Cable of Sea-to-Sky Gondola cut again

The cable of the Sea to Sky Gondola was cut again Sept. 14, causing it to fall from the sky and crash into the mountain.

RCMP were called to investigate at around 4 a.m. Monday and officers from the Squamish detachment and other police agencies are getting an investigation underway.

"We are only a few hours into this investigation and we ask the public to stay out of the area," Sgt. Sascha Banks said in a press release. "The Sea to Sky Gondola is an integral part of this community and we very lucky no one was injured. Someone in our area has seen something or has heard something and we are asking them to call us immediately with any information."

Squamish RCMP and the Sea to Sky General Investigation Section are working alongside partner agencies including West Vancouver Police Department, the Integrated Police Dog Services, and more will be called as the day goes on. They say there is an extensive amount of resources in the area and we are asking everyone to stay out of the vicinity including climbing routes, hiking, and closed parking lots.

"Something you'd never think would happen once in a lifetime has happened twice," Kirby Brown, the general manager of the Sea to Sky Gondola, told Squamish radio station Mountain FM.

Vandals were blamed for cutting the nearly six-centimetre-thick cable in August 2019 while the ride was closed, sending about 30 gondolas smashing to the ground.

Total damage in that incident was estimated at up to $10 million and no arrests were made.

The business reopened earlier this year after a new cable was sent from Europe and all of the gondolas were replaced.

At the time, Brown said a new state-of-the-art security system had also been installed.

Brown couldn't be reached for comment on Monday, but he told Mountain FM that the company will rebuild again.

The gondola officially opened in 2014. During the summer season, it can carry as many as 3,000 people on the roughly 10-minute ride to an elevation of 885 metres above Howe Sound.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Squamish RCMP at 604-892-6100, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or go to the Crime Stoppers website here.

— With files from The Canadian Press