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I love the Tornado equipment! I’ve been using hydrovacs for over 10 years… no other hydrovac even comes close to these trucks."

Ken Wittig
Field Manager, Northstar Hydrovac Inc.

Olympic 2010 Ski Jump Structures - Vancouver, BC (Whistler Nordic Centre)

 

The Whistler Nordic Centre staged several thrilling events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games – none more nerve-wracking than the spectacle of witnessing skiers fly off the 95-meter and 125-meter ski jump structures built specifically for the games.

The massive K95 and K125 structures required 750 tons of steel, much of it API 5L Grade X52, with structural tube up to 24 inches in diameter and up to 1¼-inch wall thickness. Strict weld procedure specifications were written that included critical open-root passes and ultrasonic testing.

The project had a very tight schedule – less than a year. Completing the project required extensive prefabrication, careful shipping, and efficient on-site installation. The company was able to fabricate in-house by dividing the jumps into 80-foot sections with flanges at the ends where on-site workers would simply bolt the flanges together, thereby eliminating a lot of field welding.

Tolerances were most critical in the gradual curvature leading to the skier's takeoff point. Any out-of-dimension section could affect how well (and how safely) a skier takes off and lands. The critical curvature at the end spanned 328 feet, and its radius had to be consistent to spec within ±1⁄8 inch. The main chord sections entailed 24-inch diameter tube in 40-foot lengths which had to be rolled to tight tolerances. Workers welded two and a half tube-truss lengths together, for a total length of 100 feet. The curved pieces rested on specially designed cradles, and workers trial-fit the massive pieces on the shop floor to minimize work in the field.

Moving the structures to site proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the entire project. The road from the Vancouver shop to Whistler was not wide enough to accommodate transportation, so the entire package was barged via the Fraser River and Howe Sound to Squamish, BC before being trucked the rest of the way in the dead of night.

Once on the mountainside, hundreds of field welds were replaced by bolted flanges, reducing the field-erection time significantly. A 175-ton crane was used to pick and place the sections, but the topographical limitations meant that access (only available on one side of the jump) affected how the sections were ultimately erected.

Although minimized, some critical on-site fabrication was still required including the concrete foundation bunker, support plates and the rails used to carry the snow tiller needed to dig two grooves into the snow as guides for the skiers.

The entire project came together smoothly and was a tremendous success thanks to the innovative fabrication strategy and reduction of overall on-site costs. The finished jumps were completed on schedule and earned the company rave reviews.

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