Jackson Hole Video of the Week # 19 - April 5, 2009

From the catwalk of the upper terminal, the newly tensioned tram cables look like tight ropes you could walk on all the way to the clock tower. The sun glistens off them, the new towers and the buildings at the base. The wind blows up there, even on the sunniest days, and the Tetons feel close enough to touch ? or at least fly to. Garaventa crews continue to work on the upper terminal, setting in place both the stairs up to the catwalk and the bucking bronco aluminum railings on the loading path. When people unload in winter they will walk down a fenced ramp right onto the ground. From the top, it?s easy to imagine full tram cars of skiers unloading ? taking only a second to gaze at the panorama before plunging down to their secret powder stash. With the air getting cooler at night, that moment feels close. August was the month of the track ropes. So far, crews have pulled three up from the parking lot, along each tower and to the top terminal where it is anchored to a bollard. Each rope takes about a day to pull. ?It?s been a year since there was any ropeway to the top ?cause the old ropes were down,? says Tim Mason, Vice President of Operations. ?Now, seeing this glimmer again, is kind of like a blending of the old era and the new. It?s kind of like, ?we?re back.? There is a lot of excitement.? As crews haul one more track rope and pull tension on it, the hangers and carriages of the tram car are somewhere on the ocean in transit. The cars themselves are in an undisclosed location waiting to be unveiled at the final hour. ?We?re ahead of schedule,? Mason says, smiling. ?Because of weather and tons of hard work, we?re getting there. ? It?s happening before our eyes.?