The primary objective of this modernization was to minimize the waiting periods in both the summer and winter season, while also enhancing the efficiency of transporting visitors to the mountain summit.

This gondola is not the sole investment in guest comfort, two other ropeways were also modernized for this purpose. In combination with the Big Red 6-seater chairlift, which is also new, it connects Creekside Village, the main entry point for guests from Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky area, with the alpine zone.

The replacement of the Creekside Gondola was part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Lift Upgrade project, an initiative aimed at significantly improving the guest experience by making the access to the mountains easier, faster and more enjoyable.

Many of the towers are anchored directly in the rocks.

“It was not easy to find good locations for the towers, because the best locations were already taken. Nevertheless we managed to smoothly install the 19 towers for the gondola“, said Brent Carmichael, General Manager for Western Canada, DOPPELMAYR.

A positive experience they had with the company has been the main reason why Vail Resorts decided on DOPPELMAYR as the constructor.

“We decided to work with DOPPELMAYR for a number of reasons. Aside from having a long history of collaborating with them, we also value the level of safety, technology, reliability, and overall guest comfort their products provide“, explained Nicholas Voutour from Vail Resorts.

As a popular location for many locals and day-visitors, guests were thrilled to have the new gondola spinning in Creekside Village.

Positive impact in the summer and winter

With an improved capacity of 35 percent, Vail Resort‘s new gondola made a big difference in terms of speed and efficiency.

Additionally, it has positively impacted the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in the summer, allowing riders to easily reach the Creek Zone. Whistler Blackcomb is one of the pioneers of mountain biking in the World.

Therefore, it was important to them to improve their bike transport. The 10-person OMEGA cabins are able to transport 3,200 people per hour. The high commitment to accessibility with level-walk-in cabins makes the ropeway fitting for all guests.

In approximately six minutes guests reach the top of the Creekside summit at 1,298 meters. The Big Red summit (the next lift in the series) is at 1,856 meters.

A second life for the gondolas

The old cabins of the Creekside Gondola were sold for charity. All available cabins found new homes immediatley after they were put on sale and are enjoying their second life.