Places & Faces: Sunridge and Edmonton Funicular

Ian Bakker is co-owner of Sunridge. The lift tower pads are scheduled to be poured this week.

Canada West was in Edmonton for meetings with government officials, but found some time to visit some new lift installations.  Sunridge Ski Area on the east side of Edmonton has replaced two tbar lifts with a BM quad (Leitner Poma carriers).  The team at Sunridge (photo above: Grant, Casey, Jesse, and Ian) have removed one tbar lift, and will complete the second removal once the new chair is operational.  Ian Bakker and Grant Bacon found the lift at Talisman in Ontario.  BM lifts was started by the father of well known Bruno Mansberger.  Following time representing Doppelmayr lifts, he started up a new lift company called Blue Mountain Lift and Steel which became BM lifts.

 


River Valley Mechanised Access Project 

What is an urban stairway? It includes hundreds of stairs that can be endured or embraced as a challenge.  If endured, there are over 70 benches spaced artistically through out the stairway.

 

RVMA (River Valley Mechanised Access) project between the beautiful MacDonald Hotel in downtown Edmonton and the North Saskatchewan river.  The RVMA provides downtown scenic viewing opportunities of the city and river valley.  Leading from the MacDonald Hotel, guests travel down stairs or a Doppelmayr Funicular lift to a ‘Lookout’ viewing platform that projects high above the river valley.  Below the Lookout are stair options or glass elevator that lead to lower access to the river.