We could buy snapshots of ourselves when (if?) we got back down to Whistler Village, said Jodi Dodd, who comes from Guelph. "Remember to smile and wave for the camera."

Right.

Flash forward about an hour or so and here we are at the kiosk. There are the four young women from Surrey B.C., all grinning and mugging for the camera. There are the three guys and a gal from Sydney, Australia, again all smiles.

There there's this grim-faced older guy, white face creased in frowns and hanging on for dear life.

That would be me.

"We're off to do bungee jumping now," one of the Surrey women tells me. Ah, youth.

Ziptrekking involves putting on a helmet, stepping into an intricate, full body harness, tightening all the straps, then being hooked onto a wire line and plummeting 300 metres or more down through the treetops. And praying.

"The rides last about 20 to 30 seconds and you will reach speeds as fast as 50 kilometres an hour," Jodi told us.

There was a short training session at the foot of the mountain before we all piled into a four-wheel-drive van to head up the mountain.

You actually being on the Blackcomb side, clambering up a series of walkways and suspension bridges to platforms attached to soaring Douglas firs and Western hemlocks.

Throughout the afternoon, our instructors -- Jodi and Mark -- give a series of talks about the complex ecosystem of the rain forest, and the animals and plants that it supports. It's interesting stuff.

"People usually react very well to these talks although there are occasionally a few people who want to get on with it," Jodi told me later.

Then it's time to take the plunge -- literally. You step off into the abyss, sitting back on your harness. The wind whistles by you as you pick up speed. As you arrive at the next platform, the guides apply brakes. It's over . . . until the next one.

In the course of about two hours and 30 minutes, you zigzag from mountainside to mountainside, flying up to 24 metres over Fitzsimmons Creek at the bottom of the spectacular valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. It's a kick. It really is.

And so to the last of te five lines. It's the shortest, bt there's a catch: you are expected to do it upside down. "Just lean backward and swing your legs up. Gravity will do the rest," says Mark.

Maybe next time.

Ziptrek has just opened a second set of five lines, ranging from 122 metres to a 610-metre monter that drops more than 20 storeys and crosses the creek five times. Gulp.

Ziptrek now claims "the longest, highest and fastest ziplines in North America. We have only had this tour open for a few weeks and it's already a hit for adrenaline junkies and those who have zipped before," says Ziptrek's Laura Downs.

Whistler of course, is one of the world's finest skiing resorts and will share the 2010 Winter Olypics with Vancouver, two hours away by car. But there's a host of summer activities here, too, offering something for all tastes. 

There's mountain-mike riding with more than 160 kilometres of single trails and 80 kilometres of double track trails. If water is your thing, there are rafting, canoeing and kayaking expediations. if you are a walker, there are hikes galore.

And with four top-flight gold courses within easy reach, this is a golding nirvana.

The Toronto Star, August 12 2006