ZIPLINE ABOVE THE TREES
Hiking is fine, but the fastest way to get down a mountain is by zipline, writes P.K. Stowers.
Originally built by the local volunteer fire brigade as a training facility, Vancouver Island’s Adrena-LINE zipline offers a way to enjoy British Columbia’s majestic great outdoors with a few thrills thrown in.
Located 35 minutes west from Victoria, Vancouver Island’s largest city, Adrena-LINE is set on 40ha of preserved temperate rain forest. Our guides up and down the mountain today are Stephanie and Meaghan — two 20-somethings who clearly enjoy their work. They delight in joking around with each other and also using humour to try and relax some of the more nervous members of our party.
“If you have anything in your pockets that is important to you — such as your keys, wallet or phone — make sure it is tucked away securely,” says Meaghan, who has bright purple hair. “Because once we start, all going well nobody touches the ground for over an hour, and recovering lost items is a real hassle and often not even possible.”
With this in mind, my camera choice for the day seems like a good one — a small palmsized unit that takes pretty good shots and video. My colleague however has a large professional unit with an enormous lens. He looks at me and shrugs, resigned to managing the best he can in order to get some great photos.
From start to finish it takes around 90-120 minutes to get back to base — depending on how many people in your group. The maximum is 10 plus two guides, but today we have only seven and it is fine and clear so we should make good time. “I remember once a group of commercial fishermen had booked a session and it was pouring with rain the whole day. So they arrived dressed in their wet weather work gear and said it was a great chance to get it all clean,” says Meaghan, laughing. Following a safety briefing, and a short training zipline, we walk up to our ride to the top of the mountain. It’s an old army Unimog personal transporter, affectionately known as The Mog. The drive up is bumpy and steep in parts, but the 10-minute ride passes without incident. As we ascend we can look up in the trees and see the wires and platforms far above.
At the top, one by one we climb a short, but steep suspension bridge to the first raised platform. One young Indian woman named Maria seems especially anxious and struggles with the rope bridge — making me wonder how she will handle the rest of the course. Everyone is wearing helmets and a safety harnesses, and if you follow the guides’ instructions then falling off the wire is practically impossible. You can even go hands-free if you want. However, you are often up to 50m in the air, so those with a fear of heights may wish to look elsewhere for thrills.
The Adrena-LINE course consists of seven ziplines, which range in length from 60m-300m. The first five are strung between platforms built around sturdy Douglas firs and cedars. I feel comfortable enough flying through the trees that I film the first few, and then try out a few of the tricks Meaghan and Stephanie show us — such holding on with one hand and turning upside down. Even nervous Maria seems to be getting the hang of ziplining, and apart from a very slow and anxious crossing of a long suspension bridge, is doing very well. I don’t however, expect to see her swinging upside down anytime soon.
The longest section is in the middle of the course and known as “18th mile”. This is my favourite part as you really are a long way above the forest below and you have a spectacular view during your journey. The wind picks up here for me, and when I stuck my legs out the breeze catches them and twirls me around like a top. Great fun.
Seasoned thrillseekers may find the Adrena-LINE course a little tame for their tastes, as you never really build up a lot of speed. However for those just looking for a fun couple of hours enjoying the Canadian great outdoors, there is certainly a lot of fun to be had here — as long as you can keep hold of your car keys.