Sea to Sky Gondola opens up hiking in Stawamus Chief area

MURRAY SOVEREIGN DOESN’T have the fondest memories of the couple of times he tried to hike to Mount Habrich from the top of the Upper Shannon Falls Trail in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. “It was the most brutal bushwhacking,” Sovereign told the Georgia Straight by phone from Squamish. “I think I made about 200 metres in an hour, and then I had to turn around and push my way back through all the same stuff again. I’ve tried a few different ways of getting around up there, but because it’s all this overgrown alder on old logging roads, a lot of it’s almost impenetrable.”

Thus, it’s no surprise that the owner of the Valhalla Pure Outfitters outdoor-gear shop at the Squamish Station Shopping Centre is looking forward to riding the Sea to Sky Gondola after it opens on May 16. Last fall, he took advantage of a limited-time offer and bought a $99 annual pass. Sovereign believes the sightseeing gondola will “open up” the upper Shannon Creek basin, which was previously difficult to access, to hikers, climbers, snowshoers, and ski tourers....

To read the full article please click HERE.

Article written by Stephen Hui
March 5, 2014