Whistler
There’s ski-free fun aplenty for families in Canada, writes
“THIS is a very unusual tree. If you scratch the bark, it smells like bacon,” says one of our trekking guides. A member in our group leans in for a sniff. The guides burst out laughing and the tree-sniffer smiles sheepishly and rolls her eyes realising she’s been taken for a ride.
You can’t blame her, though. The guides have been giving us a great briefing on the oldgrowth forest we’ve been hiking through. Most of it, up until the bacon tree, has been a refreshing learning experience … I think.
Besides, the prank is soon forgotten as we strap in for the main event — zip-lining high above the trees in the stunningly beautiful valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains in British Columbia, Canada.
LEAP OF FAITH
The first step off the landing is the hardest. I’m standing on a wooden platform high up in the trees staring straight down the zipline that disappears behind a row of snow-dusted Douglas fir pines.
One of our two guides from Ziptrek Tours (ziptrek.com) has gone ahead to show us how it’s done, but it’s still nerve-racking when your harness is clipped in for the first time.
Then it’s time to push off, with the harness and line taking the full weight of your body as you hurtle through the forest letting gravity do its thing.
To my surprise, my nine-year-old son jumped (literally) at the chance to be the first. He was just big enough to do it on his own. I think my heart skipped a bit when he brushed some foliage as he disappeared through the trees on the very first run.
He was grinning ear-to-ear when we arrived at the other side and raring to get to the next launching point. Turns out, this was just a warm up, with every successive zip-line getting higher and longer.
HIGHER AND HIGHER
The final run — the highest and longest of the tour — is a dramatic crossing over Fitzsimmons Creek, which divides Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Falling snow is stinging my eyes and in that instant, I’m questioning my decision not to bring my goggles along.
I figured I didn’t want any hindrance to getting the full experience of the mountain view. My tinted snow goggles would have taken just that bit of shine off the experience. So here I am, feet dangling over a plunging valley while speeding down a zipline as precipitation is pelting my uncovered face — but I’m loving every second of it.
And the view of a pristine picture-perfect forest that looks like it jumped right out of the pages of a tourism brochure — or Instagram feed — was well worth it, even if I had to squint to see it. How pristine? There are lichens growing on the trees. As any fan of David Attenborough documentaries would know, lichens only grow in the most pristine environments.
We were instructed to keep our knees tucked up as high as possible to make sure we had enough speed to go the entire length. Slow down too much and you could end up getting stuck in the middle. Thankfully no one in our group did.
The hike is a highlight in itself, taking you through the treetops via purpose-built elevated walkways, suspension bridges and viewing platforms as high as 50m in the forest canopy.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Our next snow activity brings us much closer to the ground, but it’s no less exhilarating. We went from flying through the treetops to zipping along forest trails, exploring Whistler’s back-country on snowmobiles.
At one point, our guide from The Adventure Group (tagwhistler.com) stops and points to something just off the trail. We stop as well and scan the area he’s pointing at. It takes us a few seconds to spot the snow rabbit neatly camouflaged against the background.
I grab my camera just in time as the rabbit starts to bolt. To my surprise, it starts running towards us, which allows me to fire off a few shots before it disappears into the trees.
My wife and I were each piloting a snowmobile with a kid riding pillion. Deep snow covered everything in sight and parts of our tour veer off the main trail just so we could have the fun of ploughing through untouched powder that is deep enough to bury the snowmobiles if we weren’t careful.
The kids aren’t just relegated to the back seat the entire time, either. We stop at a clearing where there are child-sized snowmobiles prepped to go. Not being a part of the regular trail means that most of it was in fresh snow and I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous that they had all this deep powder to themselves. Needless to say, they we’re having a blast.
Having experienced Whistler Blackcomb’s alpine wilderness in two ways we’ve never tried before, it’s fair to say we left with a new appreciation for the magic of the mountains … bacon trees and all. NTNE01Z01MA - V1 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW