active family travel,  Travel

Ziptrek EcoTours – My Favourite Birthday Trip Yet

This is the birthday trip I will look back on when I am 90 and GRIN from ear to ear. Ziplining down Mont Tremblant with Ziptrek Ecotours was a brilliant adventure I will not soon forget. Ziptrek is a zipline tour with a difference and it is one of the most thrilling courses I have done so far.

If you have ever been to Tremblant you know it is spectacular. Quebec is simply one of my favourite destinations and the Laurentians are a Canadian treasure. In fact, if you have not yet been, then what are you waiting for? In the winter months there are a zillion wonderful ways to enjoy the outdoors, or even cuddle inside by a fire after skiing downhill or cross country. But what’s to do in the summer when you visit Mont Tremblant? Quite a lot actually. From luge to hiking, a day at the Scandinave Spa or one of the amazing outdoor music festivals like Bluesfest on site, there are many reasons to pick Tremblant for your stay.

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But Ziptrek for me is high near the top of that list of reasons to visit. If you are one of those people with a Bucket list full of adventures you have to do and a birthday coming up, then here you go. This is my birthday story at Ziptrek Ecotours at Tremblant. It is a thrill ride and an awesome adventure with a small hint of terrifying mixed in. And it’s also something completely unique and invigorating you have to do at least once.

Image courtesy of Tourisme Laurentides.

Together our group of media and travel influencers start the day by checking in to Holiday Inn Express at the foot of the mountain. We meet with the communications representatives and have lunch at La Diable Microbrewery with a watchful eye on the weather reports. The Ziptrek EcoTours adventure is slated for the afternoon.

 

In the summer, spring and Fall months, before the slopes are covered in snow, they are green and gorgeous at Tremblant. The pitches and curves of the mountain, are tall and always elegantly decked out with all the Canadian pine trees they can hold. Mt Tremblant can be magnetic on a sunny summer afternoon, or completely magical in February, but today it is overcast threatening rain. The treed mountainscape is mysterious on a cold and foggy day like this one. Wisps of clouds whip by the trees and the cables when we wait on the first platform receiving instructions.

Image courtesy of Tourism Laurentides

Tremblant holds a special place in my heart because it is the spot where my family learned to ski together in 2015.

 

At the base of the mountain where Ziptrek has their equipment we borrowed jackets. Go Pros can be signed out too, then simply purchase the disk after the trek if you wish to keep a record of your adventure. At first I almost reject the jacket, but when standing at the summit chilled by the wind I am grateful to have it on.

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With Ryan Thomas Woods and Gregory George. Follow them at OUT WITH RYAN https://www.youtube.com/user/BorderlineForFools/videos and also https://twitter.com/TheGSGeorge or @FollowSummerGG

The first platform is the hardest for me. The distance is huge! Hard to compare to anything else I have ever done. And you know how sometimes when you zip you feel the trees hitting your feet. Not so here. We are much higher even than the tops of the trees. And the angles seem steep. Instantly intimidated. But I hear” Don’t look down.” And “You can flip upside down if you wish.” Then “1, 2, 3” and my partner France Gaignard launches.

The guides are amazing and knowledgeable. Be warned this is not for kids under seven due to the weight required to make the zip work. It is rare that I find myself traveling right over my birthday. But this year, I had the chance to visit The Laurentians and do the most challenging zipline course yet! Although I was not with my family, which is usually how I spend my day, tackling the Ziptrek at Mont Tremblant made for a birthday I will never forget.

 

Ziptrek Ecotours is open every year in May and this year until October 15. There are 4 kilometres of thrills and 5 ziplines. You will go side by side with someone else which makes it a bit different than where we were in Arbraska last year. There are no obstacles here, as here are in Arbraska.

When your group finishes a couple of the ziplines there is a bit of hiking. Along the way the guides talk about the local ecology and the the green initiatives that make this a zipline tour with a difference. For instance the structures are made with cedar because that wood doesn’t need any chemical sealants. The chemical treatments would create run off in rain. This is a well thought out excursion and most definitely worth the money.

Be prepared for an entire afternoon of this activity. It took easily 3 hours. Once you commit you are in for the adventure. Enjoy!

A Few More Things About Ziptrek EcoTours:

  • Guides are present at all times
  • Located in the pedestrian village at the base of the mountain
  • Ride to Mont Tremblant summit aboard the panoramic gondola
  • 4 km and 5 ziplines, the longest in Quebec
  • Side-by-side ziplines so you can zip two by two with friends and family
  • 6 viewing decks
  • An eco-adventure experience when you receive information on the ecology, the region and sustainability (‘’The natural step’’)

Want to book this tour – > Here you go Ziptrek Ecotours.

Need a place to stay at Tremblant? I have stayed at Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites and Ermitage du Lac and recommend either. Ermitage was PERFECT for our whole family in winter months. There are no bad spots at Tremblant.

Many thanks to Ziptrek EcoTours, Quebec Tourism, Tremblant Tourism, and Tourism Laurentides for this incredible experience. I was hosted while here and my opinion, you should know by now, is all my own and truthful. Shout out to my press trip companions – Gregory George of Follow Summer, Ryan Thomas Woods of Out With Ryan, Rossana Wyatt of Life is Full of Adventures and Stephanie Granada of her Instagram channel and much more. This post contains affiliate links to help readers share my adventures. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you make a purchase via the affiliate links. 

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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