- The Silver Queen Gondola in Aspen is getting a new haul rope. Crews from the ski resort and its contractors are splicing the 4.9-mile-long haul rope. This will be the gondola’s first haul rope replacement since the gondola was installed in 1986. The gondola is scheduled to reopen July 2.
- The proposed Mount Wellington Cable Car is still facing opposition from an Australian aboriginal group and the local community. The Mount Wellington Cableway Company (MWCC) project was on hold due to Aboriginal heritage requirements. MWCC had an archeologist survey the site and provided an 800-page report that stated there was no evidence of relics or Aboriginal sites within the footprint of the development. However, heritage officers say the report does not recognize the spiritual and cultural values of Mount Wellington to aboriginal people. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
- Video footage of the tragic cable car accident in Italy has been released. Footage from inside and outside the station show the cabin approaching the station when a cable snaps sending the cabin rolling back down the haul rope. It is believed that if the emergency brake hadn’t been temporarily disabled, the cabin would have remained on the supporting cable. Investigators are still trying to determine why the first cable broke. See a related Weekly Roundup here.