Ski Jasper Alberta News

Six-Person Gondola Whisks Skiers to Mountaintop

The spectacular Grizzly Express Gondola, the longest lift ever built by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, is now open to skiers and boarders at the world-famous Lake Louise Mountain Resort.

Under construction since last summer, the six-person Grizzly Express Gondola allows skiers and boarders to travel non-stop to the peak of Lake Louise Mountain Resort for the first time ever. It cuts the time spent on lifts in half before heading to the backside of the famed resort. The gondola is almost three kilometers (10,000 feet) in length.

Previously after leaving the main base area, skiers and boarders were required to take two lifts to reach the top of the mountain or access the backside or Larch skiing areas at the largest single skiing area in the Canadian Rockies. In addition to the Gondola, Lake Louise Mountain Resort offers eight other lifts and 113 marked runs.

Environmentally progressive construction techniques were employed through development, including hand digging of dirt, full-time wildlife and grizzly bear monitoring, rare plant protection initiatives, and total land reclamation to pre-construction condition. Additionally, Lake Louise agreed to return to natural vegetation an equal amount of land used for the Grizzly Express route.

“We exceeded North American industry standards to guarantee no net negative environmental impact to our leasehold and Banff National Park as a whole,” said Matt Mosteller, Senior Director of Business Development, including taking steps to ensure energy consumption will not increase at the resort because of the high-speed gondola. “Our environmental studies were exhaustive and we implemented dozens of mitigation measures to protect wildlife, plants, and the environment as a whole.”

Cost of the project was not released, although Mr. Mosteller said more than $15 million has been invested at Lake Louise to improve the guest experience in recent years. Part of the new gondola used recycled materials – about five percent of the total investment -- to add to the environmental gain.

Located in Banff National Park, a United Nations World Heritage site, Lake Louise is one of the premier skiing and boarding destinations in the world and is noted for its vast, un-crowded slopes, quality consistent conditions, and varied terrain. Its summer sightseeing and interpretive programs recently were awarded the Banff Heritage Tourism Award for the best product or service in Banff National Park.