New, detachable tram will more than triple current capacity to transport guests to and from the mountain-top theme park, and will eliminate 80 percent weather-related shutdowns.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 23, 2018) — Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, the mountain-top theme park located in Glenwood Springs, Colo., is replacing the tramway that carries guests up 1,400 feet from the floor of the Roaring Fork Valley to the top of Iron Mountain next winter. The new tram will include 44 detachable, six-passenger cabins that increase capacity to 1,000 people per hour. The current tram, with 18 cabins, transports 300 people an hour.
“This system will help us enhance our guests’ experience by reducing wait times to board the tram and reducing the frequency of weather-related tram closures,” Nancy Heard, general manager of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, explained. “It will be more stable in high-wind conditions and will eliminate 80 percent of the shutdowns caused by wind and lightning.”
The phased development project, which received positive feedback from the Glenwood Springs City Council during a conceptual review on January 18, also includes construction of a two-story building at the tram base that will house ticket sales, a retail shop, restrooms, tram operations, administrative offices and meeting space. The first phase, replacing the tram, is slated to begin Nov. 1, 2018, and is expected to last four months, during which the park will be closed. Annual passholders will have four months added to their passes to compensate for the closure. The project will go through additional planning and review by the city and Garfield County.
Heard added, “We will take this opportunity to remove the utilities from the tram line and bury them. This move will help reduce the wind load on the tram, which allows us to sustain higher winds. The Tropical model cabins will feature more ventilation. We will also add a tower communication system that will allow us to have one-way communication with our guests. This system is a series of bullhorns located on select towers that will project the communication up and down the tram line.”
Leitner-Poma, with offices in Grand Junction, built the original tram and will handle construction of the new one. The existing towers will be used, but terminal equipment at the base and the top of the mountain will be replaced.
According to Heard, this project will benefit the park’s guests in many ways. With the ability to transport 1,000 people per hour, the ride time will be seven minutes, compared to the current 12- to 15-minute ride. Barring severe weather or mechanical issues, the new tram will essentially eliminate the wait time. “This is music to our ears for all of our Music on the Mountain guests who have experienced long wait times to get off the mountain at the end of the concerts.”
The detachable tram equally distributes the weight of the cabins across all the towers, which will allow it to sustain higher winds without impacting operations. The new tram will be less susceptible to lightning closures, for two reasons. First, operators will have the ability to clear people off the tram in seven minutes rather than 15. Second, the new tram will have lightning arrestors that will dissipate the electricity and minimize the potential damage to the tram. This will allow operators to wait to see if the storm develops before deciding to shut down the tram. Currently, the tram is often closed for precautionary purposes and in some cases the storm never develops. As a result, it will reduce the frequency with which the park needs to run busses and Adventure Vehicles up and down the mountain.
More information about the park, including hours of operation and a list of which attractions are open, can be found at GlenwoodCaverns.com or by calling 800-530-1635 or 970-945-4228, ext. 0.