It’s a blue Christmas for guests visiting the Peak of Vancouver.
On Thursday, skiers, boarders, grinders and sightseers took their first trips in the Blue Grouse Gondola, a new multi-million-dollar piece of recreational infrastructure at one of B.C.’s most-popular tourist attractions.
With the gondola’s gears officially spinning, its 27 eight-person cabins can carry around 1,000 people per hour, with an average trip time of 5.5 minutes up to the resort area at 850 metres (2,800 feet) above the parking lot.
At the gondola’s grand opening, local officials and the resort’s ownership addressed the crowd.
For people visiting Grouse Mountain, the new gondola should eliminate any wait times at the base, said Tom Gaglardi, CEO of Northland Properties, which owns the resort.
“And we can continue to add cabins to this new gondola to take up any more capacity needs,” he said. “The days of the long lineups are hopefully at an end now.”
With the ability to double the capacity up the hill, it opens more opportunities to grow tourism, Gaglardi said.
He added that a bike park and year-round coaster coming next year add to the resort’s draw. The combined value of those projects and the gondola are around $45 million, according to the company.
District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little said that Grouse has been an important employer for many on the North Shore, and it’s where he met his wife who used to work in the restaurant.
“It’s so exciting for us to see this revitalization, this additional investment in our community,” he said. “We look forward to working with Grouse Mountain for generations to come.”
City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said that the North Shore’s tourist destinations are more than just local hot spots, they’re world-class destinations.
“Tourism and economic development in our region is indeed fuelled by the North Shore,” she said. “That is why it is such a pleasure to welcome this remarkable addition to the Grouse experience.
“The new Blue Grouse Gondola promises not only breathtaking views, but also a seamless connection to nature’s wonders, moving more people than ever before to the summit of this iconic destination,” she said.
