One of the absolute top ski resorts in the United States
On countless slopes you can ski or snowboard down to the valley on the south and north side of the 3,350 m high "Hidden Peak".
Until last season, the connection from the north side (Peruvian Gulch) to the south side (Mineral Basin) was only made by an aerial tramway that goes from Snowbird up to Hidden Peak. However, the aerial tramway is very susceptible to wind and had to be taken out of service several times in the past when conditions were bad. This was also the reason why an additional wind-independent connection between the north and the south side was planned in autumn 2005.
New transport solution
This new transport solution, which consists of two stages, was inaugurated just in time for the start of the season on 12.12.2006. From Snowbird to just below the crest of Hidden Peak, at 3,200 m, you can reach the summit with the detachable 4-seater chairlift "Peruvian Express". From here, it is possible to either ski the north side or access the south side through the "Peruvian Tunnel".
Guests are transported safely and comfortably through this 200 m long tunnel with a 180 m long Sunkid Moving Carpet. The main focus for this transport solution was on safety. Therefore, a special fire-retardant design of the conveyor belt, according to ISO 340 as well as the US standard ANSI B77.1, was developed together with the local authorities and the operators.
All control lines inside the tunnel were designed using a 24 V safety circuit. The control cabinet was located 20 m outside the tunnel in a concrete-enclosed building. All flammable materials were replaced with metals. All cables were installed in pipes.
The conveyor belt, powered by a 22 KW drive motor, was equipped with a Blue Eye surface with a tensile strength of 500 N/mm belt width. The return station was equipped with an active hydraulic tensioning device to ensure constant tension of the conveyor belt. Theoretically, 1,800 persons can be transported in one hour with this system.
Perfect planning and high praise
Snowbird Bergbahnen Director Rich Taxwood has high praise for the new facility:
"The new Sunkid Moving Carpet has always run great since opening day. During the opening ceremony it was already tested to the most extreme conditions, as 150 people were transported on it at the same time. The system worked well and transported all guests without a problem."
Bob Bonar, president of Snowbird Resort:
"The Peruvian Tunnel and the accompanying Sunkid Moving Carpet, are a great upgrade for our area. Perfect planning and a super team have made our vision of an "all weather" solution a reality without a hitch. We have chosen our partners very carefully. Sunkid, Star Lifts USA and Gmuender Engineering did their job really well. We are very happy with our new Moving Carpet.
The design and construction time of the tunnel with conveyor belt was 14 months. The cost of this project was approximately $1.4 million.
