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The experience of standing on top of a mountain, breathing the fresh alpine air and enjoying the spectacular panoramic view of valleys, lakes, rivers and mountains, isn鈥檛 one that everyone will enjoy in their lifetime.

But, for many鈥攚hether they鈥檙e capable of climbing their way there or not鈥攖he dream of reaching a peak is one they will carry with them their entire lives.

It was for those folks that the Jasper SkyTram was built 50 years ago.

The new man-made attraction opened July 3, 1964, for the first time making Whistlers Mountain accessible to people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds.

鈥淲ith the opening of the SkyTram ... the opportunity for a wonderful experience is open to everyone,鈥� wrote the Jasper Totem鈥攐ne of Jasper鈥檚 earliest newspapers鈥攐n July 10, 1964. 鈥淣ot everyone likes to, or can, climb a mountain, but everyone can now see the sensational view one gets from the top of a peak.鈥�

William McGregor first conceived of constructing a tramway on Whistlers Mountain in 1960, after climbing to its summit and seeing the unprecedented view from the top. While reveling in the the sight of the six mountain ranges, the convergence of the Athabasca and Miette valleys, the numerous glacial fed lakes, the Athabasca River and the scenic Jasper townsite, he knew it was a sight that needed to be shared.

But it wasn鈥檛 until a few years later that things got rolling and construction began on Canada鈥檚 first reversible aerial tramway.

Jasper鈥檚 John Ogilvy was the engineer on the project. It was in 1962 that he was first approached by his boss in Vancouver, and asked what it would cost to build a tram. But, when Ogilvy asked a few basic questions, like where and how high, his boss said he couldn鈥檛 divulge such information.

鈥淪o I said, 鈥業鈥檒l tell you how much it will cost to build a tram if you tell me how long a piece of string is,鈥� recalled Ogilvy with a grin.

It was two weeks later that they spoke again, but this time the boss was ready to let him in on the secret.

鈥淗e picked me up at the office, we drove down to the CN station in Vancouver and we arrived here in Jasper at 8 in the morning, having slept on the train and had breakfast.

鈥淭hen we climbed Whistlers, we came back, caught the train at 6:30 that night and over some beers we talked and that was that.鈥�

But then things fell silent on the project, with no word on its progression until the spring of 1963, when talks again picked up and designs were drawn.

For Ogilvy, those days were spent designing foundations and structural steel and doing rope line calculations for the cables.

As calculators weren鈥檛 commonplace until the 1970s, Ogilvy did all of his mathematical calculations on a slide rule鈥攁 sort of analog computer that looks like a ruler, but has a standardized scale for logarithms and trigonometry, as well as multiplication and division.

鈥淭he rope line calculations were trial and error,鈥� he said, adding that his job was made even more difficult by the lack of books on rope line tension.

鈥淭he only textbook I ever found, and I鈥檝e found errors in it since, was in Polish,鈥� he said with a laugh.

Of course, that made sense at that time, as up until September 1963, when a similar tramway opened in Palm Springs, aerial cable cars were only being built in Europe.

That鈥檚 why McGregor and his partner Norm Gustafson hired West Germany鈥檚 P.H.B. to assist with the project.

The German contractors supervised the build and imported many of the necessary construction supplies, including the ropes and mechanical and electrical equipment. It also provided designs for structural steel, so it could be created in Canada.

When construction began, it was no easy feat.

Somehow, all of the equipment, workers and supplies had to be ferried from the parking lot to the top of the mountain. To accomplish this, the largest helicopter in Western Canada was brought in.

鈥淭he whirlybirds are capable of carrying a minimum of one ton of steel or other materials and can make 47 trips per day,鈥� wrote Jack Deakin in the Feb. 25, 1964 edition of the Edmonton Journal.

Despite the challenge, after construction began, it was only a matter of months before the tram cars were making the 3,950 foot journey up Whistlers鈥� northface, allowing construction on the terminals to begin.

Once construction was near completion, reporters were invited to make the seven-minute journey to the upper terminal. Grant Rundle, a reporter for the Jasper Totem, wrote about his experience just a month before the tram opened to the public.

鈥淚 rode to the top in company with manager Mr. Jim Atkinson and project engineer Mr. John Ogilvy just two days after the cabin was first hooked onto the cable.

鈥淭his million dollar development shows what faith some men of money have in this area and in the tourist potential.

鈥淭his undertaking will become a famous attraction in Jasper and will surely spread the name of Jasper National Park far and wide as thousands and thousands of tourists take this unforgettable ride.鈥�

Although just a prediction then, 50 years later, Rundle鈥檚 prophecy has proved itself true.

The attraction opened with success in 1964 and has continued to be a successful throughout its history.

Over the years, the SkyTram鈥攚hich has been called the Jasper Tramway since the 80s鈥攈as changed hands multiple times, first being purchased by Toby Rayner, who worked on its construction in the 60s.

Rayner left Jasper following the project鈥檚 completion, but returned in 1980 to purchase it. It was during his ownership of the tram that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appeared at the lower terminal to purchase tickets for himself and his sons.

Rayner ran the business until 1995 and then sold it to his sons, Alex and Curt Rayner, who ran it successfully until 2012, when it was purchased by the Marmot Basin shareholders.

Despite all of those exchanges, much has remained the same at the SkyTram.

鈥淭here鈥檚 been paint and cosmetic changes over the years鈥攖he ropes and cables and things have been changed鈥攂ut the tram cars are still the originals and the view hasn鈥檛 changed either,鈥� said Todd Noble.

Noble, who is now the attraction鈥檚 general manager, has been working for the SkyTram, in various capacities, for 18 years and over those years he has taken the seven-minute ride to the top more times than he can count. 鈥淎nd it never gets old,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always consider it an escape.鈥�

That escape is the same one that McGregor wanted everyone to experience when he dreamt up the SkyTram 50 years ago. And all these years later, it continues to provide that, each year bringing more than a hundred thousand visitors 7,431 feet above sea level to the high alpine, just shy of the peak of Whistlers Mountain.

To celebrate the tram鈥檚 many years of success and to honour its long history, the Jasper Tramway will begin its season April 25 under its original moniker: the Jasper SkyTram.

鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 been the Jasper Tramway for so long, a lot of people still call it the SkyTram,鈥� said Guillermo Zuniga, sales and marketing manager for the attraction. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e leaning on what we did before and bringing it back to celebrate our 50-year anniversary.鈥�

The milestone year will also be marked with numerous events, including a birthday party in July. To keep up to date on all of those events, visit www.jasperskytram.com.

Nicole Veerman
[email protected]