By Keith and Heather Nicol
We had heard
some great things about the new monster zipline at Mount Washington and so on
Monday August 17 we decided to try it out. The full zipline is new this year
and opened for its first riders in late June. Our group of nine started
our 3:30 pm tour with an orientation video, getting fitted with harnesses and
then heading outside to try the test zipline near the Mountain Washington base
lodge. We had 2 excellent guides, Rico
and Cary who patiently told us how to use the control handle to slow down,
speed up and stop while on the zipline cable.
Although we have been on many ziplines across Canada this was the first
one we had been on that allowed us to control our speed which is a real bonus.
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| Taking flight on "The Abyss" as you zip 275 feet above the ground ! |
We then rode the
Eagle chair lift to the top of the mountain where the view is fabulous and the
zip tour starts. Rico told us to keep
our eyes out for marmots on the way up and sure enough about ½ up we spotted
one perched on a rock. The Vancouver Island marmots are endangered and some
estimates put their numbers at just a couple of hundred individuals. This was
the first Vancouver Island marmot we have ever seen so we took that as a good
omen for the tour ahead.
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| Heather launching on "Cascade" with cliffs of Mt Washington behind |
We were blessed
with a clear blue sky and at the top we could see north to Campbell River and
east to the Salish Sea and the Comox Valley and then both south and west to Strathcona Park and
its rugged mountains. A few steps from
the chairlift summit took us to the first zip platform which is appropriately
called “The Abyss" . It is 1800 feet long and has a grade of 17% which looks
plenty steep! There are 2 parallel ziplines so you can race your partner if you
like and in no time it was our turn to take flight. The guides would review how
to control our speed and pointed out a distant marker on the ground that was
our slow down point so that we would come to the arrival platform under
control. “3, 2, 1, Go” shouted Cary and
we were off flying down the cable. Below us the ground speeded by and we took
in the view as we flew along. We then eased into the platform and were lowered
down to the deck before proceeding to the next stage.
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| Enroute to the Hawk Chair with the lakes, forest and mountains of Stathcona Park behind |
The second zip,
called “Cascade”, is 1653 feet long and has a grade of 14% and its arrival
platform is near the Hawk Chairlift. As we zipped along we could see mountain
bikers below us and the Comox Glacier loomed in the distance. The third zipline (“Holy Hawk”) is the
shortest but steepest (24%) and is evidently the fan favourite according to
Rico. “Some clients have been clocked at close to 100 km/hr” he told us “so it
is important that you hit the brakes at the orange marker”. The final zipline
is the longest at 2372 feet and it has a respectable 18% grade so you can fly
on this one as well. “If you are racing your buddy you can tuck yourself into a
ball to go faster “, he told some of the teenagers in our group. This zipline
brings you back to the starting point and is appropriately called the “Runway”
since you fly over the Eagle Chairlift and the outdoor patio, landing on a part
of the roof of the main alpine
lodge. We finished up at 6:45 pm and the
lowering sun made for great photography.
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| Skimming over the ground on the final zipline with the Comox Glacier behind |
Mount Washington
does a good job of respecting Covid 19 rules so be sure to bring a face mask .
You don’t have to wear it all the time but it is needed when the guides are
clipping you in and when you can’t social distance properly. There is still time this summer to “take
flight” and the long term weather forecast for the next 2 weeks is looking
great. The zipline is open daily until September 7 and then Fridays – Sundays
until October 11. The minimum age is 10 years and we were told that people in
their 80’s have chosen this as a ‘bucket list’ experience . We fully recommend
this new Mount Washington adventure but you need to book in advance since it
has become very popular. Thanks to Rico and Cary for a great time. For more
information see https://www.mountwashington.ca/
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| Arriving on "Runway" to the Mt Washington Lodge |
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