The former Aucklander joined the company as a gondola operator in 1987 — at the time the company was still running the original, multicoloured ‘‘bubble’’ cabins, which had been installed two decades earlier.
That September, the existing Doppelmar cabins were installed. Skyline intends to replace those with 10-seaters early in 2020.
Mr Glanfield, who is now in his mid-50s, believed he would still be there to "see the new gondolas in".
He was one of only two operators when he joined the company. Until more staff came on board, his job included selling tickets, loading freight and running the gondolas.
"I’m quite happy just doing this job because I’ve got that contact with people [at the bottom terminal] and at the top I’ve got the view."
His work day involves him splitting his shifts between the top and bottom terminal, reversing the order the next day he works.
Mr Glanfield was also well-known for keeping a logbook containing important data he had collected.
With that same meticulous eye, he noted in about 300 days it will be one billion seconds since he started his job.
• Skyline Queenstown celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
- Philip Chandler
