Wind Turbine viewPod arrives at Grouse Mountain

All the sections of the innovative wind turbine observation pod, or viewPod, arrived in North Vancouver from their origin in France, and the parts were driven to the summit this morning. The viewPod will be able to hold a capacity of up to 36 people, and is composed of structural steel and glass. With a diameter of seven metres and standing more than five metres in height, the 15-ton structure was designed and fabricated by Sigma Composite. The viewPod was transported in sections via ship to Montreal, followed by truck transport to North Vancouver. The viewPod is a unique engineering marvel that will, as an integral piece of the finished structure, serve to inspire, educate and exhilarate anyone who sees it. Once all the respective parts come together, the viewPod will undoubtedly provide an exciting and powerful visitor experience.

Visit to Anacortes, Washington

Work on the Grouse Mountain Wind Turbine is moving fast. Today we had a chance to zip down to Anacortes, Washington, where the structural tower of the wind turbine is being manufactured. As is typical, the tower is built in three sections, each just over 20 metres long. Our custom built tower is the first in the world designed to support a publicly-accessible elevator. There’s still a fair amount of work to do, but it was very satisfying to see the sections in person. However, experiencing how truly big these components are has reminded us of the challenge we’ll have bringing them up to Grouse Mountain (no helicopters for these guys – they’re too heavy).

Wind Turbine blades airlifted to the mountaintop

Today was an exciting day.

As you have probably heard, Grouse Mountain is building an iconic wind turbine. Today, three 37 metre long turbine blades arrived on the mountaintop. These blades - the first of the wind turbine project components - arrived from Denmark by sea last week, before journeying aboard a barge through Indian Arm overnight, and followed by a novel helicopter lift from barge to mountaintop earlier today.

The Erickson S-64E air-crane, one of the most powerful and versatile helicopters in the world, delivered each of the 12,000 lbs blades to their new home 1,250 metres above sea level as part of a concerted effort bolstered by ideal weather conditions.

Blue Grouse, our sustainability initiative that birthed the wind turbine project at Grouse Mountain, is our social, economic, and environmental commitment that informs all of our decision-making and policy development. Grouse Mountain’s Wind Revolution is a renewable energy movement symbolic of this leadership stance in sustainability.

To see more photos from today's airlift, visit our Wind Turbine Flickr Set.

Wind Turbine blades arrive in Canada

Last night the three blades for the Grouse Mountain Wind Turbine reached Canada via the Fraser Surrey Docks. These massive 37 metre long blades travelled by freighter for six weeks starting in Denmark. It looked as if everyone was surprised by how big they really are. Today, the blades were carefully unloaded from the freighter and placed directly onto a barge. The blades are now sitting side by side on the same barge while they get equipped with the proper supports to allow them to be air-lifted to the Peak of Grouse Mountain in the coming week. But, we’ll have to wait for a nice clear and calm day for this part of the journey.