SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 18, 2008-Whistler Blackcomb, the BC Safety Authority and Doppelmayr personnel continue to investigate Tuesday's tower collapse on the Excalibur Gondola.

By Wednesday evening, towers on eight lifts had been inspected and cleared of issues. Whistler Blackcomb lift maintenance crews worked late into the night to perform checks on similar towers across both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains to ensure there are no other similar cases.

Prior to opening any inspected lifts today, Whistler Blackcomb performed a second review with the BC Safety Authority, the province's independent authority on ski lifts. "The BC Safety Authority does not anticipate rescinding operating permits on any lifts currently operating at Whistler Blackcomb other than the upper and lower Excalibur Gondola," said Greg Paddon, safety manager from the BC Safety Authority.

The tower failure on the Excalibur was caused by "ice-jacking." The structure of the tower is such that two parts are spliced together. Water had seeped into the lower section of the tower and turned to ice with the recent extreme cold temperatures. The water had accumulated to a point whereby the pressure from the ice created a rupture that separated the two sections of the tower. The force of the ice expansion and the subsequent rupture has been estimated at 800 tons of pressure.

According to Doppelmayr and the BC Safety Authority, the only other known incident involving lift tower structural failure and ice-jacking took place in the U.S. in 2006. "The towers are not normally designed to allow for any water penetration and so this failure is a very unusual situation," said Warren Sparks, senior vice president of Doppelmayr Canada. "Our attention now has shifted to understanding how this water penetration has happened, and we have independent structural engineers reviewing the tower."

Meanwhile, Whistler Blackcomb has been following up with the 53 guests who were evacuated from the Excalibur Gondola yesterday afternoon. Counseling services have been made available to guests, and reports from most of those injured appear to be limited to bruising and stiffness today. Ongoing correspondence will continue over the next few days to ensure that everyone is well cared for.

"This has been a very difficult 24 hour period for Whistler Blackcomb and the days to come will no doubt continue to be challenging as we work through the issue," said Doug Forseth, Whistler Blackcomb's senior vice president of operations. "We are so thankful that the injuries sustained were not more serious and that the lift evacuation went as smoothly as it did. Again, we want to recognize the fantastic efforts of our community first responders-the Whistler Fire Department, RCMP, BC Ambulance Services and Whistler Emergency Services, in conjunction with our Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol. The seamless integration of these groups to evacuate the guests as quickly and safely as possible was the shining light in this situation." \