Suspension of Disbelief

Whistler Blackcomb ski resort’s much awaited Peak 2 Peak Gondola opens this month, allowing snow jocks to make the alpine journey from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain in a breezy 11 minutes. If you’re afraid of heights, those will be the longest and most harrowing 11 minutes of your life. Weighing in at four and a half times taller than the Statue of Liberty, three times longer than the Golden Gate Bridge, and spanning 2.73 miles (1.88 of which is the unsupported section between the two farthest towers), the gondola offers a ride as thrilling as carving the slopes themselves—especially if you happen to catch one of the two glass-bottomed cabins, which deny passengers the age-old strategy of “just don’t look down.” The 28 cabins depart every 49 seconds, travel 18 feet per second and can transport a total of 4,100 people an hour. In a word: duuuude.

Whistler Blackcomb, 4545 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, British Columbia; 866.218.9690; whistlerblackcomb.com; free with purchase of a lift ticket.