|
|
|
Written by Knight Ridder
|
|
Wednesday, 03 May 2006 |
|
|
|
|
WHISTLER, British Columbia — Debbie and Talmadge McLean didn’t ski during their winter visit to this British Columbia resort.
Instead, they strapped themselves into body harnesses and hurtled along an 1,100-foot-long “zip line” — a steel cable suspended 10 stories above a rushing creek.
The company’s four zip lines — the 1,100-footer and three shorter ones — criss-cross a steep-walled, narrow valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains that’s edged with centuries-old trees to which the cables are anchored.
Visitors get heart-pounding rides — surging through the air at speeds up to 50 mph above the tumbling Fitzsimmons Creek — and learn a bit about old-growth forests from ecologically-minded young guides.
Zip lines have been popular for years in Costa Rica, taking tourists zooming through the tropical forest canopy. Now they’re cropping up at some North American ski areas, including Whistler and Park City, Utah.
I joined the McLeans and a handful of other visitors on a Ziptrek tour in February. The zip line course is less than a 10-minute drive from Whistler Village and the whole tour takes just 2 hours. But in the undeveloped, thickly forested valley, we felt far from the glitzy ski resort. 
At Carleton Lodge, two Ziptrek guides helped each of us don a helmet and safety harness that encircled the torso, from thighs to shoulders, much like those used by rock climbers.
A Ziptrek van shuttled us up past mountainside condos to a “snow cat” — like a big enclosed snowmobile — that clanked through the snowy woods to the Ziptrek course, which begins on the valley’s rim.
Boardwalks, twisting wood staircases and mini suspension bridges led through and up the massive spruce, cedar and fir to platforms high in the trees where the zip lines begin.
At one of the longest zip lines, which swoops diagonally across the narrow valley, the McLeans waited, grinning nervously. When their turns came, they breathed deeply before launching themselves into the air and swooping along the cable to land on a platform high in a tree on the other side.
I followed them, anxiously waiting as the guide attached my safety harness to the zip line’s pulley. I stepped forward to the unfenced edge, trying not to look down to the snowbank-edged Fitzsimmons Creek in the valley bottom, about 150 feet below. “When you’re ready,” said the guide. I screwed my eyes tight shut, stepped into space, and went flying through the air, yelping with fearful glee.
Besides my yelps, the only sound was the high-pitched whir of the pulley’s wheels as I surged along the cable, propelled faster and faster by gravity alone. Some people can reach speeds of 50 mph, says Ziptrek marketing manager Laura Gordon; I was probably closer to 35 mph since I’d occasionally fling my arms open in excitement, thus slowing myself with air resistance. The zip lines also are engineered to slow riders as they approach the other end; there’s an automatic braking system and the longer cables curve down to the middle then slant uphill. Plus there’s another guide at the far end to grab you and slow you down as you land.
As I swooped along the zip lines, I was half delighted and half terrified, with my heart pounding. It was more thrilling than a big roller-coaster, and the scenery, once I was brave enough to open my eyes, was breathtaking.
IF YOU GO:
HOURS, COST: Ziptrek is open daily year-round. It costs $98 Canadian (about $87 U.S.) for an adult, $78 Canadian (about $69.50 U.S.) for seniors and youths 14 and under. Advance reservations are recommended: 604-935-0001 or www.ziptrek.com There’s also a “Tree Trek” walk for those who’d like to see the area but not do the zip lines.
TRAVELERS’ TIPS:
Dress warmly in cold weather since you’ll be outside the whole time. Ski clothes work well.
The maximum weight of a person permitted on a zip line is 275 pounds. For children, the minimum weight is 70 pounds and the minimum age is 6; children who aren’t heavy enough can ride the zip lines in tandem with a guide.
This summer, Ziptrek plans to add two more lengthy zip lines that will whisk visitors all the way back to Whistler Village.
OTHER ZIP LINES:
Other zip lines in western North America include:
Park City, Utah: Utah Olympic Park zip line, www.utaholympicpark.com or 866-659-7275.
Ketchikan, Alaska: Alaska Canopy Adventures caters mainly to cruise-ship passengers but individuals can also go on its treetop zip lines : www.alaskacanopyadventures.com or 907.225.5503.
SPORTS/MUSIC FESTIVAL: Whistler hosts the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival on April 14-23, with professional skiing and snowboarding competition and an outdoor free music festival in Whistler Village, with 50 rock and hip-hop acts. See www.whistler2006.com
MORE INFORMATION
Tourism Whistler, www.tourismwhistler.com or phone 800-WHISTLER. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
