Wild Blue: Steamboat’s Second Out-of-Base Gondola

Steamboat is full steam ahead with some incredible updates across the resort. One in particular that we are excited for is the second out of base Gondola that will alleviate a large pressure point in the resort. The amazing crew at Steamboat put together this short video which outlines the major changes, when each stage of the project will be opening up and what visitors to the resort can look forward to this season. For those who prefer to read instead of watching Erin Campbell has drafted a full story and published this on to the Steamboat Full Steam Ahead Blog. Full Story belowA new and additional gondola named Wild Blue will begin running this upcoming ski season from the Steamboat base area to Greenhorn Ranch, the new ski school headquarters now located in the previous Bashor Basin area. Ultimately, once complete with both the upper and lower sections in the 2023-2024 season, Wild Blue will transport skiers and riders from the Steamboat base area to the top of Sunshine Peak at an impressive speed, taking only 12 and a half minutes. Scenic, fast, efficient and smooth, the Wild Blue gondola is an exciting addition to Steamboat Resort!The lower section of the Wild Blue gondola will have 58 cabins to take skiers and riders from the base area to Greenhorn Ranch. For the upcoming 2022-2023 ski season, this will be the only section running, and mostly transporting ski school guests. However, section two is slated to be ready for the 2023-2024 ski season and will be running with an additional 113 cabins to transport guests to the top of Sunshine Peak. All in all, Wild Blue will have 171 cabins, each with a capacity of 10 people per cabin. Ski racks will be on the exterior just like the Steamboat Gondola that will still be in place and running from the base area to the top of Thunderhead.Previously, the Steamboat Gondola and Christie Peak Express were able to transport 6,800 people per hour, and now with the addition of Wild Blue, another 3,200 people will be transported per hour onto the mountain. This equates to a capacity increase of nearly 50% and a total of 10,000 guests per hour being transported onto the mountain from the base area. Obviously, this capacity increase will allow for quicker accessibility to the upper mountain, but it will also allow for a more efficient experience skiing lower mountain as well.Blue gondola cars paired with a longer and scenic ride across Steamboat Resort inspired the name Wild Blue. Not only will Wild Blue provide a scenic ride, but it will also provide a fast ride from the base to the top of Sunshine Peak. Section one (base area to Greenhorn Ranch) will transport guests at a speed of 6 meters per second, which equates to 4 minutes of transit time. Section two (Greenhorn Ranch to the top of Sunshine Peak) will transport guests at the fastest speed in North America at 7 meters per second and exactly 8.8 minutes from Greenhorn Ranch. Put those numbers together and it will only take you about 12 and a half minutes to get from the base area to the top of Sunshine Peak! Skiers and riders will be able to load at the base area and ride all the way to the top in 2023-2024, with the doors opening at the mid-station for anyone unloading at that point. View fullsize