#BlackCombe

[mapsontheweb]

Whistler Blackcomb trail map tracker

by u/jakegreenhalgh

[frostbitegator]

Survived some more snowy adventuring 7,160 feet up. Thanks for the hospitality this week, northern neighbors~ 🇨🇦

[kxantares]

What the heck's the deal with tower 6 on the Big Red Express (1997–2022) at Whistler-Blackcomb?

So, on Whistler Mountain, there was this one chairlift, the Big Red Express (due to be replaced in time for the 2022–2023 ski season with a new lift by the same name), which was notable for, mostly, being remarkably miserable to ride on snowy, windy days; being ten minutes long; and:

This is a rare design feature on ropeways, which only really happens when there's a serious elevation differential across the several metres separating each side of the ropeway. Usually, they'll just build a tower tall enough to support both sides of the cable, unless it's way cheaper to not do that. Which, well, it is here.

But there's another thing that's weird about that tower. Like, here, let me show you a basically identical lift built by the same company, Doppelmayr, around the same year:

Check the tower heads on both — the ones on the second picture are normal for that manufacturer in that era. So where did the Big Red get its weird towers from?

The Redline Express, installed in 1992. I'll get into why it only lasted five ski seasons in a bit, but basically, they ended up having to put that little side tower in because that lift was itself replacing the original Red Chair (1965–1992). Which was built, well, very differently from the big, beefy high-speed lifts that started to become the main workhorses of large ski resorts in the '80s, and which also had chairs that didn't require quite the same vertical clearance or other such space:

So, reusing the same alignment, which was the most direct route from "the top of whatever lift comes up from the base at Creekside" to "up a hill from the main lodge on the mountain, so that people can ski down to the ski racks", but with chairs that need way more vertical clearance and can support larger gaps between towers, meant sticking in a little side tower to make sure people's skis wouldn't brush against the snow (or worse!). Speaking of "worse", though, let's get into why the Redline was replaced maybe a sixth of the way into its theoretical service life:

Think about how it works in practice. For clarity, this is a device intended to secure hundreds of kilograms of metal and passengers to a rope, usually in temperatures below freezing, under conditions where forces on the cable, such as those that occur in the event of an emergency stop, can result in reduced or absent gravitational force acting on the chair.

And for more clarity, look at the upper part of the "jaws" on the cable, and where the hinges are relative to the "jaws". Just one more thing: those tension-providing devices aren't lazily drawn metal springs; they're rubber "marshmallow" springs.

Can you see where the problem might be with this setup? Because this guy didn't:

Meet Janek Kunczynski, the founder of Lift Engineering & Manufacturing Co., AKA Yan, who might as well be the Elon Musk of ropeways. Before I get deeper into just how disastrous his detachable grip design was, let me show you another Incredible™ (derogatory) example of his engineering sensibilities:

Allow me to remind you that this is usually operating in sub-zero temperatures, and that this specific lift was often subject to considerable wind and snow. As in, when mechanics were working on this chairlift, they'd have to do that with no protection from the elements. (It's also at least rumoured within the ropeway and ski resort industries that his lifts were routinely welded together in ski resort parking lots.) His whole thing was, basically, making lifts look cool and implementing them cheaply, to undercut his European competitors, which led not just to impractical designs that were hostile to the people maintaining them or prone to breaking down, but to his company's lifts killing at least five people and injuring at least seventy.

Which brings us back to Whistler:

Whistler, at the time in an arms race to outcompete Blackcomb, its neighbour, but lacking the sort of venture capital backing Blackcomb had, wanted to put in some high-speed lifts to be able to match the skiing experience at Blackcomb, which had already bought several such lifts from Doppelmayr (after buying several low-speed lifts from Yan). So they figured they'd take the cheap route, and get three high-speed lifts, of a fairly unproven design, installed. These were to replace three ancient lifts that were, at that point, constraining the resort's capacity.

While the Redline and Green both served through their five years of operation without any serious issues, the same can't be said for the Quicksilver Express, which was the only chairlift Yan ever built with "bubbles" on it — which required a slightly enhanced grip, to handle the additional weight.

It wasn't enhanced enough, though. On December 23rd, 1995…

The Quicksilver, specifically, was an unmitigated dumpster fire, even before any accidents happened. It was designed such that, in wind, grips could smack against towers, taking on damage in the process. It had a faulty brake system that would apply maximum braking force via the emergency brake when a normal stop is what the operator pressed the button for. At least a few empty chairs had straight up fallen off the cable before the accident. And then there were the grips.

These grips received multiple retrofits and rebuilds throughout the few years the lift was operating, which never seemed to help — they slipped so often that operators on the lift just stuffed paper into the grip force alarm to muffle it. The clearance between grips and towers was known to be below code, and Whistler stated that they simply couldn't fix it. Upon testing the grips after the accident, of 29 tested, every single one failed to perform adequately.

Furthermore, there was the whole thing with the rubber and the claws. Rubber springs lose performance at much less extreme temperatures than metal springs, and the way the grips were designed, a lot of their grip force relied on the chair applying force via gravity. Take away gravity, and the grip can slip. Take away gravity on a particularly steep section of the lift line, and you've got a cascade of chairs knocking each other off of the cable until they ram into a tower and fall to the ground.

So it was 1997, and Whistler, on the edge of going bankrupt from lawsuits and lost business, had to get rid of the other Yan high speed lifts, which were likely safer, but not safe enough. Some resorts retrofitted theirs to use a better grip design, but Whistler just got rid of them…

…other than the towers.

[scapegrace74-blog]

Yep, there I go again. Hiking up stuff.

Blackcomb Peak, July 27, 2023

[imaginary-engineer-blog]

I wanted to share some pictures I took today that I liked because my dad has decided to make me feel bad about my own feelings

[midgetman82]

A full 4K look riding the very scenic peak of Whistler mountain in British Columbia!

[whileimout]

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi + @vsco

[habercafe]

Borusan, Kuzey Amerika'da 363 Milyon USD Değerinde Sözleşme İmzaladı

Borusan’dan Yeni Bir Uluslararası Sözleşme Borusan Birleşik Boru Fabrikaları Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde yeni bir iş ilişkisine yönelik önemli bir sözleşme imzaladı. Bu gelişme, şirketin global pazardaki etkinliğini artırma hedefi doğrultusunda atılmış önemli bir adım olarak değerlendiriliyor. Borusan’dan Kamuyu Aydınlatma Platformu’na (KAP) yapılan resmi açıklamada,…

[squamishreporter]

Whistler Blackcomb Resort Update - The Squamish Reporter

Whistler Blackcomb has reported another fatality at the resort, marking the second such tragedy this year. For more information, visit https://www.squamishreporter.com/2024/01/28/second-fatality-confirmed-at-whistler-blackcomb/

[bappa1324]

[hotelbooking]

Blackcomb Springs Suites Take advantage of a wealth of unrivaled services and amenities at Guestrooms are fitted with all the amenities you need for a good night's sleep. The specially-designed rooms at You can stay fresh and clean with a hair dryer, toiletries and bathrobes provided in some of the guest bathrooms. Throughout the day, you can enjoy the activities offered at Spend less here on rooms than you would at 98% of other accommodations in the city. Verified reviews for this hotel's food and dining options score it better than 99% of accommodations in the city. This accommodation beats more than 99% of competition in the city on room comfort.

[rickchung]

2023 World Ski & Snowboard Festival x Whistler. (via Mitch Winton)

Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders will make their way from Vancouver to Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway for [WSSF], the ultimate après of the winter season since 1996 [...].

For 2023, the annual celebration of snow sports, music, arts, and culture will be showcasing Whistler’s reputation as a mecca for mountain culture by returning to its grassroots origins focused on Sea to Sky artists and athletes.

Events scheduled from April 10-16.

[tesialo]

Whistler, BC ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 coming here to snowboard has now made me feel like I’ve hit a new love for snowboarding! Finally got toe side down and was able to record myself snowboarding ❣️❣️! Small wins for this little shawty ❄️❄️❄️🏂🏂#tesiatravels #tesiamunches #snowboard #whistler #blackcomb #bigassslope #snowseason #endlessmountains #bc #canada #freerange #spacious #reunion #apresski #dranks #tabledancing #snowtrips #newfriends #constipation (at Whistler Blackcomb) https://www.instagram.com/p/CotEJzDvtPO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bingwallpaper]

Whistler village, British Columbia, Canada

Often hailed the largest ski resort in North America, Whistler Blackcomb is also one of the busiest, welcoming over two million visitors to this area of British Colombia, Canada, each year. The twin mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb are ideal locations for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking and hiking, which are the top reasons people from around the world visit Whistler.

And while Whistler Blackcomb is one of North America’s largest ski resorts, it’s not the only attraction - tourists also come in large numbers to visit Whistler village, the charming town at the base of the mountains. In winter, the pedestrian-only village transforms into a winter wonderland with twinkling lights, snowcapped cabins and outdoor markets – like in today’s image. But no matter the time of year, there is plenty to do in Whistler village. The town is filled with art museums, shopping boutiques and over a hundred restaurants.

[thesinglelogbridge]

They really had me excited with the title here, ngl