How dangerous would it be mechanically/directly cutting a cable like that? Who would risk to see how the cables would react? Would they be up on a tower doing this? It would be interesting to see the cable at the break. You're trying to tell me they have no video of cars going up and down the mountain? They walked the whole way up with equipment?

^
Super dangerous, they said in the police media info that the amount of tension on the rope and how it would whiplash back when cut could easily have been lethal for the vandal... all the towers on the gondola have ladders attached.

Even if they had cameras though, what can you see at 4am?

A battery powered angle grinder or sawzall is pretty easy to carry. What seems odd is that it sounds like it was cut partway up, but it would be really easy to access the cable at the very bottom. Either they were worried someone would notice them down there, or the cable snapping wasn't intentional and they were only wanting to damage it without staff being able to see it when they started it in the morning. Assuming they run it unloaded at the start of the day I would think any cut strands would jam up in the mechanism pretty quickly. Any staff nearby if it snapped when that happened would be at risk though.

possible someone took a firearm up there and kept taking shots at the wire?...really said nothing about it of it being destroyed.

Rumours state it was cut partway through. If that’s intentional holy mother of fuck people can be evil.

I’d be scared shitless of the recoil from the cable snapping. But if I were doing it, my instinct would be to cut very close to a fixture (roller) and use it as a guard, hoping most of the scary action happens on the other side. Yikes. I cover my nuts every time I use a small cablewinch, nevermind a god damn cable car!

Wonder if they were at least wearing safety goggles... lol

that would be difficult, possibly time consuming and very loud.

they say the cable is as thick as a bear can.

bear can? thats MASSIVE.

It was probably cut "part way" because after they get past 70% of the cable, it likely failed.

Holy shit

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...2020-1.5723042

Wow

I would support the death penalty

Whomever gets caught, likely just be slapped on the wrist with our useless justice system.

For sure it has to be some hair tree hugger that doesnt shower. What total fucken BS... Hopefully they setup some trail cameras close.

Blake Price was saying something about how it was constructed with the approval of local First Nations, so I can't see some anti-colonial angle.

Seems like this vandal/vandals scoped out the area before doing this. I can't see a regular person going there and cutting it with the fact new security measures in place (whatever these measures are). End of the day, I don't see what purpose these assholes achieving in their lives doing such a thing (maybe hates tourists and people lol)

Hopefully next time they get cut in half by the cable when it goes.

Couldn't believe it when I checked the news this morning
Supposedly they have very clear video of the act, so hopefully that assists in catching the person who did this

Maybe its a disgruntled ex employee doing this.

Holy shit, I just went and tried this out for the first time 2 weeks ago. Lucky we did.

Hope they catch the bastard this time.

Eh, not quite. The cable is 55mm (about 2") in diameter.

was there any opposition to the project? seems like a lot of effort and risk to go about this.

Inflict heavy financial damage on the Gondola operator? Costs to replace the cable and 30 damaged cars last time it was cut was several millions of dollars not to mention revenue losses from being closed for repairs.

Someone has a big chip on their shoulder and I think either they get caught and go to prison, or this keeps happening until the Gondola closes.

if the person is skilled enough to cut this twice without getting seriously injured

he's probably smart enough to evade capture (rcmp had set up road blocks trying to catch him/her fleeing)

My first thoughts when I saw the news this morning is -- SFU is lobbying hard to get a gondola built to go up and down the mountain. Imagine the clusterfuck that would result from a cut cable if it were to happen to the SFU gondola...