Trekking along a rugged trail up the side of a mountain and being rewarded with spectacular views is one thrilling way to experience sweeping vistas. But, it’s not the only way. Sometimes, you just don’t have the time, ability or interest in an extended hike up the side of a forbidding mountain. Thankfully, cable cars have made mountain views accessible to everyone so you can experience that brisk mountain air and higher elevation views with minimum effort. Cable cars of some sort had been used in mining for several hundred years, but it wasn’t until the turn of the Twentieth Century that they were introduced for passenger use. In 1907, one of the earliest passenger tramways opened at Sunrise Peak, CO, to carry tourists up the mountain. It operated for only a few years, but two others, opening in 1912, set the stage for future development. The first, at Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ascended this legendary tourist spot; the other, at San Vigilio, Italy, climbed from a large village on a steep slope to a smaller, higher one with winter sports facilities. Today, there are any number of mountain cable cars providing entertainment and discovery, but the following five are special and certainly worth any tourist’s time and effort.
Peak 2 Peak Gondola
Whistler, Canada
Instead of taking the standard journey from ground to mountain top, the Peak 2 Peak cable car connects two adjacent mountain peaks. The holder of two world records for the longest and highest lift, this tri-cable gondola connects Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain peaks. It’s a long trip, because you first have to ascend a different gondola to reach the top of one of the peaks, before stepping on board the Peak 2 Peak. But, those who do so are treated to a stunning 360-degree perspective of Whistler’s terrain, complete with views of its ski runs, forests and ancient glaciers. Spanning the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, the record breaking Peak 2 Peak Gondola provides an unparalleled perspective of British Columbia's rooftop and incomparable views of its towering volcanic peaks and coastal rainforests The 2.7 mile journey takes approximately 11 minutes and includes 1.88 miles of unsupported span.
Titlis Rotair
Mount Titlis, Switzerland
Whistler isn’t the only cable car breaking records. This cable way in Switzerland features the world’s first rotating gondola, which slowly spins as it passes over the snow-covered slopes of Mount Titlis. But, the five-minute ride to the top is only part of this epic experience. Once they alight, visitors can explore an ice cave and cross Europe’s highest suspension bridge. The cable car itself transports riders from the middle station to the summit station at nearly 10,000 feet above sea-level while treating them to idyllic panoramic views of steep rock faces, deep crevasses and distant snow-covered mountain peaks in the Swiss Alps. The Titlis Cliff Walk is the highest suspension bridge in Europe. This pedestrian bridge was built along the cliff of the mountain. Constructed over a period of five months, the bridge was built when weather conditions permitted. It was designed to withstand winds that reach over 120 miles per hour as well as significant snowfall, with a resort spokesman explaining that it can cope with about 500 tons of snow. Much of the material used in its construction was transported on cable cars, with larger sections being delivered by helicopter.
Tianmen Mountain Cableway
Zhangjiajie, China
Another record-breaker, the cable car up Tianmen Mountain in the northwestern Hunan Province of China, is the longest in the world. Its 98 cars travel a total length of some 24,500 feet to rise nearly 4,200 feet high. Starting in the middle of the downtown, the ascent up this mountain is slow and leisurely, with views changing from city to rural neighborhoods to the rugged terrain within Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. Tourists can walk along miles of pathways built into the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including cliff-hanging glass walkways. For the brave at heart, a 6.8 mile road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors close to Tianmen Cave, a natural hole in the mountain itself known as the Gateway to Heaven. A large temple is also located on the summit accessible via chairlift or footpath. The original temple here was built in the ancient Tang Dynasty which ruled China in the First Century. Today, a more recently constructed temple with Tang Dynasty-like architecture occupies the site and includes, of all attractions, a vegetarian restaurant!
Mi Teleferico
La Paz, Bolivia
If you’d prefer soaring above an urban landscape as opposed to a natural one, then the aerial cable car urban transit system in La Paz, Bolivia is for you. Mi Teleferico (My Cable Car in Spanish) is an intricate network providing quick and reliable transport between the city’s different neighborhoods. Tens of thousands of passengers use this system every day, saving riders time otherwise spent sitting in traffic while also treating them to stunning views of this rather chaotic city. The system consists of 26 stations along ten differing lines. Built at a cost of over $700 million and stretching over 20 miles, Mi Teleferico is the longest aerial cable car system in the world. There’s an added bonus as well. Since La Paz is the highest elevated administrative capital in the world, resting on a plateau in the Andes Mountains at 11,500 feet above sea level, passengers also save their lungs and legs from trekking up all those hills.
Cabrio Cableway
Lucerne, Switzerland
Not content with a view behind glass? Then head to Lucerne, Switzerland, where you’ll find a cable car with the world’s first open-air viewing deck. Passengers can make their way up an elegant staircase inside the car to a roofless deck where they’ll enjoy truly uninhibited 360-degree views of the Alps impressive Mount Stanserhorn. The cable car runs for nearly one and a half miles and takes riders up the mountain at an impressive speed of over 26 feet per second. It only takes six and a half minutes to get to the top, where you'll be looking out from 6,200 feet above sea level. Constructed in 2012, the Cabrio Cableway is an incredible piece of engineering. It moves on two side-mounted support cables, so passengers enjoy the extraordinary views without any overhead cables. It can carry 60 people at a time in the glass-walled lower deck and accommodate 30 on the open-air top deck. Here, with the wind in your hair and the sun in your face, there are few better ways to experience the spectacular scenery of mountainous Switzerland.
For AvGeeks like me, there's something inherently exciting about soaring into the sky, no matter if one’s traveling at 35,000 feet at nearly 600 miles per hour or up the side of a mountain. It’s the thrill of ascent, watching the land drop away beneath our gaze mixed with the ability to defy gravity- all the while unencumbered with earthly restraints. While none of these five cable car journeys will take us five miles above the earth, they more than satisfy that never-ending desire to take flight, no matter the means. Besides that, they'd be just plain fun!
Until next time...safe travels.
Very interesting - but I would have to ride them alone - I would never persuade the missus to join me on one of these!!!