FLYING HIGH ON THE SEA TO SKY

Sea to Sky Gondola cars 

Flanked by Shannon Falls on one side and an immense granite monolith known as “The Chief” on the other, the Sea to Sky Gondola near Squamish is ideally placed in its raw natural setting. 

Sea to Sky Highway from
halfway up the Gondola

Gondola cars rise silently as they make the steep ascent over the expansive rock face.  

The fifteen minute ride from base to summit passes quickly and as we looked down, The Chief, so foreboding from the highway, appeared like just another rock in the natural landscape. Amazing really since the challenge and complexity of The Chief attracts climbers from all over the world. 

Panoramic views over Howe Sound morphed in front of our very eyes.  Below, the Gondola's namesake, the Sea to Sky Highway, took on the appearance of a white snake, winding its way lazily along the edge of Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay before making its way inland towards Whistler.

Ledge and Sky Pilot Mountains
and Stadium Glacier

It was another one of those wonderfully clear Spring days.  

The steep mountainsides reflected into Howe Sound, a deep triangular shaped body of water that extends from Squamish out to the Salish Sea.  

Lunch on the Summit Lodge patio

The palate of blue and green was positively palpable while above us the snows on Ledge and Sky Pilot Mountains and Stadium Glacier sparkled in the sunlight.

Admiring the view from
the Suspension Bridge

The Summit Lodge’s patio area proved to be an ideal spot to enjoy a picnic lunch, the last remnants of an Easter turkey dinner.

A short suspension bridge extends from the patio over to the Spirit Trail viewing platform.  From here, another trail forks west towards an outlook over The Chief where climbers on its summit formed tiny figures below us. 

Tantalus Mountain Range

Views of Diamond Head and Garibaldi in the distance all contributed to the intoxication we felt from the landscape and the unseasonably sunny day.  

Yes, we were flying high on the Sea to Sky.