What is a supergondola?

A supergondola (or super-gondola) is an industry name used to classify the emerging form of aerial transportation systems that are looking to dramatically extend the capabilities of traditional gondola systems.

What makes a gondola a supergondola?

Traditional gondola systems - the kind we most commonly think of being used in ski resorts - operate like a clothesline. All of the cabins are essentially clipped to the line and to move the cabins you rotate a giant bull wheel that moves the cable and, as a result, moves the cabins clipped to the cable. 

Traditional gondolas are based on centuries old technology. Because of that, a lot of the major players in the gondola industry are attempting to re-invent the “cableway” for the modern era. A few upstart innovators are joining the race as well.

What they are trying to do is combine the ride hailing convenience of services like Uber and Lyft with self-driving, autonomous cabins that can move around a branching network of possible destinations. And, they are trying to do it largely on a suspended cable network above the streets.

So that’s essentially it. If your gondola cabin can function as a “self-driving Uber gondola” - taking you on a continuous personalized trip, then it’s a supergondola. But, there’s more to the story. Dig in if you want to know more about what a supergondola is.