“It’s probable that Aspen Mountain will get gondola,” announced The Aspen Times on Feb. 13, 1986. “The Aspen Skiing Company will decide in early March whether it will install a gondola, tram or detachable chairlift at the base of Aspen Mountain. Ski Co President Jerry Blann has just returned from France where he viewed lifts at 10 different areas. Blann also toured the Poma Corporation headquarters and factory in Grenoble. ‘We are in the process of narrowing it down… there is a lot of new engineering,’ said Blann, who was impressed by the state-of-the-art lift systems at the European ski areas. In addition, Blann viewed a number of detachable quad chairs, which are especially attractive to the Ski Co because of their price. A gondola or tram would cost up to $2 million more than a detachable four-person chair, said Blann. The Aspen City Council has requested the Ski Co make a decision on the new lift by the time it submits its base area plan, during the first or second week of March. A construction timetable for the new lift is contingent upon Council approval of the Little Nell hotel and base area project.”
The image to the left shows a Poma-manufactured gondola cabin that was previewed to the press.
This photo and more can be found in the Aspen Historical Society archives at aspenhistory.org.