Almost six years since they were installed at the top of Whistler, the Cloudraker Skybridge and the Raven’s Eye continue to draw in day trippers who want a little more than a view to enjoy.
“We wanted to put people in the clouds,” said Whistler Blackcomb’s senior manager of planning and business development, Wendy Robinson.
“It’s not super scary, but for some people it's a unique scary experience.”
The Cloudraker Skybridge, which is accessed by a journey up the already-spicy Peak Chair, is at 2,200 metres in elevation. Walking across the bridge, guests can look straight down through the grate.
Robinson, who was project lead for the skybridge, said when they installed it, the contractor wanted to know how much "sway" they wanted the bridge to have.
“Not too much,” she said. “But enough for people to have a little bit of a thrill.”
The bridge and Raven’s Eye opened in 2018, and both have proven major draws ever since, with Robinson estimating more than 200,000 people walk the bridge every year.
Robinson knows all the numbers associated with the bridge, which she says was an amazing project to work on.
Each winter, the modules that make up the bridge decking and side rails are removed. There are a hundred modules, which weigh 500 pounds each.
Robinson said it is important to recognize the local talent that went into the bridge, which was made mainly using B.C.-based companies—such as Axis Mountain Technical, which did the install, Morrison Hershfield, which engineered the design, and George Third & Son, which fabricated the steel.
“It was a pretty fun project, when it all came together," she said.
Visitors who walk across the skybridge then have access to the Raven’s Eye—a "cliffwalk" which sticks out 12.5 metres from the cliff face, atop the West Ridge.
The views are worth it, and Robinson said the three attractions together (Peak Chair, Skybridge, Raven’s Eye) offer a little something for guests to get more of a thrill when they visit Whistler, versus just getting a view.
“I love being up here, I have excitement every time I step out onto the bridge or see it from the valley," Robinson said. "I love being here and seeing people enjoy it, people that are maybe out of their element. It’s a unique way to see the peak of the mountain, and get people to go a little further than just taking a lift up, taking a photo and walking away.”
Robinson added with a growing sightseeing tourism segment, the mountain will look to add more in the future.
Though she remained tight-lipped as to what, she did say she hopes it will be even more accessible for more visitors given the Peak Chair has limits on small children and strollers, and is a tall order for people with accessibility issues.
“So looking at the future, our next iconic build will be more accessible for people with strollers, people with accessibility issues, and having that in mind,” she said.
The Peak Chair, Cloudraker Skybridge, and Raven’s Eye are open as part of Whistler Blackcomb’s Summer Alpine Experience, and will be open until mid-September, depending on weather.
