Skyline Queenstown, Gondola lift and luge tracks on Bob's Peak in Queenstown, New Zealand
Skyline Queenstown is a gondola and luge complex on Bob's Peak, on the slopes of Ben Lomond, with its top terminal 450 metres above Lake Wakatipu. The gondola, opened in 1967, carries visitors and, since 2011, mountain bikes to a complex with a restaurant and bar, cafe, gift shop, mountain biking park and hiking sites. The luge, opened in 1998, has two tracks over 1,600 metres long: the gentler Arrow track and the steeper, sharper Dart track.
Bob's Peak was hard to reach until bus owner Ian Hamilton cut a road up it in 1961, with gradients as steep as 1 in 4.5. After Hamilton died, Jon Dumble bought his shares and built a chalet that opened in January 1964; planning permission for a gondola followed in 1965, when Skyline Enterprises was floated as a public company with Dumble as managing director. The gondola opened on 17 November 1967, and since 2011 it has carried mountain bikes uphill.
The name Bob's Peak honours a figure tied to the hill above Queenstown, part of Ben Lomond, which was long a vantage point reached only with difficulty over steep terrain. Today the summit is a commercial complex: gondola, luge tracks, mountain-bike park, restaurant, bar, cafe and gift shop. The luge opened in 1998, and since 2011 the gondola has carried mountain bikes up.
The gondola base terminal and ticketing hall sit at the bottom of Bob's Peak, with the top station 450 metres above Lake Wakatipu. The luge has two tracks: the gentler Arrow track and the steeper, sharper Dart track. Since 2011 the gondola also carries mountain bikes up the hill.
The two different luge tracks offer contrasting experiences: a gentler route for beginners and a faster one with steeper curves. This choice allows visitors of different abilities to ride within the same visit.
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