A bungee jump for couples

   ADVENTURE AT CANADA'S WHISTLER RESORT FOR BUNGEE JUMPERS AND ZIPLINERS

In Whistler the vicarious thrill of watching bungee jumpers leap, tumble and sometimes even fly, spreading their arms in the manner of angels as they soared from unimaginable heights, drew us to Whistler Bungee's jumping platform in a gorge just ten minutes from town. There, between 90 metre tall trees and sky-scraping basalt cliffs, first time jumpers pay $120 to experience the ultimate thrill. I was not one of them – gladly using my recently replaced knee as an excuse.

When I later discovered that 'Whistler Bungee's' youngest jumper was a three-year old girl (encouraged by her parents) and the oldest, a 100 year old man celebrating his centennial, I felt a tinge of shame at my reluctance to ever accept such a challenge.


Zip lining in Whistler forest

 Later in the day, wandering along a series of swinging suspension bridges through the forest canopy, the occasional approaching zzzzzzzzz alerted us to the swift passage of a zip liner whizzing by on a similar journey to our own….only much faster. Their means for traversing the canopy was via cables stretching up to 600 metres through Cedar, Western Hemlock and Douglas fir.

From our lofty perch, an observation platform in the canopy of a temperate rainforest between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, we had a bird’s eye view 50 metres down to the forest floor below. In the valley the Fitzsimmons Creek rushes by. Hundreds of fallen trees, now ‘nurse logs’, provide a rich growing medium for young seedlings. Ferns in luxuriant clumps nestle against rotting logs that crumble in a shower of soft brilliant orange woodchips. “The bears love those logs. They’re swarming with grubs,” said Chris our guide.

Posted by Anne Gordon on Saturday, 6th November, 2010