Call yourself an adrenaline junky? Well then, we have compiled 10 things from coast to coast to check off your notable thrill-seeking bucket list while your body is still in its prime. Up for the challenge?
The Hike: Grouse Grind
Vancouver’s Grouse Grind was named one of the 10 most dangerous hikes in the world by Outside Magazine last year and is a must-do for in-shape and ambitious hike lovers when on the West Coast. It features a three-kilometre trail up the side of Grouse Mountain and the Grind has an elevation gain of 2,800 feet. Still, it won’t take you all day; the average time to finish the hike is about 90 minutes.
The Bungee Jump: Great Canadian Bungee
Not only is Quebec’s Great Canadian Bungee the highest bungee jump in Canada – far from your local fair – it is also one of the most beautiful bungee sites in North America. Thia 200-foot bad boy is located 20 minutes from Gatineau at the edge of a cliff, and the drop to the bottom offers a wall of solid limestone that drops into a 160-foot deep turquoise blue natural spring lagoon.
The Ski Trial: Couloir Extreme
If you think you’re such a great skier, have you tried the Couloir Extreme at Whistler-Blackcomb Resort? Even among the pros, it is cited as one of the most terrifying runs anywhere. If nothing else, you may want to take the challenge for your love of Instagram shots; the scenery at the top features 300-degree views of the beautiful Canadian Cascades.
The Cliff Jump: Lynn Valley
First, it must be said that this jump is actually super dangerous. If you are in the Vancouver area and up for the challenge, however, a Lynn Valley Canyon cliff jump may be the scariest thing on this list. Aside from the ledge climb to the top, the bone-chilling glacial water below and the actual jump itself, knowing that the challenge has resulted in quite a few deaths and a recue this summer after a diver plunged over 40 metres is reason enough to politely pass on this one. There is, however a medium jump, and a baby plunge off a rock, if you opt to back out last second.
The White Water Rapids: The Slave River
The Slave River rapids (flowing from Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories) are some of the most renowned and challenging in the world for whitewater kayaking. The rapids range in class from Class I to Class VI, but the highest are known as potentially gruesome and impossible killers, and thrill seekers have lost their lives attempting to kayak here.
The Rock Climb: Mt. Robson
Mt. Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, with a summit elevation of 3954m, located 100km west of Jasper in British Columbia’s Mount Robson Provincial Park. Its upper heights are covered in an expansive glaciation, so at least you will enjoy the beauty while you curse the challenging climb on the way up. Be warned: you need to be experienced, mentally prepared and in shape for this climb. And not hungover.
The Roller Coaster: Leviathan
Just north of Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland’s 2012 roller coaster, Leviathan, is quite the trip. At 5,486 feet (1,672 m) long, 306 feet (93 m) tall (and a subsequent drop), and with a top speed of 92 miles per hour (148 km/h), it is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada and among the 10 tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world. Word of advice? Eat after.
The City Ledge: CN Tower (pictured at top)
Toronto’s EdgeWalk at the CN Tower offers the chance to walk along a tiny 1.5-metre wide ledge while 356-metres in the air on top of the tower’s main pod. How’s that for a view of the city? The unique experience is a Guinness World Record holder – it’s the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk.
The Caves: Canmore Cave Tours
Not for the claustrophobic, the wild cave tours of Canmore, Alberta invite visitors to explore below the surfaces, deep into the crevasses and secret passageways of the Canadian Rockies in their raw form. Although pretty suitable for the general public (meaning you can bring mom and dad), the tour is authentic and lacks lighting, handrails or maintained walkways. Just don’t try to turn around once you’ve started; those behind you won’t be happy.
The Sport: Canada Olympic Park
At Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park, you can try some of the most thrilling sports of the Olympic Games (the ones you always wanted to try as a kid): the luge and the bobsled. Guests receive an introduction to luge and an instruction from one of the country’s nationally carded athletes before getting to experience the thrill of the Olympic track. If that’s not your thing, you can also take the easy way out and bobsled, where, piloted by a professional driver, you will travel up to 120 km/h while experiencing 5G forces, down 14 turns on the legendary sliding track.
How many have you done? And if you call yourself a thrill seeker, what are you waiting for?
#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)
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