PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 5, 2017) Award-winning actor, writer, singer, spokesperson and photographer, Shari Belafonte, serves as this year’s celebrity tree lighter for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 3 at the Tram’s Mountain Station kicking off with a holiday performance by the Palm Springs High School Madrigals and String Quartet. Then Belafonte lights the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of 4,000 LED lights, which can be seen throughout the Coachella Valley.

Belafonte’s first acting credit of note was co-starring with Marc Singer in the movie If You Could See What I Hear, about blind musician, Tom Sullivan.  She then went on to co-star in the popular Aaron Spelling series, Hotel. That led to numerous guest-starring roles in television sit-coms, dramas and feature films, along with several commercial assignments, including Calvin Klein, Lawrys, Slim-Fast, MasterCard and Diet Coke.

Among her hundreds of magazine covers—five times on Vogue alone—she was the first woman of color to appear on the covers of Self Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine and numerous foreign magazines.

 Shari is actively involved with The Lili Claire Foundation for children and their families who suffer with neuro-genetic birth conditions such as William Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Fragile X and Autism, and still does special events for The American Cancer Society (her famous father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years back.) She is also an avid wildlife and no-kill animal advocate.

Along with her husband, actor and director Sam Behrens, Shari lives near Simi Valley on a 6-acre hillside ranch.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (November 3, 2017) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will operate a special schedule during the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, Thursday, November 23 through Sunday, November 26. 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.

In addition, on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 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 8:30 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, slow-roasted prime rib 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://www.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 28, 2017) The winner of today’s 32^nd Annual Palm Springs Aerial Tram Road Challenge was JJ Santana who ran the “World’s Toughest 6K” in 29 minutes, 24 seconds. The first female to cross the finish line was Marina Orrson in 34 minutes, 09 seconds.  Austin Redwine, age 6, finished first in the youngest category (6 and under) and Anthony Silva, age 85, finished first in the oldest category (85-89).

This year’s Female and Male 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.

Over 1,200 runners and walkers participated in this year’s Tram Road Challenge, which, again, benefitted United Way of the Desert.

32^nd Annual Event Supports United Way of the Desert

PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 14, 2017) The 32^nd annual Palm Springs Aerial Tram Road Challenge will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2017 with a start time of 7:00 a.m. This 6K run/walk begins at the bottom of Tram Way and ends at the Tram’s Valley Station, an elevation gain of 2,643 feet in just 3.7 miles.

Special finishers’ medals will be presented to all participants along with a Cool Tech race shirt. Awards will be given three deep in each age category for both male and female finishers during a breakfast ceremony near the finish line immediately following the race. Cash awards ($100/$50/$25) will also be given for best costume—first, second and third place.

Proceeds from this event benefit United Way of the Desert.

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.

The Tramway’s road will be closed until (approximately) 9:30 a.m. on race day with the first tram scheduled for 10:00 a.m. This year, spectator shuttles will run from 5:30-6:00 a.m. from the Palm Springs Visitors Center (all spectators and participants will be directed to nearby parking lots.)

For more information or to register for the race, please call (760) 832-0497 or visit www.kleinclarksports.com.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (October 12, 2017) October 14 kicks off the fall series of the Mt. San Jacinto Natural History Association (NHA) in partnership with the Mt. San Jacinto State Park & Wilderness.

According to NHA President Joe Migliore, “Our first series last summer was so successful, it reinforced our belief that people really do want these types of nature experiences.”

The fall series features five unique and informative programs:

• Saturday, October 14 – “The Hubbub About Hubble,” presented by Allison Barnes, State Park Interpreter.
• Saturday, October 21 – “The Geologic Story of the San Jacinto Mountains,” presented by Allison Barnes, State Park Interpreter.
• Sunday, October 29 – “Birds of Another Feather,” with Kurt Leuschner, Ornithologist and Professor of Natural Resources at College of the Desert.
• Saturday, November 4 – “The Ten Essentials for Winter,” with Carl Maple, Senior Wilderness Patroller and members of the Hasty Search & Rescue Team.
• Saturday, November 18 – “Round Valley Discovery,” with Allison Barnes, State Park Interpreter and Carl Maple, Senior Wilderness Patroller.

There is no charge for any of these programs, except for regular Tramway admission.

For more information about the NHA fall programs or to register, please visit www.msjnha.org/events.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Commences Annual Tradition

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 28, 2017) It may still feel like summer, 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 falls 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 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!

Tramway Revised Reopening Date

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 26, 2017) Due to maintenance delays, the reopening date for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has been moved from Saturday, September 30 to Monday, October 2.

According to Vice President of Maintenance Nick Clesceri, “Testing of our new track counterweight ropes has taken longer than expected and there were weather-related delays in flying our helicopter for power line repairs, so—regrettably—our reopening has been delayed by two days.”

The first tram on Monday, October 2 will be at 10:00 a.m., with the ticket booths opening at 9:30 a.m.

September 10 Last Day to Ride Until September 30

PALM SPRINGS, CA (September 5, 2017) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will close for annual maintenance beginning Monday, September 11, 2017 with a tentative reopening date of Saturday, September 30 at 8:00 a.m.

“This year’s shut-down will provide an opportunity to replace bearings and cables, along with comprehensive mechanical and electrical testing on numerous tramway systems. Also, we will be performing repairs to the Mountain Station power line,” says Tramway Vice President of Maintenance Nicholas Clesceri. “This year’s scheduled projects are in addition to our regular tramway maintenance tasks that are completed during our annual shutdown period.”

Adds Tramway General Manager Nancy Nichols, “The tramway runs seven-days-a-week, year-round, so—while we regret the inconvenience our annual closure causes—this time allows us to complete projects we cannot do when we are open to the public.”

PALM SPRINGS, CA (August 16, 2017) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will operate extended holiday hours on Monday, September 4, 2017 in observance of Labor Day. That day, the first Tram up will be at 8:00 a.m., the last Tram up will be 8:00 p.m. and last Tram down will be at 9:45 p.m. Trams depart at least every 30 minutes.

The Tramway’s “Early Friday” program ends September 1 and the regular Friday schedule resumes September 8 with the first Tram up at 10:00 a.m.

Also, September 2 is the end of the Tramway’s “Summer Hours” on Fridays and Saturdays. Beginning Friday, September 8, the Tramway’s last car up daily will again be 8:00 p.m. and the last car down will be 9:45 p.m.

The Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness concludes the summer’s “Junior Ranger Days” on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3. These popular events led by Interpreter Allison Barnes are held at the base of the Mountain Station’s walkway from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and include such children’s activities as “Leave No Trace” games, “Spin the Wheel” information board and “Meet & Greet” with animal pelts.

Finally, the Tramway’s Summer Pass ends August 31, but the Annual Pass is still available for purchase either online (www.pstramway.com) or at the Tram’s Valley Station. The price is $160 for adults and $90 for children and includes 365 days of fun!

State Park to Conduct Viewing on August 2

PALM SPRINGS, CA (August 9, 2017) For Coachella Valley residents and visitors wishing to view the “Great American Solar Eclipse,” the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will open early on Monday, August 21. Ticket sales begin at 7:30 a.m. with the first tram car at 8:00 a.m. The eclipse begins at 9:00 a.m. and reaches its peak (approx. 60% coverage) at 10:25 a.m.

Under the supervision of Mount San Jacinto State Park Interpreter Allison Barnes, the program will take place on the viewing deck of the Tramway’s Mountain Station with the Park providing NASA-approved solar-viewing glasses (for the first 50 people) and a telescope with solar filter.

What better location to watch the solar eclipse than from the place closest to the Sun … the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway!