Long lines and waits and some types of mountain closures could soon be a thing of the past, as Grouse Mountain Resort will open its brand new mountain access gondola just in time for the start of the winter skiing and Christmas seasons.
Grouse Mountain Resort announced today its new Blue Grouse Gondola will officially open to visitors on Thursday, December 12, 2024.
This is a new transportation link between the base parking lot and the mountaintop plateau, just next to the chalet. It features 27 enclosed gondola cabins, each with a capacity to hold up to eight people.
With an average travel time of 5.5 minutes each way, the Blue Grouse Gondola can accommodate up to 1,000 people per hour.
This new gondola replaces the previous 1966-built Blue Skyride aerial tram, which has a far lower capacity and has seen very limited use for visitors in recent decades. The Blue Skyride permanently closed earlier this year as a part of the Blue Grouse Gondola’s construction process.
The Blue Grouse Gondola complements the continued use of the 1976-built Red Skyride aerial tram, which has a capacity for 900 people per hour. Combined, both Blue Grouse Gondola and Red Skyride have a capacity for 1,900 people per hour.
Unlike an aerial tram, the gondola operates on a continuous loop using multiple smaller cabins.
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Furthermore, the new mountain access gondola provides different unique perspectives of the surrounding mountains, downtown Vancouver skyline, and the wider region. In fact, the gondola crosses under the cables of the Red Skyride.
The same lift ticket covers both mountain access options.
“The installation of the new gondola is the latest development at Grouse Mountain Resort that will significantly enhance our guest experience by reducing lineups and wait times to access and egress the Mountain,” said Michael Cameron, president of Grouse Mountain Resort, in a statement today.
“The addition of the gondola has allowed us to explore a whole mountain of opportunities not previously available with just the Red Super Skyride. It’s an exciting time for Grouse and we’re so happy to be sharing these new amenities with our community.”
Not only does the new gondola provide Grouse Mountain Resort with a significant boost in mountain access capacity, it also provides the resort with operational redundancy that improves resiliency. For example, the previous practice of days-long mountain closures due to planned maintenance or technical issues with the existing Red Skyride will be a thing of the past.
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Fall 2024 testing of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
The added capacity also provides the resort with the ability to add new major attractions at the mountaintop, particularly attractions that further diversify Grouse Mountain into a four-season resort beyond its main focus of winter recreation.
In July 2024, competing with Cypress Mountain’s similar new attraction, Grouse Mountain Resort announced it would build a permanent gravity-coaster ride attraction with a track length of 1,434 metres (4,700 ft) on a vertical descent of 919 metres (3,015 ft). Its ascent of 515 metres (1,700 ft) returns the riders to the mountaintop without having to exit the ride vehicle. Riders will be able to reach speeds up to 45 km/hr (28 mi/hr).
In addition to the new coaster, the resort is building a new mountain bike park, which will be the only lift-accessed bike park among the North Shore’s three mountain resorts.
The bike park will open in Spring 2025, while the coaster ride will open in Summer 2025.
The gondola, bike park, and coaster ride are also being built in time for Grouse Mountain Resort’s 100th anniversary in 2026. All three projects carry a combined total cost of about $45 million, including about $35 million for the gondola and $9 million for the bike park and coaster ride.
Construction on the gondola officially began in September 2022.
The gondola’s grand opening celebrations begin at 4 pm on December 12, 2024, featuring a DJ next to the skating pond, free hot chocolate and hot cider, special food and beverages, and a mountaintop fireworks display.
Video footage of Grouse Mountain’s new Blue Grouse Gondola undergoing extensive testing earlier in Fall 2024. 🚡https://t.co/aJl3FESA1w pic.twitter.com/aN1VFWPQK3
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) December 5, 2024
Summer 2024 construction process on the base terminal (parking lot) of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)
Summer 2024 construction process on the base terminal (parking lot) of the new Blue Grouse Gondola at Grouse Mountain Resort. (Grouse Mountain Resort)