Kicking Horse’s Golden Eagle Gondola Nears Return

There’s good news out of Golden this week: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is one step closer to getting its legendary Golden Eagle Express Gondola back in action.

The fall was caused by a failure in a hanger arm—an essential piece of hardware that connects the cabin to the cable. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but the event prompted immediate concern and a full shutdown of the gondola. Since then, the resort has worked closely with lift engineers, safety authorities, and manufacturers to identify the root cause and replace all the hanger arms.

As of this week, all gondola cabins have been fitted with newly manufactured hanger arms, a decision made to ensure the highest level of safety across the entire system. According to the resort, this major milestone brings them “another step closer” to reopening the lift, as their team works through the remaining inspections and final testing phases.

The Golden Eagle Gondola is the heart of Kicking Horse’s alpine experience. It gives riders access to over 4,000 vertical feet of steep, raw terrain and the kind of big-mountain skiing that has earned the resort global acclaim. Its absence has been deeply felt by locals, visitors, and the broader Powder Highway community.

With the work nearly complete, the countdown is on. And with winter on the horizon, the prospect of returning to Kicking Horse’s alpine terrain is a welcome one.