Engineering feat puts Whistler Blackcomb's new chairlift tower over a cliff

One of the towers supporting Whistler Blackcomb’s brand-new Showcase Chairlift has a particularly unusual perch: the end of a steel arm extending out from a cliff.

Photos of the latest construction progress taken earlier in October 2026 show the striking structure high on Blackcomb Mountain, where engineers had to find a creative solution to a challenge hidden beneath the construction site.

According to Whistler Blackcomb, on-site engineering investigations for the project revealed buried glacial ice beneath the area planned for Tower 5’s foundation.

Engineers overcame this major challenge with a cantilevered design that anchors the structure directly into the surrounding bedrock. A large horizontal steel support reaches beyond the rock face, carrying the upright lift tower at its outer end.

You might also like:
• Grouse Mountain has replaced the cabins of the Red Skyride for the first time in 50 years
• From parking lot to peak: Grouse Mountain celebrates new gondola opening
• Grouse Mountain's original Skyride tramway has made its last trip after 58 years
• Grouse Mountain's huge new gravity coaster now open for peak thrills
• Grouse Mountain's massive new bike park reveals opening date next month

Essentially, the tower gets its support from solid rock off to the side, allowing the buried ice to remain undisturbed.

The resulting chairlift tower structure has a distinctive L-shaped profile. A narrow maintenance walkway with railings runs along the projecting arm, with the tower rising above the drop.

Whistler Blackcomb notes that the approach provides a stable foundation for the long term, avoids impacting the glacial ice, and keeps disturbance to the surrounding alpine environment to a minimum.

The resort also addressed likely public questions about the unusual tower’s safety, pointing to the engineering work and checks behind its design.

“Extensive geotechnical investigations were completed to evaluate bedrock conditions, and the structure was designed by specialized engineers, independently reviewed, and is subject to rigorous inspection and testing,” stated Whistler Blackcomb in its construction update this month.

Although Tower 5 stands out visually, the resort emphasizes that this type of solution has precedent both within the ski industry and on its own mountains. One of the towers on the old Big Red chairlift also used a similar cantilevered design.

Winter snowfall will conceal some of the supporting structure. According to the resort, the portion extending from the cliff face will remain visible, while the rest will be covered by the snowpack.

To build this chairlift in an inaccessible high-elevation area, the project used a helicopter to lift large components into place, with crews positioned high on the towers to receive them. Workers can be seen on ladders and narrow platforms, surrounded by the steep rock faces and patches of early season snow.

The project has now reached several major construction milestones.

Whistler Blackcomb notes that all towers and both lift terminals have been fully installed. The haul rope — the cable that will carry the chairs — has also been spliced and is ready for installation.

This new chairlift is expected to open during the upcoming 2026/2027 winter season, providing a new, faster and easier way to reach the alpine terrain of Blackcomb Mountain. The four-person, fixed-grip chairlift system — manufactured by U.S.-based firm Skyrtrac — will have a length of about 500 metres, a vertical ascent of about 150 metres, and an end-to-end travel time of roughly four minutes. It will be able to transport about 2,400 people per hour.

It replaces the Showcase T-Bar — a surface lift that pulls skiers and snowboarders uphill while they remain on the snow.

Closer to Vancouver, Grouse Mountain is preparing to reopen its Red Skyride soon following the installation earlier this fall of two new cabins, each accommodating up to 95 passengers. The modern cabins feature larger panoramic windows and improved accessibility, including fold-out bench seating for guests with limited mobility.

The Red Skyride is an aerial tramway, with two large cabins shuttling back and forth between the parking lot base and mountaintop in opposite directions. Chairlifts, such as the new Showcase Chairlift, carry passengers on open seats circulating around a cable loop, while gondolas use a series of enclosed cabins circulating around a loop, as seen on Grouse Mountain’s separate newly built Blue Grouse Gondola.

You might also like:
• Grouse Mountain has replaced the cabins of the Red Skyride for the first time in 50 years
• From parking lot to peak: Grouse Mountain celebrates new gondola opening
• Grouse Mountain's original Skyride tramway has made its last trip after 58 years
• Grouse Mountain's huge new gravity coaster now open for peak thrills
• Grouse Mountain's massive new bike park reveals opening date next month