Industry News
Unfortunate circumstances but darn cool to see old and new tram cars flying together at @Snowbird. pic.twitter.com/mA3w9U15ov
— Lift Blog (@liftblog) June 23, 2022
After last month’s unfortunate accident when one of Snowbird’s brand new state-of-the-art trams accidentally dropped from its crane, damaging it beyond repair, the resort has been forced to come up with a solution to get the tram up and running for the summer season.
A replacement tram could take months, so to have the tram operational for the summer the resort has had to re-install the previous 50-year-old red tram. It’s not clear whether this tram car will be operational, or is just acting as a counter-balance for the new blue tram.
The cool picture in a Tweet from LiftBlog embedded above shows the two side-by-side; the old and the new, the red and the blue.
The blue tram was successfully installed a little over two weeks after the red tram cabin at Snowbird, UT was ‘damaged beyond repair’ during installation. The resort shared the above image following the successful installation of the blue tram.
The red tram dropped from a crane at the end of May bringing the resort’s summer operations into question. However, it looks like the blue tram will begin operating on July 15th.
The New Blue!
We are so excited to see the beautiful new Blue Tram mounted to the hanger. The work isn’t finished yet, but we are scheduled to start Scenic Tram rides on July 15. The Blue Tram is off to a head start over the Red Tram this summer, but both new cabins will be operating during the winter season.
– Snowbird Facebook post
The new cabins were made specifically for Snowbird and replacing one will take time. According to LiftBlog, the resort hopes to have a new cabin made and installed in time for winter 2022/23. The new tram was set to open in late June for the summer.
A timelapse video on Twitter (below) shows the cabin suspended from a crane before crashing to the ground below.
Looks like rigging failed as they were jostling the cabin onto the hanger mounting bolts. Thankfully no one was injured. pic.twitter.com/a99EDIGQbX
— Adam Francis (@PAdamFrancis) June 1, 2022
An investigation is underway to understand why this accident occurred.
After 50 years of transporting millions of skiers and snowboarders to Snowbird’s 11,000-foot Hidden Peak, the resort’s iconic Aerial Tram will get new Tram cabins this spring, the resort announced in March 2022. The original Tram cabins have traveled approximately 794,994 miles during their lifetime—the same distance as traveling to the Moon and back over one and a half times. Snowbird worked closely with The Doppelmayr Group on this exciting upgrade, and after two years of planning, the new Tram cabins have been completed in Olten, Switzerland, and are on their way to their permanent home.
View this post on Instagram
The new Tram cabins, which were expected to be fully installed and operational for Snowbird’s summer season this June, will feature a sleek exterior design, floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as summer seasonal experiences including a rooftop balcony for foot passengers, and three glass floor panels in each cabin.
“As Snowbird celebrates its 50th Anniversary, we are recognizing both our storied past and making a thrilling upgrade to our iconic Aerial Tram. The Tram and Snowbird have provided year-round excitement for five decades, but the new Tram cabins promise to take this excitement to a whole new level.”
– Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields
The summertime rooftop deck will be the first of its kind in the United States, allowing 15 guests to enjoy unobstructed 360-degree views of Peruvian Gulch, Mount Superior, and more as an upgrade to summertime scenic Tram rides. The summer Tram will also feature three, three-foot by three-foot glass floor panels for daring guests to view the scenery below. Finally, the Tram drive system will receive a complete technological upgrade. The original Tram cabins will take their final rides on April 3, 2022.
