the displaced wires back into place, before he moves on to the Haul Rope loop splice. But they clearly show him pounding the Osborne spike into the cable with some kind of hammer. Later he will be pounding that spike into the haul rope, to get each strand end buried into the wire rope or at least tucked through it a few times. There's usually a foot or two of wire sticking out after that which gets cut off flush. What you don't want is any hollow spots, where there is no core cable or no replacement strand in its place. Of course this is a huge oversimplification of the actual splice, not mentioning how anyone could penetrate a cable like that with a steel spike and a hammer; you have to Force the cable open with a backwards twist that in this case would be the most dangerous part of the whole operation. Normally in the field we would use a long strong wooden stick clamped or somehow seized to the cable to "unwind" it, which creates a giant dangerous spring, but it also puts some open space between the wires for your spike (I call it "birdcaging" the cable). Thank You.

[@petebansen9780]

The track ropes are anchored on one end by wrapping them around a large, cylindrical "bollard" in or behind the lift terminal and on the other end may be attached to a counterweight by a socket or may also be anchored. The track ropes with their outer smooth surface composed of interlocking 'z' shaped wires (called a "full lock" rope) are not spliced. The haul rope is spliced into a continuous loop by 'unlaying' the strands, then marrying the ends of the cable and tucking alternating strands of the ends back into the rope, as Marty describes in his post. The length of the splice is generally between 1200 and 1300 times rope diameter, so a 1" wire rope would have a splice about 100' in length. The haul rope on this gondola is much larger than that - it looks like maybe 45 or 50mm, so the splice could be 60 meters long. A correctly executed socket or splice is as strong or stronger than the rope.

[@kind2311]

is there a difference between what's being tested @ 18:00 and 19:29? It seems like they showed the same test twice, but the second time didn't give any more info than the first.

[@Lehmann108]

Can you imagine if this was a government project? It would have taken 15 years and not have worked!

[@guymartinez4394]

I need to go over this soon... I love Whistler

[@robertwieczorek5838]

Its very impressive when you see if for the first time

[@Holocaustica]

The second I heard the narrator’s tone of voice, I just knew the entire project was going to be put in jeopardy several times in the next 45 minutes. Oh, how I hope they’re successful…

[@Widetrack444]

This is one of the best videos!.

[@geoffstrickler]

So cool to see Peter (Pieter?) smile on opening day. I’m sure that was a stressful build, and that cable issue had him more stressed than he wanted to admit.

[@noahberlin3953]

Did anyone else notice that one of the guys involved of the project was peter luger?

[@jacksonhoran2695]

Cant believe his parents named him after that one trail in Whistler

[@highks496]

After designing the 9x19, he just had to build the world's largest ski lift

[@fancyhandle]

Another good reason to visit! Great documentary!

[@RossDMTBYT]

Class documentary! Been one it once when visiting my brother! Unreal piece of kit. I'd love to know how they make a loop/join a cable of that size? Crazy engineering!

[@lrc87290]

They weave it together. Don't call it a cable. It is wire rope. Just google wire rope splice.

[@RossDMTBYT]

@@lrc87290 yeah i started searching for vids after i posted! Its mighty impressive watching them do it! Like a fine art! Cool seeing it being a full on family tradition! Haha. All that weight held up by friction! 😯

[@Gottenhimfella]

The splice was performed by Norm Duke of Wyoming, who is one of only a few splicers in North America. The splicing process took 14 workers from Whistler-Blackcomb and Doppelmayr Garaventa over 15 hours to complete

[@jamesbond1231]

Imagine if people put this much effort into making the world a better place.

[@neiltooley455]

I can not believe they started this huge project. Without making sure they had a constant supply of concrete. Before giving the concrete supplier the contract. So one stubborn man just said nah I’m stopping the loads, without a solution or a care to what problems will a raise. That’s some smart business and leadership right there

[@DejvmanXsindicate]

it's all just for the show

[@CGT80]

X2, the video of the guy holding the pump hose without concrete coming out was used for drama. Sometimes there is a pause while clearing hoses, moving trucks, or waiting for the next concrete truck, but other equipment would drag the concrete trucks up the hill before they would stop and have a cold joint in a pour like that. They likely declined to send trucks for the next day, but pushed through to finish that section of the pour. Where there is a will, there is a way, even if they had to run the mud up the hill in a loader bucket.

[@francoislepine4698]

Cardinal Concrete is the only supplier in Whistler....with a plant in Whistler as well as Squamish, 35 miles away. The "stubborn man" you refer to had been on that dispatching job for well over twenty years at the time and had seen it ALL. EVERYTHING that has been built on both those mountains, at high altitude above the valley, for the last FIFTY YEARS used concrete coming from his company/plant...EVERYTHING that has been built in the Whistler valley used concrete from this same company. Part of any concrete supply contract is that the customer must supply good, reasonable access for the delivery equipment agreed to in the contract. The customer in this case could not fulfill his end of the contract due to weather/road conditions. As Dan said: "We are not going to bust our equipment because of YOUR road". The alternate would have been helicopters or wait til spring. You are one smart KZbinr, right there.

[@randominternet5586]

The issue was these guys didn't spend the year BEFORE they kicked this off upgrading that road for the loads it would be carrying. EVERYTHING is going to be going up that road, spend the year prior to kickoff dialing that road in. Width, runnoff control to avoid moisture issues etc. They probably had to run light loads and lower tire pressure etc to make this work. I thought road held up pretty good based on what they showed actually.

[@foxtrot789]

80km/hr winds are 'hurricane force'?

[@kris2k]

very interesting, but i am waiting impatiently, how do they thread that line ? bow and arrow?

[@t0scanelli]

17:38 Wow! That's one high-tech cable. Looks very impressive.

[@acedaytona1884]

Awesome doc.... rode this lift today!!

[@imcacklinghere8693]

I LOVE the low tech nylon feeder rope "tensioner". Needed a water hose nearby so It did not burst in to flames!! Whatever works!

[@jrphillip1458]

Been on it several times. Every few carriages they have a carriage with a glass floor! Totally worth waiting for.

[@WhistlingBook2012]

They’re called cabins, not carriages

[@stinkos]

Austrian engineering at its best 💪🇦🇹

[@tuukkasilventoinen8961]

@3:10 Why over complicate things? You could just add a sign to the lift that says "swinging forbidden" like in the picture and problem solved. Much cheaper.

[@lgarcia67]

Amazing engineering! Besides the engineering, the management of a project like that is very interesting and I bet very stressful

[@nielsdaemen]

30:20 *They skipped the most interesting parts! Splicing the cable and ataching the cars!*

[@keithscothern4859]

no fake drama in that

[@desdoran2466]

Thanks for a great documentary. As a teacher of digital transformation and operations management there was so much content here that would resonate with my students. I was particularly struck y the potential to apply Blockchain thinking to each key work package of this complex project.

[@kevanhershey8169]

I got to ride on this last year and there was one gondola with a glass floor

[@monoralph1375]

Actually a few with the glass floor panels

[@davecalico3273]

WoW ~ C Total Engineering Fascination from every single bit of machinery right down to a trucks towbar

[@misterfunnybones]

This idea was originally a joke at the Intrawest office in Vancouver in the mid 90's with a photo shopped image of a gondola going from the peak of Whistler to the top of 7th heaven/Horstman hut. The argument for building P2P was to allow Creekside visitors easy access to the Blackcomb alpine, which was always available by skiing down to the village, but this also is tacit acknowledgment that the lower ⅓ of the mountain is poor quality snow & generally used as a ski out. All the "mile high" vertical marketing is just that, marketing. Now we have Vail & the Blackcomb gondy - rip Solar Coaster.

[@tomeisner5458]

rip catskinner

[@imcacklinghere8693]

I held my breath while they hauled that first 90 ton spool up a muddy ski trail!!!!!!

[@cdracing]

Build one from Everest to K2

[@kennethellison9713]

When they described sketching out an engineering solution on the back of a napkin and sending it out to Europe to be manufactured, all I could think of was the Stonehenge bit from Spinal Tap. Fortunately this outcome was better than David St. Hubbins' were.

[@macksoneh]

18:40 Can't they afford safety ear plugs - at least for their customers?

[@misterfunnybones]

This lift is a clear admission that the bottom ⅓ of Whistler it's either slush or hardpacked ski out. What is does offer is a covered trip in combination with the BG & WVG for sightseers.

[@robertcasey1708]

protect Peter the splicer at all costs

[@bbsara0146]

I have ridden on that gondola before. It is amazing even though it was cloudy the day I went

[@DCA001TUBE]

Loved this, I have been on it, It Is Amazing. Thankyou.

[@DunDun-e43]

So who were the company that build it? Let me guess, Garventad or HTI, but dunno bc they more specialise in chairlift but then also gondolas Edit: nevermind, they mentioned Dopplemayard-Garventa at 3:22

[@DonJulio4649]

5:20 “he’s supposed to be sipping Mai Thai at Mexico” ???? When do you order Mai Thai at Mexico. You mean margarita ? You generally order Mai Thai at Hawaii.

[@nathangoddard8115]

The engineered drama if these videos is so transparent. I would have watched this if it was just an honest documentary of how it was done.

[@williamcorcoran8842]

This is what safety culture looks like: transparency, transparency, transparency.

[@SI-lg2vp]

I thought Whistler was the most exciting place to ski back in 1970 with the highest vertical drop for skiing. The ski lifts to get to the top took a long time then. We had no idea how steep the mountain was as it was covered with clouds and very low visibility. Next day we were amazed of the steep slopes as to how in the world we were able to get down the day before. Amazing how Whistler has changed over the years.

[@benediktmorak4409]

even while it is not mentioned in the title i thought there is only ONE COMPANY IN THE WORLD WHO CAN DO THE JOB: Doppelmayr of Austria. And indeed after 4 minutes into the film that name was mentioned for the first time. By the way, they also made the lifts for the Olympics in Sochi. AND are also doing things, big ones, in China. Suppose even a small country like Austria, CAN DO! But definite Kudos and chapeau also to the builders!!!

[@TheWeekendMedic]

Invested some pension money, then called the president of the railroad and asked a favor. Priceless.