The two Whistler men proposing to put a $12-million gondola up the Stawamus Chief are claiming support in Squamish's business community for their proposal.
Paul Mathews of Whistler-based Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners and Peter Alder of Peter Alder Enterprises first became acquainted in the mid-1970s, shortly after Mathews founded Ecosign. At the time, Alder was inspector of lifts for the B.C. government.
"Peter had already run Silver Star and Red Mountain resorts," Mathews said this week. "Peter, when he was vice-president at Whistler Mountain, hired us for Whistler Mountain's first-ever Master Plan in 1978."
Since those days, Alder and Mathews have consulted on 14 different gondola and/or lift projects in Switzerland, and both are part owners of Cahilty Lodge at Sun Peaks Resort.
Mathews said the two first came up with the idea of a gondola to the second peak of the Chief about a year ago, when the two were scouting out the Squamish area for new development and/or tourism-related opportunities.
"We couldn't help but look at the Chief, and there was a six-acre parcel [of private land] between Shannon Falls and the Chief, and we said, 'What could we do with this?'
"We said, 'You could put a Starbucks there, but that's not worth the price of this land,' but we saw it as a [potential] tourism base to support Shannon Falls and the Chief," Mathews said, adding that the two have since taken out an option to buy the land.
"We chose the second peak [of the Chief] because with the first peak there are quite a few hikers who go there on a daily basis and the second peak is a little more difficult to reach," said Alder.
"There would be no commercial things going on there [on the peak]. It would simply be a viewing platform."
While members of the local climbing community have so far expressed opposition to the plan, Alder insisted the pair has received strong expressions of support from some, including those in the Squamish business community.
"The climbing community says they're strongly opposed but I think some of the more reasonable ones will say that this will improve safety for them," Alder said, adding that the gondola wouldn't restrict climbers or hikers in any way.
"Particularly from some of the business community in Squamish, we've had some very positive input. We are not afraid of the naysayers and if they have some better ideas we'll certainly listen to them, and the process has to be a win-win situation for everybody.
"We want to have the community's support and we want to do a good job. Otherwise we'll just walk away from it."
