Zoom, zoom get ready for a treetop adrenalin rush

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This article was published 05/07/2014 (4312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Higher, faster, longer. Adventure seekers have a thrilling new zip-lining adventure at Tremblant, Quebec. One that allows participants to reach potential speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour and soar as high as a 25-storey building.

Speed fans take note: The 100 km/h rate is attainable only by the few, depending on height and weight and wind speed. And it only lasts for a few seconds. The ride is not at all scary, the literature says. You will be high above the treetops, overlooking Lac Tremblant and the Laurentian Mountains.

Currently, there are three zip lines operating down part of the mountain, but by the end of July there will be five zip lines that cover almost four kilometres, all the way from Tremblant’s summit to the pedestrian village at the mountain’s base.

Ziptrek Ecotours is a sensational zip-line circuit that starts with a ride up Tremblant’s scenic gondola in a group of six to 12 participants accompanied by three guides. Then, the adventurers start near the top of the Duncan Express and Soleil ski lifts and descend mostly on the Versant Soleil to the southside base. Participants strap into harnesses, hook up to cables and glide down zip lines, one after the other. The lines are double, one beside another, so two people will be going at about the same time.

It sounds like a scenic mountain cruise, but it’s more like a breathtaking flight with awesome panoramas — if you take the time to look while you are zooming down. Here are the facts: Two of the five zip lines are more than one kilometre long; they hover as high as 76 metres above the ground; and zippers can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (for a few seconds). There is an automatic brake at the end of each zip line, as well as attendants to help you unclip.

On a more pastoral note, the guides discuss the flora and fauna of the Laurentian landscape during the short hikes between zip lines. This new installation also has a green component: The infrastructures such as platforms were transported by helicopter to avoid excessive deforestation. And they are built of natural cedar and steel, without chemical preservatives or paint. Zip lining does not require fuel-operating vehicles — you’re strictly working on gravity — and the safety barriers on the towers use solar power.

This is Ziptrek Ecotours’ third installation, following previous sites in Whistler, B.C., and Queenstown in New Zealand.

 

For Details: www.tremblant.ca

Tickets are available at the Centre Aventure at the gondola’s base. Including the ride up Mont Tremblant by gondola, the complete three-hour, five zip-line circuit costs $119 for ages 15 and over; $99 for children seven to 14 (minimum weight 34 kilograms) and seniors, 65 and over.

–Postmedia Network Inc. 2014