Why engineering matters.

Peak to Peak gondola at Whistler/Blackcomb - how much stress is on the cable?

You know that if you hang a weight on a clothesline, the cord will bend where the weight is.  The angle of the bend will depend on numerous factors, including the load, the tension on the line, and to some extent, the location of the mass.  The heavier the object, the greater the angle of deflection.

Now, imagine pulling the cable taut so that there is no discernible angle where the load is.  In fact, pull it so tight that the line is parallel to the ground; there is no significant curve to the line.  It takes a lot of force, and the ends have to be well secured so that they don't rip out of the wall or pull the stanchion down.  For something as simple as a clothesline pulley system with a single center weight, that would be a lot of tension.

What's impressive about the Peak to Peak ride in Whistler is the physics behind it all.  The span is just over 3 kilometers.  The steel cables, 3 of them, weigh 90 metric tons each.  The line used to pull the gondola is another 80 metric tons.  Then there is the weight of the gondola itself (and more than one!) with its occupants.  The tension on the cables must be extraordinary.

The neat thing is that it all works.  It works because the builders engineered it to.  It all starts out on paper and ends up creating the world's longest gondola system.  Proper engineering using proper materials and construction methods allows a system like this to work.  Without all of this, the thing would be a death trap.  It is really quite amazing.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com