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Mt. Washington to open ZipTour

Multi-stage zipline is largest summer investment in resort’s history
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Foundations are in place for Mt. Washington’s new $3.5 million ZipTour. Photo by Mt. Washington staff

Mt. Washington plans to install a $3.5 million multi-stage ZipTour.

The longest on Vancouver Island, the 2.3-kilometre, four-part attraction will enhance the resort’s famous alpine-to-ocean views by adding the thrill of a 415-metre vertical descent.

“The ZipTour will make it possible for everyone to experience the beauty and excitement of Mt. Washington’s terrain, whether you are an expert skier or not,” said Dean Prentice, general manager at Mt. Washington. “We are advancing towards our goal of becoming a true year-round destination resort. In 2016, we reopened our lift-accessed Bike Park in which we have witnessed huge visitation growth. Continuing that expansion trend, we are excited to announce the Mt. Washington ZipTour is the largest single capital investment into our summer operations in the resort’s history.”

The Mt. Washington ZipTour is a multi-stage course where guests can explore the resort’s terrain via four zipline segments that include short scenic walks in between each. The braking technology of the ZipTour allows for cable spans that are longer, steeper and more dramatic than a typical zipline canopy tour. This system provides guests with a full mountain exploration tour, top to bottom, in less than two hours.

“Crews are pouring foundations as we speak,” said director of operations, George Trousdell. “The project is a huge undertaking. The course will span a large part of the property; starting right at the top of the Eagle Chair, it will travel from one summit to the next, sending guests zipping high over the gorge to Little Mt. Washington. The tour then works its way down the Hawk side, finally ending on the top of the Rossignol Learning Centre - a thrilling entrance for everyone below to watch.”

The ZipTour gives guests the ability to control their speed of decent dynamically – meaning the guest can decide when to open up the throttle for thrills or to ease back to take in the views. The tour is also a shared experience. The course has two ziplines running parallel, giving guests the opportunity to race for fastest time, and interact with each other while enjoying the excitement together.

The ZipTour will include four spans, each with two cables side by side. The total length will be 2,313 metres (7,589 ft) long and will drop a total of 415 metres (1,364 vertical feet). With construction already started and continuing next spring, the Mt. Washington ZipTour is set to open by summer 2019.