Lynden Moves Alpine Gondola from Austria to Juneau

The Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts in Juneau generates plenty of visitor buzz during the summer, and Eaglecrest Ski Area draws traffic across Gastineau Channel to Douglas Island in the winter. To combine those attractions, an elevated gondola is being installed at the ski resort. But first the entire system had to be moved from one mountain top to another.

Willkommen, Gondel!

The gondola for Eaglecrest is not exactly new. The cableway carried skiers at Galsterberg, a resort in central Austria, for more than thirty years. When Galsterberg decided to replace the system with a new gondola, which began service this winter, the old one found a new home in Alaska.

“This creates an opportunity for year-round operations and sustainability which will benefit the community and people of Juneau,” says Eaglecrest Ski Area General Manager Dave Scanlan. In effect, adding a revenue generator in summertime supports operating costs for winter.

The gondola ski system was dismantled at Galsterberg, and Lynden handled the transport of every piece for reinstallation on Douglas Island. The process took three months.

“We provided specialized equipment in a tight timeframe on site in Austria to remove the gondola,” says Lynden Logistics International Operations Manager Brandie Holmes, “then trucked the pieces to Rotterdam for ocean export to Norfolk, Virginia.”