Gondola repairs under way

KELLOGG - For the first time since it was built 20 years ago, Silver Mountain Resort's gondola is undergoing a cable replacement in preparation for this year's snow season.

The original gondola cable, which carries the gondola cabins up and down the mountain side, was deemed for replacement in a recent inspection.

The price tag is estimated at more than $1 million, said John Williams, Silver Mountain marketing director. Silver Mountain had the new, 6.2-mile cable custom made in Switzerland this summer, and it arrived Tuesday in two spools.

Rick Brooks, head of maintenance at Silver Mountain, said crews will splice the first spool of new cable onto the original cable, which they will use to pull the new cable through. The splice itself will be 200 feet long, with the entire process requiring the work of five to 20 men, depending on the stage in the process.

A 180-ton crane has been brought into the Silver Valley from Spokane to help lift the 70 tons of cable spool.

Brooks expects the project will be completed around Nov. 12. There may be the need for traffic detours near the gondola during repairs.