Another Cable Car Incident in France

[davidof]

The Grande Motte Cable Car at Tignes, France's only open ski area (unless Val Tho and Grand Montets manage to open) has come of its cables. No one is hurt but they had to lower all 90 passengers to safety through trap doors.

a bit more info here: Ninety skiers evacuated from Tignes Cable Car

[Baconzoo]

That shit happened in Jackson once. Where the cable slapped the ground, trees were cut in two. I so would not like to rapel out of a box. I heard it was tough to take 63 people and make room to open the trap door in the bottom.

[Lane Meyer]

Yeah - GNAR. My aunt and cousin were in the Squaw cable car in 1980 when it blew off the tower and those poor people were killed. Luckily for them, my aunt and cousin were alright, though. Cable cars are S-K-E-T-C-H in high winds.

[cololi]

That shit happened in Jackson once. Where the cable slapped the ground, trees were cut in two. I so would not like to rapel out of a box. I heard it was tough to take 63 people and make room to open the trap door in the bottom.

I was skiing in Jackson that day (95 or 96 I think). We would have been on the next tram. That definetely would have sucked.

[bad_roo]

I was skiing at Alpe d'Huez in 1989 when the biggest cable car in the world fell off at Vaujany, killing everyone inside.

http://www.vaujany.com/tele_hiver.jpg

To this day you can still see the new growth of trees beneath the cables where the old one ploughed down the mountain face. People get a little sketched when you point that out on the ride up.

[splat]

Yeah - GNAR. My aunt and cousin were in the Squaw cable car in 1980 when it blew off the tower and those poor people were killed. Luckily for them, my aunt and cousin were alright, though. Cable cars are S-K-E-T-C-H in high winds.

Wasn't that in like '77, Lane?? Had some friends in it, too, and the gore was unreal, the cable coming through the cabin.

[skier666]

I'm never riding another chairlift....

[Spamhelmet]

To this day you can still see the new growth of trees beneath the cables where the old one ploughed down the mountain face. People get a little sketched when you point that out on the ride up.

Oh, so you are one of those guys that make other people comfortable in aeroplanes telling hillarious stories of cabin depressurations and crashes...



Dafidoff, you should post more on this board. You have good stuff on the TM board.

[Mountain Junkie]

Wasn't that in like '77, Lane?? Had some friends in it, too, and the gore was unreal, the cable coming through the cabin.

Okay, so not to dwell on an unfortunate accident, but I heard that the guide wire split the cabin in two and everyone died. True or untrue?

[splat]

It cut a few people in it's path in two. Not everyone.

[iceman]

google sez three dies in '78 Squaw tram accident. No mention of people being chopped in half thatI saw.

[Lane Meyer]

Yeah, I got the date wrong, it was around Easter, I think, four peoplw were killed, 31 injured. I've seen pictures, the haul rope came off the track and sliced through the cabin. Some people wer injured by the cable, some people fell form the car, whcih I think was between tower 1 and tower 2. Sad day here for sure.

[iceman]

I can see how a cable could come off a tower, or how the gripper thingy might fail and the car fall off or slide backwards, or how a cable could get cut or fail, but how can the cable end up slicing through the tram car? I don't get it.

[Hicks]

Well, it always gives you some uncomfortable feeling when learning about incidents on lifts you have been on yourself pretty often even if the Grand Motte tram isn't the most exposed one.

But always bear in mind what's common knowledge over here:
Cables and devices are manufactured and used first in Switzerland. When sorted out there it's passed on to the French and Austrians. Finally when they are done with all the old shit due to safety issues the Italians are the ones who get it for a final use.

[ole2planker]

but how can the cable end up slicing through the tram car? I don't get it.

The cable is several inches thick and under tremendous tension. When the tension is suddenly released, the cable whips back with a great deal of force and probably out of control. The force is sufficient to slice open a tram.

[davidof]

Dafidoff, you should post more on this board. You have good stuff on the TM board.

I should read more of the stuff on here first. There are some very amusing (and interesting) threads.

TM??? Telemark?

[brownmonkey]

People get a little sketched when you point that out on the ride up.

I do not...

[Arty50]

The cable is several inches thick and under tremendous tension. When the tension is suddenly released, the cable whips back with a great deal of force and probably out of control. The force is sufficient to slice open a tram.

Or slice a person in half. I've heard horror stories from old construction hands. High tension cables are deadly when they snap.