Click here for the January 2008 Avon Transit Center Update

Its getting close to opening day at Beaver Creek- only three weeks! Some of us have been wondering about this Gondola and transportation center progress that appeared to be skeleton last year. Wasn’t it supposed to be done right now? Well, actually, yes:


So where is the progress this year? Or rather, at this said time of readiness? Not nearly as far as we would have hoped, but probably about as far as we expected. Construction crews are still moving like ants around a very very deep hole where they are welding, pouring, inspecting, and taking breaks.

This structure interested me: a three car bus stop? Guess theres more than one way to make a structure all-seasons friendly and resistant to damage at the same time. Here’s the question: who has the garage door openers?

“This is not going to fly” said the Union Pacific rep when I crossed the tracks. What? Me? No.. the rep was there to observe construction and pouring of this pedestrian railroad crossing. “Theres just no way that with this many people there will be any way to keep them from in front of the trains. We have a hard enough time keeping cars away.” But.. those tracks are abandoned right? Yes they are.. but only by traffic. Union Pacific is watching them like a hawk, carrying out repairs, and sending inspection after inspection to ensure that the tracks are safe.. for what? Why three inspections and repairs on abandoned tracks in the last three months? Nobody “tells [him] anything,” all he knows is that the construction crews need to be observed while working on railroad property. Would it be reasonable to expect to see trains moving through Avon again in the near future? Absolutely.. but the big dawgs are mumm..

Then I crossed the street to share some images from Highway 6.

Then I rode up to the new Beaver Creek Landing:

Up here, the gondola appears complete and ready to go.

It also looks like a museum train car- they left it open!

These six passenger cars are not the greatest possible capacity, but make sense when comparing the loads they will carry to the obligatory next step for each of them to get onto the mountain.

A quad chair that has always been there, the Lower Beaver Creek Mountain Express, will continue the journey for all Gondola passengers, in addition to the riders dropped off in this area (as it has been used for in the past) and the folks living in the Beaver Creek Landing condos and the Tarnes employee housing. Sound like a lot? We think so too.

There is bound to be a line here, but don’t fret. There is also a Starbuck’s inside. You’ll need it too, because there is a secondary high-speed quad you’ll need to take for all-mountain access to Beaver Creek.

Overall, the new Riverfront Express Gondola appears to have a dual shuttling purpose, especially when considering the end of the day. Those who ski down will be able to download the gondola that meets them at the bottom of their run rather than riding a crowded bus around the town of Avon, and can choose to walk from there or take a less-crowded bus to their property. Perhaps this is the best answer to the still-burning question:

“It only goes to there?”