Winner Creek Hand Tram, Aerial tramway in Girdwood, Anchorage, US.
The Winner Creek Hand Tram is an aerial cable system that spans a deep gorge carved by glacial meltwater. A metal cage hangs suspended from steel cables, connecting the two sides of the canyon for foot travelers.
The system was built in 1999 to provide foot access across a natural barrier within the Chugach Mountains. This construction represented a practical solution for safely crossing terrain that would otherwise require difficult technical climbing skills.
The hand tram reflects a local philosophy where visitors engage with wilderness through their own effort rather than mechanical power. This approach to outdoor access is characteristic of how Alaskan communities invite people to experience nature directly and personally.
The tram operates from late May through September, subject to weather and avalanche conditions in the mountains. Visitors need good balance and reasonable upper body strength to operate the rope-and-pulley system safely across the span.
Users must pull the metal cage themselves using ropes and pulleys, with no motor assistance whatsoever. This makes it one of the last manually-powered crossing systems of its kind still in use in North America.
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