wiredinUSA January 2013

World’s fastest single cable gondola

Skiers on the slopes of Vail, Colorado, will ride the world’s fastest single cable, ten-person gondola. Developers chose ArcelorMittal to help build a new ski lift with a steel rope capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions at 8,500 feet. “ArcelorMittal has sold cables in North America for 20 years with an outstanding reputation among our customers for quality,” said Marco Desmarais, sales manager, ArcelorMittal long carbon, North America. “Our steel cables are known for offering the lowest stretch in the industry and best return on investments. We have also proved year after year that we can deliver huge ropes on time, anywhere in North America.” The steel cable supporting the new ski lift began its journey near Lyon, France, at ArcelorMittal Bourg-en-Bresse. Only premium high-tensile strengthwires were selected tobuild the 20,000 foot cable according to the customer’s (Leitnerpoma) specifications. The technical name for the ArcelorMittal cable is: 6*36WSR, compacted-strand, low-stretch, solid-plastic core design. The minimum breaking load is 550,782 pound-force. The exact dimensions are 19,782 feet long by 2.2 inches diameter. The finished cable is one of the heaviest stranded ropes ever produced for such an application in North America. The rope was wrapped around a specially constructed reel for its transatlantic journey. This reel was 12 feet in diameter by 10 feet wide, weighing around 172,000lb.

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wiredInUSA - January 2013

wiredInUSA - January 2013