Nelson residents propose gondola up Morning Mountain

A group of locals in Nelson, B.C. is proposing a gondola to encourage residents to explore one of the mountains in the picturesque Kootenay town. 

"I think you'd be surprised, if you surveyed the people of Nelson, how few actually go up into the mountains," said Mitchell Scott, one of six proponents of the SilverKing SkyLine project. 

The gondola would take people from downtown Nelson up Morning Mountain. 

Mitchell said the group isn't looking at developing a resort at the top of the mountain. Instead, the gondola would serve to connect riders to a series of pre-existing hiking, biking, and skiing trails — or just spectacular views.

"We're kind of looking at it like an outdoor community centre," he said.

"Providing a means for people to get up there easily, even if it's just to walk around... would provide a huge service to the people of Nelson." 

Scott says the project is modelled after a similar gondola in Squamish that opened two years ago, which the New York Times noted on its list of 52 places to go in 2015. 

Scott and his group are searching for money for a feasibility study to get the project off the ground. He estimates the cost at up to $25 million.

With files from Bob Keating