A Simple Machine: La Grave Cablecar

, November 11, 2015

In the latest episode of BDTV, Black Diamond have documented the status of the iconic Le Telepherique at La Grave, France in a neat short interviewing its various engineers.

Completed in 1976, the cablecar still runs with a mechanical consistency that typifies the best in outdoor design. Parts are replaced when they need to be and the system keeps rolling over, shooting alpinists up the mountains throughout the winter. Engineers that service the machine refer to its role in providing ‘keys’ to explore the mountain, a relevant dialogue in the wake of Jumbo Wild and a campaign to prevent the disruption of a wild place in the Canadian Rockies.

Though the hostile and complex terrain above La Grave could be cultivated and marked to cater for a larger market (ability), engineers emphasise that it is important to keep things that last. Vancouver-based Arc’teryx took the same approach in their clip from a few seasons back.