Talking a gondola ride overlooking Kalamalka Lake south of Vernon, B.C., could soon be a possibility if a proposed Okanagan gondola tourist attraction goes ahead.
A company called Ridge North America wants to build the attraction west of Highway 97 just south of the Bailey Road turnoff to Predator Ridge.
Ridge North America’s vice-president of operations, Rav Soomal, said the gondola will rise around 1,600 vertical feet and feature a summit station with a restaurant overlooking the lake.
The business feels the gondola, inspired by the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, B.C., will fill a gap in the region’s current tourist offerings.
“It has been missing a paid ticketed attraction in this area for families,” said Soomal.
Along with the Gondola, the plan for the site includes an amphitheatre, plaza, cafes, trails, and eventually even zip lines.
However, Ridge North America said the project will keep a low profile and the developed footprint will only take up a fraction of the large site.
“We’ve done something similar in a previous project of ours where we used the land as the attraction in itself. From the highway and from afar you won’t even see that it is here,” Soomal said.
A development application for the Okanagan Gondola has been submitted to the Regional District of North Okanagan.
The regional district area director that represents the area says it’s premature for him to take a position on the project before he sees an upcoming staff report.
“I think any director would be in trouble if you start advocating one way or the other lacking all the information,” area director Bob Fleming said.
The project is expected to require a zoning adjustment and change to the official community plan.
“When it is on the scope and scale that it is…if it moves forward in our process, people will have an opportunity to comment,” said Fleming.
If the Gondola gets the green light, proponents are hoping people could be visiting the attraction within a couple of years.
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