Sky high at Whistler Blackcomb

I swore I would never ride the new Peak 2 Peak gondola bridging Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, in Whistler, B.C. Two of its trio of superlatives scared me:

• It's the world's longest unsupported span for a lift of its kind (it spans 2.73 miles between supporting pillars on either side -- that's longer than the Golden Gate Bridge)
• It's the world's highest lift of its kind (suspended from cables 1,427 feet above the creek on the valley floor -- that's almost as high as the Empire State Building.
Uhm, no thank you, I thought. And then, faced with the opportunity and a wee bit of peer pressure, I swallowed my fears, stepped aboard, and floated above the clouds. Wow! I was too busy taking in the views to think about being scared. As my friend Claudia put it, the sensation is similar to riding in a hot air balloon. It's extremely quiet and very stable, and the cars are large enough to move around (if not at capacity). It can run in winds up to 50 miles per hour (not that I'd be in any hurry to try it on a gusty day).
The views alone are worth braving the heights. Two of the 28 gondola cars have glass floors, which would make it even more spectacular. I didn't ride in one of those--it's just the luck of the line to snag one, but I imagine that's a pretty heady experience.
And that third superlative: It's the world's longest continuous lift system. Even nonskiers can experience it by taking the Whistler gondola from the Whistler base, then strolling over to the Peak 2 Peak, then descending to Blackcomb's base via chairlifts.

Posted by Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent