Ever since I can remember I have had a fear of heights with bridges always being the most difficult for me, I’m not really too sure why but I have just never had complete trust in them. I grew up in Bristol in the UK, which is famous for its suspension bridge, as a child I could just not get my head around how this impressive structure stayed up there & I guess that has followed me all the way through to adulthood. Zip trekking in Whistler, Canada is something that a couple of years ago I would have never imagined trying.
As I grew up & on my travels there just seem to be more & more bridges that I come across that I have (excuse the pun!) just had to cross. Some big, others small & rickety but for me equally as scary. The first trip Adam & I took together was to New York, we decided to cross the Brooklyn Bridge by foot whilst we were there with me clinging to him the whole way over! Despite all of this I am a firm believer of facing my fears, I have more or less conquered the bridge fear by pushing myself to get over them & have tried ziplining in the past but Ziptrek Ecotours Whistler was a whole new challenge for me. Their Eagle Tour complete with 5 zip lines, the longest at 2,400ft would be my longest to date but I was up for it, nerves & all I was determined to do this!
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Zip Trekking In Whistler
Getting Ready
Before our tour we were given all of the information from Ziptrek on what to expect, where to meet, what to wear etc. With it being early October we were advised to wrap up warm & meet in Whistler Village, in what turned out to be a beautiful morning with a fresh covering of snow up on on the mountains that surrounded us.All of that was the easy part, it was getting myself mentally ready that was a little trickier. I am fortunate to have Adam who is as cool as a cucumber so manages to calm me down without even doing much at all. I also reminded myself that although the initial push is always the most difficult, what follows after is always worth it & in this case it really was. After all zip trekking in Whistler is something pretty awesome to do!
The Zip Lining
The first zip line we took on that day was the longest & highest one of the course & was actually a dual zip line. It was truly magical when we reached the top, after being driven up we walked across the ridge of Whistler mountain & were greeted with the most spectacular views all around us.Our guides Frankie & Shaun were great in explaining exactly what was going to happen which helped to calm my nerves somewhat, that mixed with a bit of self talk before I took my first step off the zip wire meant that I was flying like an eagle above freshly snow-covered rain forest & oh my was it worth it! The feeling was just incredible & with each zip line I gained more & more confidence, by the last one I was even able to hold our Go Pro & film myself which may sound like nothing for some but for me was a pretty big achievement!
The Environment
The stunning scenery that we were so fortunate to experience this adventure in only added to the complete buzz of the whole thing. The rain forest that surrounds Whistler village is part of The Pacific Temperate Rain Forests Ecoregion & is the largest temperate rain forest ecoregion on the planet. Ziptrek Ecotours aim is to “deliver awareness & appreciation of the natural environment along with a healthy dose of ziplining adventure”. This was evident to us in the knowledge that our guides had of the environment that we were in as well as reading posts all around the course where you could stop & learn all about the old-growth rain forest that you were stood in. There are also plenty of platforms & suspension bridges to further enjoy the epic views.
The Wrong Way Round
Because life is better upside down, well not for me but for Adam it is! When we got to zip lines 2 & 3 there was the option to zip over the wrong way round. Adam jumped at the opportunity to do this, filming himself along the way, I chose to stay the right way round & continued to hold on tight!
You can watch more of our adventure zip trekking in Whistler here:
Back to Whistler
As if the Eagle Tour was not awesome enough it has the added bonus of starting & ending in Whistler village AND you end up zip trekking all the way back! For me it was a great feeling flying back into the village on the last zip line with that amazing sense of achievement that comes with actually doing something that really scares you.
We loved our morning with Ziptrek Ecotours it was spectacular flying over such an incredible landscape & is a must if visiting Whistler. Ziptrek
We hope you have enjoyed our zip trekking in Whistler post!
Happy Adventuring 🙂
Kelly & Adam x
Way to go facing your fears Kelly!! This is just magical, I love the snow on the trees! I need to visit Whistler, any time of year!
Thanks so much Cathy 🙂 You would honestly love the place any time of the year, even in the rain it is super beautiful!
Oh my goodness I think I would have a mini freak out if I went the “wrong way round” on the zip line! I am also a wee bit terrified of heights and I can’t explain why! Just something about it. This sounds like it was a great adventure. Can’t wait to read more about your adventures in Colombia!!!
Me too Jess, there’s no way I think I would ever be that brave! It’s so strange when you are scared of something but cannot pinpoint why. It was a great adventure, thanks so much for reading. We are looking forward to sharing our Colombia adventures with you 🙂
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Heading up to Whistler next weekend with some girlfriends. We talked about doing this exact Zipline adventure. Seeing these great pictures solidifies it for me, I’m in!
Oh that’s great Angelina, it will be completely snow covered by the time you head up there & will look even more beautiful than when we did it I am sure. Have a fantastic time in Whistler 🙂