Vail Resort - Gondola One (4K) | Ride Down

Gondola One at Vail Resort Colorado, is a 10 person gondola that services the center of Vail Resort. It was manufactured by Leitner-Poma in 2012, and replaced the Vista Bahn Express, a Doppelmayr high-speed quad. Gondola One starts from the Vail Village, and travels to the Mid-Vail lodge in the center of the resort.

The History:
Gondola One’s origins actually date back to the resort's founding in the early sixties. When Vail Resort was founded 1966, the original Gondola One was one of four chair lifts during the ski area’s inaugural season. The first Gondola in Vail’s history was a four-person gondola system that was manufactured by Bell, and was a 2S ropeway. This gondola ran reliably for many years until 1976, when an accident was caused by a cabin that failed to pass over a tower, causing a cabin to fall to the ground killing four people. After this the gondola was heavily modified by Von Roll in 1976, and was shortened about halfway up the line, ending near where the “The Coop” base area is now. This lasted until 1985 when the Vista Bahn Express eventually replaced the original Gondola One.

The Lift:
Gondola One as it exists today, is another flagship chairlift system that continues to operate yearly at Vail. The current iteration of Gondola One is a Leitner-Poma 10 person system, with many comfortable and sustainable features. Some custom features include Sigma Diamond 10-passenger cabins, leather seats inside each cabin, and an operating speed of 6.09 meters per second (1,200 feet per minute), which makes Gondola One the fastest lift that operates at the mountain. There is also a two story cabin parking facility at the top terminal as well, which is adjacent to the Mid-Vail lodge and museum.

Lift Info:
Builder: Leitner-Poma
Year Built: 2012
Capacity: 3,600 riders/hr
Vertical: 1,996 feet
Length: 9,308 feet
Design Speed: 1,200 Feet per minute / 6.09 Meters per second
Speed During Recording: 1,005 fpm / 5.1 mps
Cabins: 120
Ride Time: 8.2 Minutes