I miss the old Lionshead Gondie. 22 minutes to the top if it didn't stop. I never tried during the winter, but they ran it in the summer too. 22 minutes is doable in the summer, but we were having fun. We didn't get out at the top and just went back down. I vividly remember a dad heading up the Gondola, trying to cover his kids' eyes as we went by. The pole in the center of the car was perfect for leverage :-)
You could also open the door from the inside with a ski pole if you wanted to improve the view. Unfortunately this WAS a firing offense.