Whistler on the Fly

I was staring straight down from almost 60 metres above ground, with Fitzsimmon's Creek awash beneath me. Wind ripped over my body as I careened at speeds unknown across the gap, dangling upside-down from a cable-and-pulley system. I rotated my body back upright to the way I had started this trek, seconds before I cam to an abrupt halt at the end of the 300-plus-metre cable. I want to go again, please.

The Setup
Imagine if someone built a series of platforms in towering old growth Douglas fir and hemlock trees. Imagine now if the same person connected these platforms to one another with cables, some stretching 335 metres long and hanging 60 metres above the rocks. Then imagine hooking yourself to these cables with a pulley and flying from platform to platform at speeds approachign 60 km/h. Thats ZipTrek Ecotours, one of the newest outdoor adventures at Whistler/Blackcomb.

At the ZipTrek area, a few kilometres into the bush from Whistler Village, the platforms from which you launch are a 10-year-old's dream -- like a series of massive tree forts, suspended at heights your mom would never let you climb to as a kid. They shake as ou move about, and some of your more height-conscious friends shake in unison. Cedar, fir and pine boughs fill the air with their aroma, rich with oxygen and crisp to inhale. 

The Zip 

Launching from a platform deep within the old-growth, the first of the four cables takes you through a series of tall trees, close enough to seemingly grab as you pass by and pick up speed, twisiting helplessly in the wind. Then you explode out over the open canyon -- realizing just how high 40 metres really is -- and the view is breathtaking. Wind fills your ears, the creek rushes underneath and besides the birds, the hollering of your buddies and your own beating heart, all that you hear is the zipping of metal trolley on firm cable. The calm enjoy the view, the others are distinguishable by their screams.

Out of the four cables, though, the best is number three -- 335 metres long and steeper than any before it. I hadn't been scared at all, but being 60 metres above rocks caused me to think -- if only briefly -- about falling. The illustion of danger was a convincing one -- and that's where ZipTrek shines.

What I loved about the harness system is the range of motion it allowed. Right off the bat, you can throw your weight backwards and get inverted, staring staright down into the rocks below. Or you can twist around backwards, or just sit tight and hold on for dear life -- if that's your thing.

When I was young, I spent too much time on rope swings, hand-made trolleys and ready-to-topple tree forts. ZipTrek was a catharsis for me, the reliving of a dream I had from my childhood -- this is the setup I always wanted to build, but could never come close to pulling off.

I swore, at one time during the trek, that I even heard my mom calling me home for dinner.

Pacific Costal InFlight Magazine, Ed Buchanan, June/July 2005