Starting July 1, Sunshine Village will be giving hikers and sightseers the chance to ride the gondola on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays throughout the summer.
About 30 years ago, Sunshine Village got Alberta Park’s permission to run their gondola and Standish lift. That continued for a few years but then construction projects took over.
White Mountain Adventures ran buses for sightseers in more recent years.
“With the growth and demand for people coming up here requiring that we just add more and more buses, it just got to the point where it made sense to turn the gondola on, instead of the buses, which isn’t as nice an experience,” said Sunshine Village chief operating officer Dave Riley.
Sightseers, such as the elderly and young children, who just want to get up high and go back down can take the Standish lift, Riley suggested.
Both the Sulphur Mountain and Lake Louise gondola have been very busy, according to Riley.
“We think this will be very well received by people.”
Twenty more employment positions are being added as a result.
The Standish Lift add-on ticket will be free on Canada Day Weekend, when the summer gondola service begins.
When the summer comes to an end, Sunshine Village will consider whether they will run the gondola again for the 2017 summer season.