Feeling the Winter Rush
Year-round Adrenaline Adventures
By Katherine Fawcett / Images by Joern Rohde
If adrenaline is your motivator, there’s no shortage of ways to get a fix on Whistler’s snowy trails and slopes. But have you ever tried launching from a dizzying height, soaring high above the treetops, whizzing faster than snowflakes, and feeling the crisp air whoosh by with the only sound of your breath and perhaps an excited scream? You’re not quite sure where it came from, but you had an unconscious need to let it out!
Ziplining and bungee jumping are exhilarating experiences that can be enjoyed year-round. In fact, many people who regularly participate in these gravity-fuelled activities swear that the winter months can be even more thrilling and sublime than the summertime.
“Winter is my favourite time,” said Graham Winslet, operations manager at Whistler Bungee. “When there’s snow on the trees, it’s stunning. But when it’s actually snowing, it’s so surreal…the snowflakes are rushing all around you. It’s like falling through stars. When you’re at the bottom it’s very still, then it goes hyperspace again when you bounce back up.”
Winslet explained that for the first few seconds standing on the edge of the bridge over the Cheakamus River, guests may wonder what the heck they’re doing up there. “Our jumpmasters are good at calming people down, encouraging them, reassuring them and making them feel ready.” When they’re ready, gravity takes over. Guests have the option of falling forwards or backwards, but Winslet said people are encouraged to jump forward so they can experience the exhilaration of the river rushing toward them. Winslet admits it can be a bit chilly, but says if people dress for the weather, it's not a problem.
Whistler Bungee launches from a bridge over the Cheakamus River. The bridge is about three kilometres (1.86 miles) from Highway 99 along the Cal-Cheak Forest Service Road, 20 minutes south of Whistler. Limited shuttle service is offered on Wednesdays and weekends and is $20 per person, round-trip.
Guests are encouraged to explore the surrounding area on foot. Brandywine Falls is approximately a 30-minute walk on an unmaintained winter hiking trail and is a spectacular site to see.
Ziptrek Ecotours, founded in Whistler in 2002, offers thrilling year-round ziplining experiences. The Eagle Tour includes five spectacular ziplines and four treetop bridges. Guests on this tour disembark at Olympic Station from the Whistler Mountain Gondola to start the descent over the Fitzsimmons Valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, with scenic views from glaciers to rivers to mountains.
The first line, 732 metres (2,400 feet) long, a dual line (so you can race your friend or partner) with a 30-storey descent, can be nerve-wracking, said Simon Moffatt, North American marketing manager. When you’re ready to launch, “you take three steps, sit into your harness, lift your feet, and you just go. You’re moving,” said Moffat.
At the end of each line, a guide will help guests onto the sky-high viewing platforms and talk about some of the interesting ecological facts about the area. Then, it’s an easy walk along a treetop-view suspension bridge in an old-growth rainforest to the next platform.
And if it's snowing? “It’s quite cool to do it in the snow,” Moffatt said. “The snow makes it feel like you're in a Star Wars movie.”
For guests looking for something to do between the time the lifts close and suppertime, Moffatt highly recommends the Winter Après Tour. It’s a thrilling outdoor après adventure. “[As you zip] you can watch the sun set in the trees and the purple-and-pink alpenglow on the mountaintops,” Moffatt said.
“I love the second-last line on this tour. It’s our third longest and one of the fastest lines, and you zip this with the headlamp. The course is lit up. It’s very peaceful, as you lose a bit of the concept of speed because it’s so dark and still.”