The new lift will replace the old Blue Skyride aerial tram, which opened in 1966. The 56-year-old tram, one of the oldest still operating in BC, was only used by staff for service and maintenance and rarely carried guests the mountain in recent years. The Red Skyride, which opened in 1976 and can carry 100 people up the mountain at a time, will remain fully operational while the new gondola is being built. It unloads on the west side of the upper chalet, while the new lift system will eventually unload to the east. Northland Properties Group, a Vancouver-based family company that purchased the resort in early 2020, is financing the entire project. “The installation of the new gondola is the latest development to further enhance our Four Seasons to welcome both the local and global community,” said Grouse Mountain President Michael Cameron. Andrea Adorno, program director for the Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club, says regulars on the hill are excited to hear renovations are finally starting. “I think it’s great that they decided to upgrade the elevator,” he said. “It will be very, very, positive for the ski club. [But] it will simplify uploading and downloading for everyone who uses the mountain — not just skiers.” On top of a new gondola, there will also be upgrades to buildings at the base of the resort and “improvements” to the mountain’s parking lots, which Adorno says is welcome news for skiers who train at the resort 2-3 times a week . His ski club, which has nearly 300 members, was limited to training during certain weekday hours and occasional weekends. He says that in recent years, the club has had to coordinate use of the hill with resort staff to try to limit traffic congestion in the parking lot and lift lines. The resort says the new lift system will include 13 towers and 27 eight-person gondola cabins. Once completed, the North Vancouver resort will be back to just above its original capacity when the blue and red Skyrides were both fully operational. Tyrone Siglos bikes up Grouse Mountain in this undated photo. (Tyrone Siglos)
2 year timeline
Grouse Mountain says construction of the new gondola will be broken down into four different phases:
September-October 2022: clearing the gondola work area. January-August 2023: construction of foundations, base stations and plateau. September-November 2023: tower assembly and line work. Winter 2023-2024: system testing.
The resort says the Red Tram chalet and upper terminus will not be affected during construction and guests should see “minimal disruption” over the next two years. It also says an environmental assessment carried out by BA Blackwell & Associates showed the lift replacement project would have little impact on the environment as the new gondola “travels over previously disturbed areas of the mountain”. According to its current timeline, Grouse Mountain says the new gondola should be up and running for the public by spring 2024.
