News

Santa Visits, Holiday Hours, Holiday Dining and More!

PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 12, 2019) Santa visits the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on Saturday, December 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Free candy canes and photo opportunities for the kids bring another dose of Yuletide merriment to all who visit the Tramway’s Mountain Station.

Then, on Sunday, December 15 is “Breakfast with Santa”. Starting at 9:00 a.m., join Ol’ St. Nick for crafts, holiday treats and a delicious meal in an alpine setting. Tickets are $40 for adults and seniors, and $26.00 for children (ages 3-10). Tram fare is included. Advanced tickets are required by calling 760-325-1449.

On December 25, 2019 and January 1, 2020, Ride ’n’ Dine tickets—which include Tram admission and dinner at Pines Café (a cafeteria-style restaurant)—are available for purchase beginning at 8:00 a.m. (rather than the usual 4:00 p.m.) Dinner service begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. Combination tickets are $36 for adults and seniors, and $23.50 for children (ages 3-10).

Peaks Restaurant serves their regular lunch and dinner menus along with a special prix fixe holiday menu beginning at 11:00 a.m. on December 25, 2019 and January 1, 2020. Reservations are recommended and may be made by either calling 760-325-4537 or via Open Table on the Tram’s website (www.pstramway.com/dining).

The Tramway operates a special schedule from December 21, 2019 through January 5, 2020. The first tram up each day is at 8:00 a.m., the last tram up is at 8:00 p.m. and the last tram down is at 9:45 p.m.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 5, 2019) On November 29, a decades-long tradition resumes when holiday choir season begins at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 13, a different high school choir performs holiday favorites at the Tramway’s Mountain Station.

For the 2019 holiday season, the Tramway is proud to present the following line-up:

• Friday, November 29 – Rancho Mirage High School Choir
• Saturday December 30 – Indio High School Choir
• Sunday, December 1 – Palm Springs High School Madrigals & String Quartet
• Friday, December 6 – The Lions’ Pride Chamber Singers (Cathedral City H.S.)
• Saturday, December 7 – Martin Luther King High School Chamber Singers & Show Choir
• Sunday, December 8 – Encore High School for the Arts Madrigals
• Friday, December 13 – Jurupa Valley High School

Show times are 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and are complimentary with regular Tram admission. Performances are on the Pines Café Stage with food and beverage service available from either the Pines Café or the Lookout Lounge. (Note: The 5:00 p.m. performance on December 1^st  is outside on the Desert View Terrace as part of the tree lighting ceremony.) Open seating (no reservations taken).

Special Appearance by Santa Adds to Festivities

PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 3, 2019) Peabody and Emmy Award-winning journalist, Hank Plante, will serve as the 2019 celebrity tree lighter for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 1 at the Tram’s Mountain Station kicking-off with a holiday performance by the Palm Springs High School Madrigals & String Quartet along with a special appearance by Santa. Then Plante will  light the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of over 4,000 LED lights, which can seen throughout the Coachella Valley.

Plante is the recipient of six Emmys and has covered California for three decades on TV stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He is the winner of the George Foster Peabody Award and was named “Reporter of the Year” by the Associated Press. He is now a resident of Palm Springs and serves on the Desert Sun Editorial Board, as well as providing commentary for NBC Palm Springs.

As one of the first openly-gay TV reporters in the United States, Plante has been honored by numerous LGBT rights organizations. In addition, he was featured in the documentary “5B” which was selected for the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and chronicles the first AIDS ward opened in the nation, which he covered as a reporter.

“For me the holidays are a time when we rise above our differences (which can be glaring if you work in the news business like I do), and we’re lifted up to who we really are: brothers and sisters getting through life together,” according to Plante. “Driving around the Valley, looking up at the holiday lights coming from the top of the Tram, I’m instantly reminded of that all through the Season. “

PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 28, 2019) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will operate a special schedule during the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, Thursday, November 28 through Sunday, December 1. The first tram up each day will be at 8:00 a.m., the last tram up will be at 8:00 p.m. and the last tram down will be at 9:45 p.m.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, Ride ’n’ Dine tickets—which include Tram admission and dinner at Pines Café (a cafeteria-style restaurant)—will be available for purchase beginning at 8:00 a.m. (rather than the usual 4:00 p.m.) Dinner service begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. Combination tickets are $36 for adults and seniors, and $23.50 children (ages 3-10). The holiday menu includes a mixed greens salad; a choice of oven-roasted turkey, beef a la mode or vegetarian lasagna; a selection of side dishes; and old-fashioned carrot cake or pumpkin pie. Dinner roll along with a small fountain beverage, coffee or tea are included.

Peaks Restaurant will begin serving their regular menu along with traditional holiday favorites at 11:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling 760-325-4537 or by visiting https://pstramway.com/dining/ .

This Thanksgiving, take a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, stroll the majestic forests of Mt. San Jacinto State Park, and then dine while enjoying the most spectacular views in the entire Coachella Valley.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 26, 2019) The winner of today’s 34^th Annual Palm Springs Aerial Tram Road Challenge was CJ Hitz of Colorado Springs, CO, who ran the “World’s Toughest 6K” in 30 minutes, 49 seconds. The first female to cross the finish line was Lynda Weyman of Calgary, Canada in 40 minutes, 50 seconds.  Sela-Mia Howard of Bedford, MA, finished first in the youngest category (6 and under) and Bill Bell, age 96, finished first in the oldest category (90-120).

This year’s Male and Female Challenge Division Winners are:

The first Tram Road Challenge was held in 1983, and was won by Rob Slick in 27 minutes, 35 seconds and Nancy Baird in 35 minutes, 25 seconds. The fastest men’s time was set by Rubin Garcia of Mexico—26 minutes, 5 seconds—in 1987. Lubov Kremleva of Russia set the fastest women’s time—28 minutes, 56 seconds in 1998.

1,201 runners and walkers participated in this year’s Tram Road Challenge.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 6, 2019) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will re-open as scheduled at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 7 after concluding its annual maintenance shutdown.

We look forward to welcoming guests back.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Continues Annual Tradition

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 30, 2019) Temperatures may still be on the warm side, but October 1^st marks the start of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Snow Guessing Contest. This annual event continues until the first measurable inch of snow fall at the Tram’s Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet.

The first ten entries received with the correct date of snowfall will win four Tram admissions plus a special Tram gift memento. In the event there are more than ten correct entries, the earliest postmarks will prevail.

To submit an entry, simply write down your best-guess date on a postcard and mail it to: Snow Guessing Contest, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Please remember that only postmarked postcards will be accepted (no emailed entries) and no postmarks before October 1. Participants may enter as many times as they would like, but only one date per postcard. For more information and contest rules, please visit www.pstramway.com/special-events.

It won’t be long before snowflakes are falling just a few minutes from the desert floor. And there’s never been a year when someone didn’t win the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Snow Guessing Contest!

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 28, 2019) Due to maintenance delays, the reopening date for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has been moved from Monday, September 30 to tentatively Monday, October 7.

According to Vice President of Tramway Systems Chris Bartsch, “During our current shutdown, a measurement device called the load cell was changed-out. After a site visit by the manufacturer of the Tram’s control system, it was determined that the new part was faulty and must be replaced before operation of the Tram resumes. Due to this reinstallation and additional required testing, our reopening has been delayed by one week.”

Adds Bartsch, “Our number one priority is always guest safety. We apologize for any inconvenience this delay has caused our visitors.”

“Uncovered in the Archives” Set to Air September 29, October 4 and October 9

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 25, 2019) Historical records of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will soon be revealed in an episode of the popular Empire/KVCR PBS series “Uncovered In the Archives.” Series host Brad Pomerance travels to Palm Springs to sift through the Tramway’s archives to learn how this world-renowned Southern California attraction came to be. The 30-minute episode is set to premier on September 29, 2019 at 9:30 p.m. with two subsequent air dates of October 4 and October 9.

According to Pomerance, “The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway holds so much history in Palm Springs that to have access to the archives of this iconic attraction was truly a treat for me.”

“Uncovered in the Archives” travels throughout Greater Inland California to reveal some of the region’s most extraordinary historical events and places—known and unknown, remembered and forgotten—all told through the hidden treasures that are discovered in the destinations visited.

The series is produced for Empire KVCR/PBS by Big Mist Productions and the Endeavor Production Company, with C.J. Eastman serving as executive producer and Glenn Grant as creative director.