History and Planning
Whistler Mountain was opened by the Garibaldi Lift Company in 1965 and Blackcomb opened under separate ownership in 1980. It wasn’t until 1997 when Intrawest, the owner of Blackcomb Mountain, bought Whistler Mountain and brought both mountains together on a single lift ticket. Ever since, many skiers wanted a way to be able to ski both mountains in one day without having to ski down to the village and ride multiple lifts to get back to the alpine. In 1997, Whistler-Blackcomb's Director of Mountain Operations, Hugh Smythe, and Paul Mathews, president of Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners, took a trip to Zermatt, Switzerland. After seeing the number of lifts connecting resorts around the Matterhorn, they got the idea of connecting Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains with a ropeway.
A number of problems prevented a connection for years. Fitzsimmons Creek and the steep faces on either side were unsuitable as ski terrain and are protected land. A traditional chairlift or gondola would have had to go all the way down one mountain, across Fitzsimmons Creek, and up the other side, resulting in a long lift ride and environmental impacts. A gondola that could cross the valley without going to the bottom was the best option. Whistler-Blackcomb had to consider the extremely high cost of building such a lift. The resort conducted research that indicated 92% of winter visitors and 86% of summer visitors would use the gondola at least once. HSBC Bank Canada and Scotia Capital agreed to provide Intrawest with financing for the project, allowing it to move forward.
Intrawest announced the gondola project to employees and the Municipality of Whistler’s Council on September 19, 2005, and held a community open house shortly thereafter. At the time, construction was expected to start in the summer of 2006 and continue for 2 years for an opening for the 2007-2008 ski season. On March 30, 2006, it was announced that construction would be delayed by one year. Whistler Blackcomb announced on April 17, 2007, that groundbreaking would occur in May 2007.
Read more about this topic: Peak 2 Peak Gondola
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