Posts Tagged: British Columbia

27
Jan

2015

Touring the Sea to Sky Gondola

To the summit we go! Image by Nicholas Chu.

Ascending to the summit at Sea to Sky Gondola. Image by Nicholas Chu.

For a country that is as large, rugged, and beautiful as Canada, one might assume that the landscape would be inundated with sightseeing cable cars.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the Great White North has only a handful of gondolas (i.e. ropeways with fully enclosed cabins) located outside ski resorts.

Luckily for those visiting the west coast, the Sea to Sky Gondola has helped expand the list of scenic aerial systems in Canada. Since the gondola launched in May 2014, it has effectively “opened up” some of the country’s most breathtaking vistas.

Location and System

The gondola is a 1.9km MDG system, situated in Squamish and is located immediately off the famous Sea to Sky Highway — a major freeway travelled by over 9.5 million cars each year. The town has a small population (17,000) and is a mid-point between the bustling urban centre of Vancouver and the world-renowned ski-resort, Whistler. Read more



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Sea to Sky Gondola
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11
Apr

2014

Weekly Roundup: First Urban Cable Car (Line Red) Opens in La Paz, Bolivia

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A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas and cable propelled transit:

  • The Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, BC is scheduled to start admitting its first patrons on May 16. The system will provide passengers with easy access to the stunning views from Stawamus Chief.
  • And decades before La Paz started building their massive urban cable network, Chiatura in Georgia apparently already built 13 miles (20 km) on 32 lines back in the 1950s. While many of the lines are in major disrepair, city officials are now looking for assistance to rebuild four systems.


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Weekly Roundup
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28
Mar

2014

Weekly Roundup: Yenimahalle – Şentepe Teleferik (Cable Car) in Ankara Opens

Yenimahalle – Şentepe Teleferik (Cable Car). Image from LEITNER ropeways.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas, and cable propelled transit:

  • Dubbed as the largest urban ropeway on the Eurasian continent, the Yenimahalle – Şentepe Teleferik in Ankara (Turkey) is the country’s first public transit cable car. LEITNER Ropeways was responsible for implementing this 4-station, 3.2km system. The cable car is expected to complete testing in the next week and officially open for public consumption.


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Installations / Weekly Roundup / Yenimahalle - Şentepe Teleferik
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04
Mar

2014

Temporary Gondolas / Ropeways (Construction and Goods Delivery)

Aside from being great transport systems for cities and ski hills, did you know that cable cars are fantastic tools for construction and goods delivery? Unfortunately, this is one side of ropeway technology that many city folk rarely get to see.

IMG_7327

Temporary ropeway for pipeline construction in British Columbia, Canada. Image by Damien.

Not only are they quick, and easy to set up, their footprints are small and cause little impact to the environment. And because they are easily dismantled and less expensive/intrusive than roads, they are a preferred transport solution in many topographically challenged and ecologically sensitive locales.

This particular system (pictured) in British Columbia, Canada was erected temporarily to help haul goods up and down a mountainside for the construction of a pipeline.

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Cabin lowered to ground level. Image by Damien.

And in case you haven’t noticed by now, this gondola system is built with a really cool feature. Do you see it?

How about now?

Well, if not, I’ll fill you in — it has a winch which allows operators to lift and drop the cabin at any spot along the line! This is just another neat feature that’s basically unknown to the public but imagine if this technique was refined and adapted for urban transport use. Could it solve a lot of problems? Or would it simply complicate matters even further?

A big thanks goes out to Damien for sharing these pictures with us.

 

 



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Infrastructure
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