Characteristics and Forecast of Ropeway Peak Gust in Yanqing during the Winter Olympics

The safe operation of the ropeway was necessary for the Alpine skiing event during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the peak gust was the key meteorological parameter that can affect the ropeway operation. In the winter 2019 and winter 2020, continuous observations of hourly peak gust at ten brackets of three ropeways in National Alpine Skiing Center were recorded using appropriate equipment. The obtained data showed the following characteristics of peak gust: (1) The ropeway peak gust increased with increasing altitude, and the directions of the primary peak gust of different ropeways varied. (2) When the peak gust speed reached a certain threshold and the included angle between the wind direction and the ropeway was 90°, the ropeways were affected with a maximum probability of 48.9%. (3) The peak gust speed affecting the ropeway was mainly concentrated in the 12–20 m/s range, and the included angle between the wind direction and the ropeway was 45° or 90°. Using the Lamb–Jenkinson classification method, the weather in Yanqing was classified into six categories, with F ropeway and B1 ropeway at lower altitudes mainly affected by weather type N and ropeway C at a high altitude mainly affected by weather type E–SE–NE. The forecast models for ropeway peak gust were established using a machine learning algorithm, and the results for ropeway bracket C8 were the most accurate: a forecast accuracy of up to 62.1%, mean absolute error of 2.2 m/s, and suprathreshold (＞12 m/s) forecast accuracy of up to 84%. This research supported the forecast of ropeway peak gust at the National Alpine Ski Center and provided a scientific foundation for the safe operation of ropeways in ski resorts during the post–Winter Olympics period.