Mt. Washington To Open 3.5 Million Dollar Ziptour

Mt. Washington announced the installation of a 3.5 million dollar 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 zip line offers guests unique access to the mountain with the opportunity to experience it in a whole new and exciting way.

“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,” comments 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 zip line 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,” states Mt. Washington’s 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 descent 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 zip lines 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 meters (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 summer 2019.

 

Mount Washington Alpine Resort is located just 30 minutes from the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and hosts over 300,000 visits per year.  In the winter guests enjoy five chairlifts, and five carpet lifts accessing over 1,700 acres and 1,657 vertical feet of alpine terrain.  The resort also has 55 kilometers of designated cross-country skiing and 25km of snowshoeing trails along with a dedicated Nordic lodge.

 

Summer activities at Mount Washington include a new 2.3 kilometre ZipTour set to open summer of 2019, lift-accessed mountain biking, a new quad bungy trampoline, scenic chairlift rides, disc golf, miniature golf, boardwalk chess and checkers, shopping and dining.  The resort also plays host to over 30 weddings per year plus numerous group and corporate events.

 

Off-island visitors can use WestJet, Air Canada, Central Mountain Air, and Pacific Coastal Airlines which provide air service to the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ) or they can fly right into Comox Marina via Harbour Air.  Additional carriers serving the Victoria Airport (YYJ) includes Alaska Airlines out of Seattle.