BRECKENRIDGE - Let's face it: Traveling by air rather than by road tends to be a lot more fun. Especially when you can avoid sandwiching yourself between two stinky powderhounds on a bus (we can't blame them; they had a fun day).

By December, Breckenridge Ski Resort's new gondola will lift skiers and riders from parking lots to Peak 7 and Peak 8 base areas.

The $17 million gondola, which ski resorts executives have wanted for more than 20 years, is now half complete. Leitner POMA, an international company, has erected 22 of the 28 towers.

The first shipment of cabins will arrive near the end of September; CWA Constructors manufactured the gondola cabins and sent them two weeks ago via a cargo ship from Switzerland. The haul rope was assembled in France and will be shipped this week. It weighs approximately 200,000 pounds, which is equal to the weight of approximately 66 cars.

All concrete work is completed; the project required 375 concrete trucks, which delivered 3,000 cubic yards of concrete.

The gondola will transfer 2,800 guests per hour; the ride from the transit center to Peak 8 takes 10 minutes. The return (base) station is located next to the town transit center at the corner of North Park and Watson Avenue. There are two mid-stations at Shock Hill and the Peak 7 base area. The eight-passenger cabins will accommodate gear inside, rather than use external racks for skis and boards.

Vail Resorts and the town of Breckenridge announced the gondola was a go on March 12 and estimated it would be up and running by Christmas. So far, so good; contractors are on schedule, said Kate Osborn, Breckenridge Ski Area spokesperson.

"Breckenridge's new gondola sets a new standard in the role of mass transit in growth and development," Osborn wrote in an e-mail.

She said it represents environmentally conscious teamwork between the town and the resort to transport visitors between the two areas. Osborn said it will significantly decrease traffic volumes and increase the number of visitors to downtown, as guests move back and forth between town and the gondola transit center.

The gondola will save more than 20,375 gallons of fuel each season because bus service will decrease. The resort also took care to help protect the environment by dedicating 64.7 acres of development land to the town for conservation and open space.

The town contributed $6.7 million to build the gondola, and developers of the Shock Hill neighborhood, where the gondola will also stop, paid $500,000. As part of the partnership with the town, the ski area agreed to provide 1,550 parking spaces in town, near the gondola.

"Bringing together the two pieces that continually put Breckenridge in the top three most popular winter destinations, the gondola enables the town and resort to strike the ideal balance that maintains the character and vibrancy of Breckenridge's Main Street and downtown," she said.

Completion of the gondola is one of the last major steps in achieving a comprehensive development and transportation plan, which the town and Vail Resorts formalized in May, 2002. The plan also included the Skyway Skiway ski-back project and the Mountain Thunder Lodge. Contractors completed both projects ahead of schedule within the past year.



Gondola facts

— 121 cabins

— 28 towers

— Can transport 2,800 people per hour

— 7,592 ft. in length

— 396.1 ft. vertical rise