GET YOUR THRILLS - A Whistler Bucket List
Story by Dee Raffo
Photo Joern Rohde
Whistler is home to adventures that can get the heart pumping — whether that’s because you’re looking out over 360-degree views of the Coast Mountains as you fly high over ancient glaciers in a helicopter, running your hand along diamond-like ice inside a remote ice cave, breathing in the scent of alpine wildflowers, ziplining between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains on the longest zipline in North America, or plunging headfirst from a bridge toward the rushing Cheakamus River on the end of a bungee cord.
The bucket list experiences available in Whistler are as diverse as the things that get your blood rushing, and they’re all at your fingertips when you visit the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Fly the Skies
Let the thumping of the helicopter blades match those in your chest as you take flight and soar high over the mountains. Lush evergreens that tower above you when you’re on two feet drop away as you ascend. No Limits Heli Adventures offers some incredible summer tours to ice caves, hot springs and secluded alpine lakes and huts; the hard part is choosing which one to do.
Their Volcano & Ice Cave Adventure takes you on a 75-minute scenic flight to observe a sleeping giant. The ancient Mount Meager volcano, called Qwe̓ lqwe̓ lústen (cooked face place) in Ucwalmícwts, the language of the Líl̓wat First Nation, stands 2,680 metres (8,793 feet) high and sometimes sends steamy plumes into the sky. Then, guests soar above ancient glaciers to a landing spot, where a highly trained guide takes you into tunnels of azure blue ice, which open up to caves with cathedral-like, vaulted ceilings. Crystalline ice formations look like they’ve been sculpted — and they have, by Mother Nature and time (12,000 to 20,000 years).
The Heli & Boat Excursion to Princess Louisa Inlet starts with a scenic flight to this magical fjord famous for its waterfalls, which carry water from the melting snowpack and cascade into the inlet. Your flight continues to a remote, high-elevation lake for a gourmet picnic lunch, then takes off for your excursion to Princess Louisa Inlet. The gorge rises from the water’s edge to dizzying heights of 2,100 metres (6,890 feet) and the inlet is only accessible by air or boat. Once at the boat dock, you board a cruise on the abundant waters of the inlet, where you might spot a seal, a dolphin, or even a whale. Followed by a rainforest walk amongst ancient cedar trees, this is a trifecta tour teeming with natural beauty.
778-820-8888 | nolimits-helicopters.com/en
Photo Joern Rohde
Images Courtesy No Limits
Photo Joern Rohde
Launch into a Monstrous Adventure
Ziptrek Ecotours’s The Sasquatch® tour is a beast. The zipline spans more than two kilometres (7,000 feet) from Blackcomb Mountain to Whistler Mountain and is the longest zipline in North America. You ascend via the Blackcomb Gondola from the Upper Village to the Rendezvous Lodge, then you’re driven down to the launch platform. And yes, the right word is launch.
The 27-degree angle of the zipline will take your breath away as you step off the platform into thin air. Then, whoosh! You’re flying at speeds of more than 100 km (62 miles) per hour, 183 metres (600 feet) above the valley floor. It might sound counter-intuitive, but as you fly through the air feeling weightless, there’s a moment when you catch your breath — it’s you and the mountains, and it feels wild, beautiful and thrilling, all at the same time. You might surprise yourself with a few primal whoops that sneak free because this experience feels fierce. After all, it is called The Sasquatch®.
This zipline tour takes around 1.5 hours, and you finish on Whistler Mountain, travelling back down to the Village via the Whistler Village Gondola. I suggest an après plan with friends because you’ll need to unpack what you just experienced. You can also bundle this line with their other tours if you feel the need to build up to this mammoth! Unlike their other tours, which run year-round, The Sasquatch® is only available in the summer, so take an adventure of a lifetime and get yourself a monster!
1-866-935-0001 | whistler.ziptrek.com
Images Courtesy Whistler Bungee
Take an Adrenaline-Fuelled Plunge
Dive 50 metres (160 feet) into a river valley cut by ancient glaciers. Whistler Bungee is consistently voted the most extreme activity in Whistler by locals and has a five-star rating on TripAdvisor. Words like exhilarating, thrilling, breathtaking and amazing are found in abundance in the hundreds of reviews.
With your feet poking over the edge of a bridge, the glacier-fed Cheakamus River churning below, and your brain telling you not to move, you’ll be gently coaxed (if you need it) by a staff member who has checked your harness three times already. They’ve been sending people over the edge for 22 years, and judging by the reviews, it’s worth the wobbles.
It’s hard to beat Whistler Bungee’s location. You’re surrounded by unique, hexagon-shaped basalt column cliffs, lush old-growth forests, and the iconic Black Tusk (T'ákt'akmúten tl'a Ín7inyáx̱a7en, “Landing Place of the Thunderbird” in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) language), which towers in the background.
You can jump feet first, backward, take a swan dive, do a flip and even go tandem. The choice is yours when throwing yourself off a bridge at one of the world's most scenic bungee jumping locations.
604-938-9333 | whistlerbungee.com
These experiences perhaps only scratch the surface of the thrill-based adventures available in Whistler, but all should be on your bucket list!