TomWhite It is 'Haul Rope Splicing Season'. I was at Steamboat this summer, but I only saw the existing lower section of the Wild Blue gondola. What struck me in the video was how massive (diameter) the cable is and how thick plastic core is. I do have a question. Does the core exist to provide for the splicing? It is removed (cut out) so there is a space for the splices. In this case 6 splices.
LiftGuy Hey Tom. Yes, giant cable, probably 50+mm, for a giant installation- 10 passenger cabins, @12,700' in length and @2900' vertical rise! The plastic core is there to hold the strands in position and keep them from rubbing against each other. In the process of splicing, sections of the core are removed to make room for the tails, which are wrapped to make them the same size as the core. There are 2 tails that are crossed over each other and then 'tucked' back into the center of the rope. The area of the crossover is called the tuck, and there are three tucks on each side of the marriage. Hope this helps.
lotsoskiing A process I will never understand, even though I took part in one (held the strand and moved where and when told to do so), and will always marvel.
LiftGuy Having worked on over 50 splices in my lifetime, the process I understand but I still would not attempt to select which strands to cut at what length or perform the marriage. It truly is a marvel!
patrick_torsell lotsoskiing;c-61509 wroteA process I will never understand, even though I took part in one (held the strand and moved where and when told to do so), and will always marvel. A marvel, indeed! I did my best to explain it in simple terms here:
TomWhite This 4 min. video from Hill Top Ski Area covers various aspects of rope replacement: https://ropeways.net/rn/berichte/bericht.php?news=8816&kategorie=1&klickpass=agh586zyf
