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This Day in History: Grouse SkyRide

Comments 5 by Rebecca Bollwitt

It was February 2, 1966 that the Grouse Mountain SkyRide officially opened to skiers. It was dedicated later that year, on December 15th, by Premier W.A.C. Bennett.

Grouse Mountain Skyride
Photo credit: mountainhiker on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Grouse Mountain Day Photowalking with The Reverend Don Deeley
Photo credit: Pat Z on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool & John Bollwitt on Flickr

Grouse Mountain Day
Photo credit: Pat Z on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Skyride
Photo credit: The Vancouver Guy on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

The Skyride operates everyday from 9:00am until 10:00pm with trips up the mountain every 15 minutes. Grouse will be open for 24 hours straight next weekend during the City and Slope festival.

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5 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. BenThursday, February 2nd, 2012 — 11:51am PST

    Great pictures, but this is the not the skyride that was opened in 1966. You wanted this one – http://www.skilifts.org/forum/uploads//1090207808/gallery_93_28_4408.jpg

  2. Rebecca BollwittThursday, February 2nd, 2012 — 12:09pm PST

    Hi Ben, I am fully aware but unfortunately I couldn’t find any (Creative Commons/publishable) photos of the (now) blue SkyRide that goes right up into the lodge.

    I do not published licensed or copyrighted photos without permission and I also couldn’t find any Public Domain images in the City of Vancouver Archives or the North Vancouver Archives.

    The original skyride paved the way for this one so that is why these are posted. I figured these would be better than nothing! 🙂

    Cheers,

    Rebecca

  3. Alan HawkerThursday, February 2nd, 2012 — 12:21pm PST

    First time I saw this gondola was in the X-files nearly 20 years ago, it was when Scully was abducted and I think Mulder was fighting Krycheck on it.

  4. Jay BanksFriday, February 3rd, 2012 — 9:51am PST

    If there’s one thing you need to do when visiting Vancouver, it is to go to the top of Grouse Mountain on the gondola. I think it is one of the greatest attraction our city has. I always tell my visiting friends that it is one of the must-dos when they come to visit me.

  5. Steve W OatwayTuesday, May 7th, 2013 — 12:26pm PDT

    Rebecca, that is odd that the Archives did not have any photos of the opening. There are some, at the Vancouver Sun, and official government photos. This was a big publicity event for the Social Credit Party. I was there as the three nearby Elementary Schools, Montroyal, Canyon Heights, and Cleveland, were given the afternoon off, and Bused, at taxpayers expense, to the ceremony. We actually were given a choice, and a few kids stayed behind in the library. WAC Bennett, the famous Premier was there, other politicians, all the press, and world champion skier Nancy Greene who appeared in the blue gondola which moved out from the base slightly over the crowd, which was 95% children. North Vancouver had become quite a Liberal Party stronghold by that time. (NOT the Liberal Party now in power)

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