The Golden Eagle Express is over 11,000 feet long with more than 3,500 feet of vertical rise!View up the line from the cabin parking rail at the base.Even though it’s super long, this lift only has 55 cabins and 23 towers.Return terminal at the base of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.Riding up from the base.Towers 7-8.Poma Omega Double-stack drive terminal at the summit.CWA Omega III gondola cabin with Poma Omega T-Grip.Certain cabins are wrapped with advertisements.View down the line.Most of the towers on this lift are quite tall.Another view down the line.Looking up on a bluebird day.The top has a short maintenance rail and small indoor bay.Breakover towers just before the summit.Tri-leg bottom return stationThe last pitch before the top.Drive terminal seen from Stairway to Heaven.Top turnaround.Terminal underskin.Another view up the line.
7 thoughts on “Golden Eagle Express – Kicking Horse, BC”
skier72November 12, 2019 / 12:30 pm
As impressive as this gondola is, it would have been better if it had a mid station. Especially in the spring, when the snow thaws, it creates a slushy snow on the bottom half of the mountain. If the gondola had a mid station, it would make it easy for getting back up to the top of the mountain without skiing the lower half of the mountain.
Lift maintenance issues happen very occasionally at all mountains. No lift is 100% breakdown proof. Something to keep in mind before writing off an entire resort because of one lift breakdown.
I feel like it is somewhat the responsibility of the resort to ensure redundancy, so there is something to be said for that, but I’m fully with you about writing off entire resorts because of something routine and out of control.
This lift had to be evacted a few years ago due to an electrical issue. Some of the gondolas that were especially high off the ground had to be rescued via heli. https://youtu.be/Rcv5WfpMxSI?si=7wG3QD7Da9e50VUU
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As impressive as this gondola is, it would have been better if it had a mid station. Especially in the spring, when the snow thaws, it creates a slushy snow on the bottom half of the mountain. If the gondola had a mid station, it would make it easy for getting back up to the top of the mountain without skiing the lower half of the mountain.
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Or have a gondola, and two high speed quads, one covering the bottom half and the other the top part.
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I was stuck on this Gondola for over an hour Feb2/20 it started and stopped all day. Was a real drag…don’t think I’ll go back.
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Lift maintenance issues happen very occasionally at all mountains. No lift is 100% breakdown proof. Something to keep in mind before writing off an entire resort because of one lift breakdown.
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I feel like it is somewhat the responsibility of the resort to ensure redundancy, so there is something to be said for that, but I’m fully with you about writing off entire resorts because of something routine and out of control.
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This lift had to be evacted a few years ago due to an electrical issue. Some of the gondolas that were especially high off the ground had to be rescued via heli. https://youtu.be/Rcv5WfpMxSI?si=7wG3QD7Da9e50VUU
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I can’t imagine how long it would have taken to evacuate a lift this long!
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