Zip-Lining -- One of Whistler's newest thrills is the year-round steel zip-line rides offered by Ziptrek Ecotours (tel. 866/935-0001 or 604/935-0001; www.ziptrek.com). Zip-lining involves gliding along a suspended steel cable using a pulley and climbing harness at speeds up to 88kmph (55 mph). Guided tours include five zip-line rides that range in height and length from 24 to 335m (80-1,100 ft.), spanning 11 hectares (33 acres) in the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, an area of untouched coastal temperate rainforest.
Beginning in 2006, Ziptrek will add two additional zip lines down the valley between Blackcomb and Whistler mountains, taking zippers from the current course in the rainforest all the way back to Whistler Village. The first of the two new lines is 609m (2,000 ft.) long and about 61m (200 ft.) above Fitzsimmons Creek. The last line is 305m (1,000 ft.) long, joined between two five-story wooden towers.
Tickets for the five-line tour are C$98 (US$78) adult, C$78 (US$62) senior and youth 14 and under. For those not up to zip-lining, Ziptrek also offers TreeTrek, a network of boardwalks, aerial stairways, and bridges at heights of over 24m (80 ft.) in the tree canopy. Tickets are C$39 (US$31) adult and C$29 (US$23) senior and youth 14 and under. Check the website for prices on extended tours.
