Look up; way up. And there you will find Whistler Blackcomb’s newest lift, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, which joins the two side-by-side mountains for the first time ever.

Opening December 12, the gondola has become a tourism icon for British Columbia and Canada, bringing visitors from all over the world into the high alpine to experience scenic views, while opening up the terrain and on-mountain dining options for skiers and riders.

“This is going to be an unprecedented winter for Whistler Blackcomb,” says Dave Brownlie President and Chief Operating Officer of Whistler Blackcomb. “The grand opening of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will forever change the skiing experience here. This adds to the momentum and excitement of the one-year countdown to the 2010 Games. We’re heading into one unforgettable season.”

Gone are the days when you chose just one mountain and skied it all day. Bringing guests from one mountain to another in just 11 minutes, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will forever change the way skiers, riders and sightseers experience Whistler Blackcomb. During the winter, chase fresh snow after a storm; hit all the Nintendo Terrain Parks in one day; or follow your nose from Belgian waffles at Blackcomb’s Crystal Hut to Mediterranean delights at Whistler’s Chic Pea Restaurant.

During summer, enjoy scenic alpine hiking trails on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains and catch glimpses of wildlife and wildflowers in the breathtaking Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Supported by only four towers, the gondola travels 4.4 kilometers (2.73 miles), reaching a highest vertical point of 436 metres (1,427 feet) above Fitzsimmons Creek, which is a world record. The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola also breaks the world record for longest free span, with a distance of 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles) stretching between the two towers furthest apart. The PEAK 2 PEAK completes the world’s largest continuous lift system: Whistler Village Gondola, PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, Solar Coaster Express and Wizard Express.

Crews have been hard at work since the groundbreaking in May 2007. The five cable reels– weighing 400 metric tonnes in total - traveled 11,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Whistler, Canada, by ship, train and truck. The four towers were erected, the terminal buildings were built; all five cables were tensioned across the valley and all 28 gondola cabins are now strung across the valley. Engineers and technicians spent the fall conducting safety testing in time for the December launch.

For more information on this project, visit whistlerblackcomb.com/peaktopeak