The views from the Pursuit Collection Banff Gondola observation deck at the Sulphur Mountain summit are nothing short of spectacular, and so is the experience to get there. First, you enjoy a gondola ride and ascend over 600 meters on your journey to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. Once you arrive at the summit, you are greeted with even more gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. It is truly breathtaking.

The spacious Accoya observation deck surrounding the building invites visitors to relax and enjoy the stunning mountain scenery in style. The Accoya decking materials, provided by Upper Canada Forest Products, were transported to the top of Sulphur Mountain using the gondola line material carts and helicopter hoisting.

The deck construction was scheduled throughout the severe winter season to avoid interruption of the summer guest experience, but PCL Construction Management Inc. was up to the challenge. The Banff Gondola experience continued full gondola operation and upper terminal services during the deck construction with minimal downtime to guests.

Accoya was chosen not only for its authentic wooden aesthetics and sustainability but also for its impressive performance. At these altitudes, winters bring a lot of snow and extreme temperatures, the stress of which can be problematic for many materials – especially wood. The high amount of foot traffic from tourists, which puts added stress on the deck, also needed to be taken into consideration by the project team. For Accoya, these challenges are no problem at all. Due to the patented acetylation process, Accoya wood is very dimensionally stable so it barely shrinks, swells or warps, and is extremely durable in all weather conditions. Which made it the right choice for this project.

The completed Accoya observation deck has been built to last, and will continue to invite Banff Gondola visitors to enjoy the outdoors and take in epic mountain views for years to come.

Project elevation: over 2,000 meters

Wood species: Accoya wood from Upper Canada Forest Products, Glulam Beams from Structurlam

Designer/Structural Engineer: ISL Engineering

Client: Pursuit Collection – Banff Gondola

Finishing: Accoya was planed to 1.125″ thick with no finish