Kuelap ruins in Peru. Image via Wiki Commons.
A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:
Machu Picchu II (Peru)
Earlier this year, Peru announced plans to build a cable car to the Kuelap ruins, a mountain fortress built by the “Cloud People” around 500AD. Located in the northern part of the country, the site has remained largely inaccessible to travellers. Anticipation for the cable car system, which is slated to open in 2016, was piqued once again with reports that Peru hopes to turn Kuelap into a “second Machu Picchu.”
Arthurs Seat Approval (Australia)
A tribunal in Victoria has finally green-lit the gondola project at Arthurs Seat, southwest of Melbourne. The new cable car system will replace the accident-plagued chairlift that once served the popular hiking and tourist destination — after a number of shut downs, the chairlift system was completely removed in 2013. The $18 million project is expected to attract some 159,000 riders per year.
Cable via Helicopter (Bolivia)
We’ve been following the construction and launch of the cable car transit system in La Paz, Bolivia, for some time now. But here’s a whole new angle to the story of how part of it was built: an interview with a member of the helicopter crew that hung all 4,000 metres of cable. (No word on whether they blasted “Ride of the Valkyries” while they were flying around with all that cable.)
Holiday Spirit (Brazil)
Tis the season… or something. Here are a few photos of Santa Claus zip-lining alongside the Sugarloaf cable car in Rio.