The Resort offered a guided “Hawk Excursion” on the third and fourth spans of the Zip Line with a total of 1224 metres (4,015 feet) of cable. It was an exciting launch, said Mark Fischer, Executive Vice-President of Pacific Group Resorts Inc. “We’re looking forward to next summer,” he said. “The B.C. Safety Authority has signed off on the whole ride, from the top to the bottom. It’s going to be a big, big ride.”
When the Zip Line is complete, it will include four spans with two side-by-side cables. The total length will be 2313 metres (7,589 feet) long and will drop a stomach-lurching 415 metres (1,364 feet). The four segments include short scenic walks in between each span.
The braking technology of the Eagle’s Flight Ziptour allows for cable spans that are longer, steeper and more dramatic than a typical zip line canopy tour.
Guests will be able to control their speed of descent dynamically – giving them the ability to open the throttle for the thrills, or ease back to take in the views. The system provides guests with a full mountain exploration tour, top to bottom, in less than two hours depending on the size of the tour group. “You step off that top platform into 30 metres of air and you’re going to end up 60 to 70 metres in the air on the first span. We’ve had people hit 100 kilometres an hour.”
Although not the first zip line on Vancouver Island, Mount Washington’s four-part Ziptour will be the longest at 2.3 kilometres.
It’s also another big step toward offering a four-season Destination Resort. “The Ziptour will make it possible for everyone to experience the beauty and excitement of Mount Washington’s terrain, whether you are an expert skier or not,” says Resort General Manager Dean Prentice. “We are advancing towards our goal of becoming a true year-round Destination Resort. In 2016 we re-opened our lift-accessed Bike Park in which we have witnessed huge visitation growth.
Continuing the expansion trend… the Mount Washington Ziptour is the largest single capital investment into our summer operations in the Resort’s history.
The course spans a large area of the Resort’s property, starting at the top of the Eagle Express Chairlift. It will travel from one summit to the next, sending guests zipping high over the gorge to Little Mount Washington. It then works its way down the Hawk Chairlift side, ending on top of the Ziptour Centre across from the Alpine Lodge.
The run also features side-by-side cables, so people can run together – even racing each other down the course. People sitting in the Courtyard Patio will be able to watch the action as people zip down the final run.