Release Your Inner Sasquatch This Summer
Longest zipline in Canada and USA now open
Whistler is well known for its adrenaline-inducing sports and activities, but few are as fast and accessible as Ziptrek’s Sasquatch tour. On a 2.1-kilometre set of cables linking Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, riders quickly reach speeds up to 130 kilometres per hour as they step off the start deck near Blackcomb’s Cat Skinner chairlift.
Ziptrek has a world-class reputation for blending its zipline experience with interpretive tours of Whistler’s ecosystems. The Sasquatch, however, was designed as a standalone gravity rush that takes zippers much higher above the floor of the Whistler valley.
It starts with an open-air ride up the Wizard Express chairlift from the base of Blackcomb Mountain. Guests meet their guide at the top of the chair and are kitted out with full-body harnesses and helmets before a quick van shuttle to the launch deck. Here the guide familiarizes guests with the cable trolley system and the braking procedure at the far side of the line, which is also handled by trained Ziptrek guides.
Those who have ridden Whistler Blackcomb’s Peak 2 Peak Gondola will know that the views while suspended between these two mountains is nothing short of spectacular. The Sasquatch gives you those same views in a brief but thrilling ride that lasts from 90 to 120 seconds. As you accelerate away from the platform, surrounding trees begin to blur as the high-pitched whine of the trolley wheels is drowned out by your own ecstatic screams. Shooting out into the expanse between the two mountains, the Fitzsimmons River gushes more than 180 metres below, the last landmark before you approach the landing tower on the far side of the valley. Riding the Sasquatch is a brief yet unforgettable sensory overload.
The other advantage of the Sasquatch is the length of the tour. If you have a busy day of activities planned, this exhilarating zipline takes just ninety minutes, leaving plenty of time to enjoy yourself on the mountains, in the valley and strolling through the village. But don’t expect much else to measure up to the speed, views and bragging rights of the Sasquatch. It’s only open for the summer months until early October, so don’t miss your chance to cross off one of the biggest must-do activities in Whistler. More at Ziptrek.com.