Adrenaline Adventures in BC

Most people know that British Columbia's mountains are great for skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, and snowboarding in the winter, and biking & hiking in the summer.  However, if skiing a triple black diamond run is old hat to you, perhaps heli-skiing would be more your pace. Heli-skiing and heli-boarding are available at many ski areas across British Columbia.  Basically, a helicopter transports a person to a remote, back-country area to ski or snowboard down the mountain free-style, with no courses, grooming machines, or pesky avalanche-warning signs to get in the way of the fun.  But what to do for excitement if your BC trip is scheduled for the summer months? Why, heli-biking of course––the same thing just described, only on a mountain bike with no fluffy snow between you and the ground. Or hit the trails with an exhilarating ATV off-road adventure for the ride of your life.

Perhaps you love adrenaline and speed but could do without the risk of tumbles, scrapes, broken bones and facial disfigurement.  Zip-lining and tree top adventures are the year-round solution!  Strapped snugly and safely into a harness, make your way through the canopy of old-growth forests and the downward scale of a towering mountain––up to hundreds of feet above ground––while navigating suspension bridges, unsteady (but assuredly safe) tightropes, waterfalls, zip-lines, and rope swings.  A zip-line, by the way, is a pulley suspended on cables mounted on a downward incline.  A person wears a harness which clips onto the cable, allowing them to "slide" across the cable…through an ancient forest, over a jagged ravine, deathly river, etc, with nothing but air between their feet and what lies beneath.  Speaking of harnesses and ravines, bungee Jumping is another popular pastime for adrenaline junkies here in BC.  Bungee Jumping, zip-lining and tree top adventures can be found on BC's mainland and mountain areas as well as on Vancouver Island.

Rock climbing is another activity which is very common in the Whistler/Squamish area, for example.  Amateurs and free-climbers (someone who climbs without ropes) have plenty of choices, from outdoor supervised "walls" to the abundant natural rock faces in mountainous areas.

Water Sports & Sky Adventures

White water rapids seem a waste to watch from the shore, why not experience them while engaging all the senses? See the terrifying waves roll hungrily past the tree-lined banks, taste the ice cold glacier water as it whips you in the face, hear the roar of the impending waterfall just out of sight, feel the boat as it bounces and tosses like a cork at the mercy of the river, smell the fear (or is it the damp life jacket) of the person sitting next to you, clinging to the raft for dear life. White water rafting tours are offered in numerous locations around BC, and often have several options to cater to various fear thresholds.  In coastal areas, look for parasailing, surfing, windsurfing, and paragliding (leaping off a cliff with what's essentially a giant kite strapped to your back).

Maybe you aren't satisfied with the vantage point that zip-lining, skiing, or parasailing offers. Maybe you eat 500-foot canyons for breakfast, so to speak. When all else fails, there's always skydiving, dropping 12,000 feet to get airplane style views without the stuffy air quality and restricted legroom.  Seasoned veterans can free-fall solo, but most people tandem-dive, which means jumping out of the plane with a staff member from the company who holds onto you and releases your parachute.

Whatever your desire for thrill is, there is probably a corresponding activity to cater to it here in BC; this article only serves as an introduction to the options  for high adrenaline adventure. Rest assured, if fear is your idea of fun, you're in for a great trip!

See more Things To Do in British Columbia.

Articles of interest:

• A Breath of Fresh Air: Exploring the great outdoors in British Columbia
• The Pursuit of Powdered Perfection: British Columbia, the mecca for powder hounds worldwide

By Deanna Ladret

Credits: Mountain biking in Vancouver Island courtesy Mount Washington Alpine Resort; Ziplining with Ziptrek Ecotours at Fitzsimmons Creek near Whistler courtesy Tourism BC/Toshi Kawano; Whitewater kayaking in the Skookumchuck Narrows near Egmont on the Sunshine Coast courtesy Tourism BC/Dannielle Haye.