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Deja Vu...Squamish Gondola Line Cut Again.

sparty

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Somehow this guy did it twice without being decapitated.

From the short CBC article,
"This individual has no regard for their own life and limb. They wanted to do what they did, they did it swiftly, they did it with skill." (GM Kirby Brown

So they have the incident on camera. With that said, cameras are most effective as either a visible deterrent or an unseen recording device. If you know there are cameras present and dress appropriately, it's going to be damn hard to use the video evidence conclusively in court, unless you're dumb enough to let someone either see your face or record you getting back into your car.

The potential for injury or death with malicious actors targeting aerial lifts is huge, and I'm quite glad that none of the evil types seemed to have decided that it's a particularly good focus for their efforts. I do hope they catch the person(s) responsible for this one, because the action seems misguided at best unless their primary goal it to make it difficult and/or absurdly expensive to insure the lift; the environmental impact of cleaning up the mess, let alone rebuilding, has got to be more significant than multiple years of operation.
 

Andy Mink

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You wouldn't even have to completely sever the cable. At some point the weight of the cable and cars will simply stretch whatever's left to the point of failure. It must have made a hell of a crack.
 

slowrider

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Can't imagine anyone stupid enough to not recognize the danger of cutting a wire cable under a load.
 

slowrider

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This made me uncomfortable, sitting in the cab of a truck. On a 35% grade
B.jpg
 

babanff

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Title is spelled wrong FYI... Squamish, not Squammish.

I believe last year the investigation determined that the person cut through the cable just enough so that the weight of the rope and cabins would take care of the remainder, giving them time to get out of the way before it snapped.
 

DanoT

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I believe last year the investigation determined that the person cut through the cable just enough so that the weight of the rope and cabins would take care of the remainder, giving them time to get out of the way before it snapped.

Wire cut with a line saw should have clean ends whereas this pic shows frayed unraveled small diameter line which seems to support @tam's post.

1600210044948.png
 

crgildart

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^^^And if they didn't cut quite deep enough it might have run fine for a load or two of people until real disaster...
 

Tricia

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Yup, a 14" gas powered cut off saw with a metal cutting wheel will get it done in a hurry. Loud though. Not to mention the sparks.

View attachment 110201
Milwaukee make a battery powered 14" cut off saw that is much quieter. Still the sparks can be seen from far away.

View attachment 110202

Still think a band saw is a better bet for stealth and ease of handling. Especially if the cut is overhead.
When I was running an excavation company we used something similar to cut ductile iron pipe and cables at the gravel pit.
 

coops

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thread drift time - what is oilfield wireline logging?

There's a wiki on it, but this short youtube clip may be easier - Schlumberger, Baker Atlas and Halliburton are the bigger operators though.
Some oil companies would insist on having the capability to sever the cable in emergency - hydraulic cutter and a long hydraulic hose connected to a hand pump is enough.

 

oldschoolskier

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After years in the elevator industry, wire rope (steel outer, hemp core) vs cable (steel outer and steel core), cutting cable under tension is a dumb idea even if you know what you are doing, even more ao with cables used in this regard as they are suspended carrying a load they are under extremely high tension. While the factor of aafety is relatively high any slight reduction greatly changes that, cutting through to ensure failure is a guess at best. Cutting partially through to allow time for escape, all I can say is lucky not to get killed as the energy released on the tower and sway induced its lucky they weren’t thrown.



 

DanoT

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No expert but the video on the cable being cut did not appear to have tension. If there were tension the cut parts of the cable might fray.
Having spent 30+ years as a first aid attendant and sometimes 3rd man on a grapple yarder (landing man) for a logging contractor on B.C.s west coast, I know what a broken line looks like. The supposition is that a line cutter was used to cut part way thru the cable and then the weight of the cable and gondola cabins and the wind gusts breaks the remaining strands. Done to give someone who knows what they are doing, time to get away.
 

TheArchitect

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Somehow this guy did it twice without being decapitated.

Third time's a charm?

This guy could've killed someone if it didn't snap before they started running it for people. I dearly hope they catch and prosecute him.
 

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