Gondola plan floated for Chilliwack’s Bridal Falls

Towering 2,000 metres above Chilliwack, Mount Cheam is a local landmark. The “mother mountain” to the Sto:lo peoples and the namesake of more than one Chilliwack business, the peak is pristine, but difficult to access. Hikers must first drive toward Chilliwack Lake before navigating a crumbling logging road to reach the alpine. That could change.

A company called Bridal Falls Gondola Corp. has applied to study the feasibility of building a gondola above Bridal Falls, potentially opening up the mountains around Cheam to more people. The director of the company is listed as Jayson Faulkner, a founding partner of the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish.

“It’s potentially a pretty significant project that could result in opportunities for the whole region,” said Chilliwack Coun. Jason Lum, chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District, which has jurisdiction over the area.

In an application for a twoyear licence to access and study a 4,200-hectare area stretching from Bridal Falls to Mount Cheam to Elk Mountain, the company proposes to conduct “environmental, geotechnical and engineering studies (including traffic studies)” to determine the feasibility of a gondola. “No changes or alterations to the landscape will be made during this first phase,” according to the application.

If the company decides to proceed with the project, another application would need to be submitted, at which point evaluation, consultation and public input would continue. The footprint for the second application would be smaller, “as it would cover only the areas necessary for the gondola and associated structures and buildings.”

Lum said the company has approached local government, including the area’s First Nations, to start discussions about the gondola, but the proposal is still in the early stages.