Whistler's New Fitzsimmons Express Nearing Completion- Will It Help With Crowds?
Whistler Blackcomb has been undergoing a huge construction project since the late-spring to upgrade the Fitzsimmons Express on Whistler Mountain.
The lift is a popular choice for beginners and intermediates looking to access low-altitude groomers, or as an alternative to the seemingly always busy Whistler Village Gondola.
Whistler is upgrading the lift from a four-person to an eight-person high speed detachable chairlift. The goal is to reduce lift lines in the village on busy days, but will it be enough?
See the Facebook post below for Whistler's recently-published update on the lift:
Caption: "July 1, 2023 marked the halfway point for our ongoing summer lift construction project. In case you missed it, we’re upgrading Fitsimmons Express from a 4-pack to an 8-pack! Once completed, this new lift will significantly reduce wait times and increase uphill capacity in winter and summer, providing even greater access to our bike park with five riders per chair!
Our teams are on schedule and making good progress with the project while keeping safety of workers and guests a top priority. Excavation work to make space for the larger lift structures is ongoing. As well, construction teams are on target to complete all concrete work within the week!
Huge thank you to our construction and mountain ops teams for the continued hard work ensuring this project moves along smoothly."
Anybody who has been to Whistler will tell you that the powder day/weekend frenzy in the village is a sight to behold. Allow me to explain.
The bottom terminals for the lifts that ascend both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are located within close proximity to each other in the village. This leads thousands of skiers to gather in line each morning as they make their morning commutes to Whistler's higher altitude and alpine terrain.
Whistler is hoping that expanding the Fitzsimmons Express' uphill capacity will help to alleviate some of the early-morning uploading crunch.
It's a step in the right direction, but in my opinion, Whistler needs to build entirely new chairlifts and/or gondolas to accommodate the skiers in the village.
We'll just have to wait and see how this season plays out with the new Fitzsimmons Express. We should be able to discern fairly quickly if the lift's enhanced uphill capacity makes a significant difference or not.
The lift will also be used for Whistler's world-renowned bike park. A maximum of five riders and five bikes will each be able to ride the lift.
Continue reading below for Whistler's full update on the Fitzsimmons Express:
July 1, 2023 marked the halfway point for our ongoing summer lift construction project. (In case you missed it, we’re upgrading Fitsimmons Express from a 4-pack to an 8-pack!) Once completed, this new lift will significantly reduce wait times and increase uphill capacity in winter and summer, providing even greater access to our bike park with five riders per chair! Here’s a few of the major accomplishments we’ve recently checked off the list:
-Construction teams are on target to complete all concrete work within the week.
-Pads for lift huts and genset (for power and backup electricity) are now complete.
-The top and bottom station enclosures are finished.
-Almost all tower footings have been excavated and formed with concrete poured (only towers 7 and 8 remain).
-Of the towers we have on hand, only 7 and 8 remain to be installed, which will be completed before Crankworx. Aside from this, we’re awaiting additional required new towers to arrive from Austria via Montreal. These will be installed when they arrive, just after Crankworx.
-Excavation work to make space for the larger lift structures is ongoing with 7,000 cubic meters of earth removed at the load station and 1,000 cubic meters at the drive station (with 1,500 cubic meters removed for the previous lift’s lower mast removal).
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