Newly Upgraded Creekside Gondola Officially Opens At Whistler Blackcomb
The wait is finally over. Whistler Blackcomb's upgraded 10-person gondola at the Creekside base area officially opened to the public today. The event was commemorated by a traditional welcome from cultural ambassadors of the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), which included a cedar rope ceremony and unveiling of Creekside Gondola’s name in the languages of the Squamish Nation (Facing South: Ch’it ta Swá7elt “beside the creek” - Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim) and the Lílwat Nation (Facing North: Sq̓útsa ti Tsaw̓ewéca “by the creek” - Lil̓wat7úl Ucwalmícwts). The new gondola will significantly improve wait times for guests and improve out-of-base uphill capacity.
“The opening of our newly-upgraded Creekside Gondola is a monumental occasion that deserves to be celebrated,” said Whistler Blackcomb VP & COO, Geoff Buchheister. “Today is the culmination of many months of hard work and resilience – I am honoured to share it with members of the Squamish Nation and the Líl̓wat Nation, along with our team members who worked so tirelessly on this project, and our guests who have patiently waited for it to begin spinning.”
Creekside Gondola’s capacity is improved by four people per cabin (from six total people to 10) with this upgrade. It comes on the heels of the opening of the upgraded, new six-person, high-speed Big Red Express - (Kwemkwim K’aýk in the Squamish language, Tseqwtsíqwa Q̓ilq̓ in the Líl̓wat language) - which started spinning last week at an increased lift capacity of 30 percent. Both upgrades are part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Lift Upgrade project, an initiative aimed at significantly improving and enhancing the guest experience by making getting around its mountains easier, faster and more enjoyable.
“The opening of our newly-upgraded Creekside Gondola is a monumental occasion that deserves to be celebrated,” said Whistler Blackcomb VP & COO, Geoff Buchheister. “Today is the culmination of many months of hard work and resilience – I am honoured to share it with members of the Squamish Nation and the Líl?wat Nation, along with our team members who worked so tirelessly on this project, and our guests who have patiently waited for it to begin spinning.”
Creekside Gondola’s capacity is improved by four people per cabin (from six total people to 10) with this upgrade. It comes on the heels of the opening of the upgraded, new six-person, high-speed Big Red Express - (Kwemkwim K’aýk in the Squamish language, Tseqwtsíqwa Qilq? in the Lílwat language) - which started spinning last week at an increased lift capacity of 30 percent. Both upgrades are part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Lift Upgrade project, an initiative aimed at significantly improving and enhancing the guest experience by making getting around its mountains easier, faster and more enjoyable.
Whistler Blackcomb is grateful to operate on the shared unceded territory of the Skwxwu?7mesh U?xwumix (Squamish Nation) and Lilwat7úl (Lil'wat Nation), for the opportunity to listen, learn and work alongside each Nation, and for the grace and guidance of the SLCC cultural ambassadors.
For real-time operational information, please visit the Whistler Blackcomb operations Twitter feed (@wbmtnops). Guests are also encouraged to download the EpicMix app, which provides real-time information about lift lines and wait times, and check out the snow & weather widget in the top right of every page on our website for the most up-to-date weather and trail information.
