The Sea to Sky Gondola has been cut deliberately for the second time in just over a year, a report from Technical Safety BC released Friday (Oct. 30) confirmed.
The line for the Squamish-area gondola had been cut overnight on Sept. 13. Squamish RCMP said they were told by the company around 4 a.m. on Sept. 14 that the line had been cut and the gondola had crashed into the mountain. The gondola line was previously cut in August 2019 but no arrests have been announced in that case. The company had installed extra security measures before it reopened to the public for the Family Day long weekend.
READ MORE: RCMP investigating after Sea to Sky gondola line cut for the second time
A $250,000 reward has been offered up by gondola operators and police are continuing to investigate. In Friday’s report, Technical Safety BC stated that several of the gondola’s haul rope’s strands and fibres had been severed in September’s incident, while the rest failed due to tension overload. The haul rope supports the gondola cars and moves them along the system and is composed of six individual strands of galvanized steel.
Despite the fact that this is the second time a gondola line has failed in recent years, the agency said there is no systemic risk of gondola lines failing. No one was injured in either incident.
“Our team has worked with other regulators and stakeholders internationally to better understand these types of events,” said Jeff Coleman, Director of Risk and Safety knowledge with Technical Safety BC. “The public should rest assured that what happened at the Sea to Sky Gondola is exceptionally rare for this industry. “
READ MORE: $250K reward offered as investigation continues into Sea to Sky Gondola vandalism
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.
