This summer, we will be replacing the haul rope on the Funitel. The haul rope is the main cable you see carrying cabins to and from the upper mountain. This project has been scheduled for over two years: it is a major and necessary maintenance project that requires significant advance planning. Crews from the lift manufacturer will be coming to assist with this project as well. This is the first time the haul rope is being replaced since the Funitel first opened in 1998.
We’ll be posting updates to this blog each time something exciting happens with this project. Save this URL, or sign up for our Operations Blog Email List to stay up-to-date throughout the summer.
May 27th, 2023
Today we moved the spools of rope for the Funitel to a new location near Members Lockers at Palisades. The spools won’t get closer to the Funitel than this; the rope will run from this area over to the Funitel once we start working. As a refresher, though the rope arrived as 2 separate spools, the Funitel haul rope itself is really just 1 rope. We will be splicing these two spools together in June.
MAY 25th, 2023
This morning, more equipment for the haul rope replacement project arrived. Two of the main components for the completion of this project are now here: a winch and a spooler. Over the coming week, you’ll see this equipment and other project infrastructure be moved into place around the Funitel. Please be mindful of any signage or fencing and do not go into closed areas.
MAY 23rd, 2023
Monday, May 29th will be the last day of operations for the Funitel. Immediately after closing, work will begin on the haul rope replacement project. Here are some impacts you should expect to see:
- The entire work zone surrounding the Funitel will be fenced off with construction fencing. No access will be allowed in this area.
- Anything located underneath the path of the haul rope will be closed. This includes the KT Deck, KT Base Bar, Tram Car Bar, and the side of the Olympic House with Bluebird Chicken.
- The Via Ferrata will have a delayed opening (due to both this project and the existing snowpack). It is scheduled to open on June 24th, 2023.
The first piece of work we will be doing on the Funitel is removing the stabilizer bars. These are bars that go from one assembly to the other and there are 4 of them on each lift tower. Two of them are highlighted in red in the photo here. Once they are removed, it allows assemblies to move independently from one another. Once this is complete, our next step will be setting up rigging and equipment for the install.
MAY 3RD, 2023
The haul rope arrived on Wednesday, May 3rd! The rope arrived in 2 separate spools, but will eventually be spliced together into 1 single rope. Each spool weighs nearly 140,000 pounds. They arrived individually on a 13-axle truck and were moved via crane into an area near the Funitel.
Here are some other photos of the process:
Photo: Jimmy King
Like these updates?
In the winter months, we typically release an Operations Blog every 10 to 14 days. In the summer months, we keep you informed on lift maintenance and major projects that will affect the next winter season. If you want to keep learning about mountain operations at Palisades Tahoe, sign up for our Operations Blog Email List to get these updates right in your inbox.
