Downhill, climbing, horse riding, rafting, zip line
Canada
Downhill at Whistler BC
Climbing
Horse riding
Rafting
Zip Line
Downhill at Whistler BC
Location: Whistler, BC, Canada
Whistler is the best place for all the mountain bikers riders. Downhill, dirt, freeride, skatepark with a soft landings – it is all there. The jumps provide so much flow that even on a first day you feel like you’re one with your bike on them. Great building skills put into your final experience. I have only managed to ride just a few lines with primarily ‘Crank it’ up and ‘A line’ being my goals on the first day. Even on those two I could feel what Whistler is about. Trails are from beginner to compete expert but it is also very easy to progress due to very good shape and condition of the surface.
‘A line ‘ I would definitely recommend to higher intermediate and experienced riders. The jumps are big but the flow is unbelievable. Believe me this is the place you always wanted to ride. The jumps are made in a way that you just start whippin’ it so naturally …. when I was a kid I could only see it in TV. The mountain biking scene was getting born and I did not believe it will be given to me to visit this place but eventually it happened as dreams became plans and plans changed to reality.
‘A line’ has a lot of different jumps such as doubles, tables, step ups and drops that are extremely ‘flowy’ and fast. All the features makes it an incredible ride with a huge wallride and jump near the bottom of the run where you can read a text message during the air time. Unbelievable experience.
Whistler Bike Park has a lot of runs that you could see on TV or on many MTB movies not to mention Red Bull Joyride as a part of Crankworx Whistler. Whistler belongs to one of only three places that managed to host the Crankworx World Tour beside Innsbruck, Austria and Rotorua, New Zealand.
Take a look on the two helmet cams from my runs at Whistler Bike Park and see for yourself. ‘A line’ and ‘Crank it up’ videos above and further down.
Whistler is at the moment my best place on the planet for riders although I haven’t visited New Zealand yet … When I think about Whistler Bike Park I feel like most my best riding memories come from there.
Crank it up track is good for the beginners and intermediate riders or just for a worm up runs before going to A line as also have a good size but smaller jumps that can be rollable. A fun track with some ladders and twists. Interesting as there are several features on the way that make the track more exciting such as ladder bend or narrower twists but also very fast sections that make you fly close to the trees.
More information about Downhill at Whistler Bike Park on:
https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/whistler-mountain-bike-park/whistler-mountain-bike-park.aspx
Climbing and Horse Riding
Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada
Climbing in Canada is well fun especially in Canadian Rockies, There are a lot of places for climbers in Canada but we have decided to choose Banff as we have been accompanied by our local friends. It s hard to determine how tough and difficult it is as you have different grades for different routes. Summarizing for an experienced climber it will be a heaven and the highest difficulty and for me it was easy as I have chosen the low difficulty routes. It was a good experience and perfect active day during the trip.
Canadian Rockies offer a vast amount of different climbing routes in many locations so best way is to buy a professional guide book that explains the difficulty and length of the routes. Also you will have good tips on how to get to the various places in The Rockies.
The surroundings are just perfect as you can grasp fresh air and watch the beautiful mountains and crystal clear lakes… unforgettable.
More information on guide books and popular search engines.
Location: Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
It is definitely a very good way of sightseeing in Canada. You can get to the places that you wouldn’t get by car or public transport and it is definitely more quiet than a motocross bike.
It was actually my first time that I have tried horse riding or horseback riding as it is called in Northern America. I was regretting a decision to get a 3 hour ride as for the novice a horror starts after an hour or less even the beautiful views did not ease off the pain in my joints, especially knees. Fortunately for me they had a special stands to get on and off that helped the horse to get rid of my helpless body.
Location: Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
When the pain was bearable after 5 or 10 minutes I definitely agreed with everyone that it was worth it. There are many places you can choose so I encourage you to try an ecologically friendly way of sightseeing the remote areas of Canadian Nationl Parks.
Prices and more information are available on any search engine.
Horse riding: www.trailridevacations.com/
Rafting and Zip Line
Wild Water Rafting
Location: Kicking HorseRiver, BC, Canada
I have done rafting in a few places around the world and this one caught my attention due to 4th and 5th grade river rapids. Rivers are graded from 1 to 6 where 6 is the highest grade and very challenging and just for very experienced rafters and kayakers.
You can choose a different options but go for the ‘Maximum Horsepower’ (not for families with smaller children). It has a lot to offer but it is not just an ordinary rafting as it is a Kicking Horse river and it kicks for sure.
River offers a lot of extreme attractions and you can be 1 meter higher than your mate at the front of the raft. You will end up completely covered with water many times like on the picture where you cannot see at least 3 people. This was definitely the best rafting ever.
Interactions with other participants and also with the rowing captain was flawless and amazing. Our captain was very opened and straight forward with a hint of craziness so it was a pleasure to participate in the action.
More information about Wild Water Rafting available on: https://wildwater.com
Zip Line: Whistler, BC
Location: Whistler, BC, Canada
My best zip line adventure for sure as it offers a total of 4 dual zip lines so you and your mate or partner can be by your side for more comfort or just fooling around. The first zip line seems the scariest as you can achieve 100 km/h and the wire is spread between two mountains so you are very high up over the valley that spreads between the start and finish points. Adrenaline rises just before the start but then in seconds you have the epic view of the valley going fast and furious.
The 4 zip lines are also different from each other so you get an ultimate taste of what the zip lining is about. First one is about the epic scenery and adrenaline boost because of the height and speed reaching 100 km/h. Second is a proximity flying so close to the trees where you can feel the speed. Third is about an instant acceleration and steep descent towards the end with a huge clash with a breaking system at the bottom. Eventually the fourth where you can be close to your partner flying parallel for the photo shoot. Perfect for your Insta story 😉
More information about Wild Water Rafting available on: https://superflyziplines.com
Driving around Canada is very easy and cars are usually idiot proof automatics. When driving around remote areas beware of animals. Depends where you go but outside of main cities the roads are not so busy and sometimes we couldn’t see any cars for 15 to 30 min. Careful on long hills as the breaks might overheat so it is best to pull over and wait some time if you feel like your stopping distance increase. I had to pull over and had to use a hand brake to stop the car rolling.
Accomodation is very expensive in Banff and Jasper National Parks and has to be booked way in advance if you want a good deal. There are many search engines and I have used Booking or Airbnb in Canada.
Emerald Lake
Lake Louise
Lake Louise
Banff
Banff
Lake Louise
BC
Lions Gate Bridge
Chinese Gardens
Steam clock
Vancouver Harbour
Vancouver Harbour
Lions Gate Bridge
Chinese Gardens
Chinese New Year
Capillano Suspension Bridge
Vancouver Harbour
