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October Tram Diaries - Cars Go Up! |
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Written by Lauren M. Whaley
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Snow continues to fall here in Jackson Hole, blanketing the new five
towers, the new upper and lower terminals and the new tram cars,
hanging from steel cables.
It’s hard to look up to the sky, mouth open wide, and thank the skies for the flakes falling on my tongue.
Winter is so close.
While crews will spend November troubleshooting, testing and readying the resort for full tram operation, October was really the month of big finishes.
About 15 crew members spent several days working on a temporary bridge nicknamed the “Stairway to Heaven” suspended 60 feet above the ground. They completed a 220 –foot splice of the haul rope under the guidance of rope slicing expert Norm Duke of Wilson.
Spectators, photographers and journalists came to watch the event, which was staged just uphill of the new lower terminal.
"Energy is high out here," says Tim Mason, vice president of operations for the resort. "People are beginning to realize that there really is going to be a new Aerial Tram ready for this winter."
Just before the month ended, the two new 100-person tram cars were hung on the track cables.
Still covered in custom-made Marmot suits, the cars first moved from the parking lot to the ground in front of the lower terminal. They then attached the hangar to the top of the cars and then lifted them up by crane 80 feet and placed them onto the track cables.
Crews, locals and visitors are psyched. The snow keeps falling and the crews keep testing. The Stanford red tram cars will be ready when skiers and snowboarders board for the first time on Dec. 20.
Check out the full car #1 gallery here .
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