Bungee Jumping in BC Canada - Four Ways To Spit In The Face of Death - Travel

"I'm about to throw myself off a bridge."

These are the only words that come to mind while standing on the precipice of Whistler Bungee's gleaming metallic bridge, stretched over a massive canyon in Whistler Resort Valley. Your clammy hands are clutching at the metal gate, your knees shivering like tubes of jelly.

You're possibly wondering why you decided to defy gravity and fate all in one jump, while scattered imagery from your distant childhood surface in your conscious mind. You take a breath and push these thoughts away.

Instead you gaze down upon the raging waters of the Cheakamus river 160 feet below. You feel the breeze on your skin, the harping of the occasional bald eagle soaring overhead, and the pounding of your beating heart. Your friends behind you quietly hold their breath in anticipation, wondering if you'll leap with wild abandon into the abyss, or if you'll remain forever clutching the bridge, forcing them to start the dreaded countdown, thereby compelling you to make the decision that will echo largely as a metaphor for how you will be remembered.

Will your eulogy read like an adventure novel from the 19th century, as a thrill-seeker who sought to suck the very marrow of life in every experience? Or will your funeral be a somber affair, with black umbrellas huddled under soft rain, as they speak of you as the cautious follower who lacked the capacity to proclaim that existence is only for those with ambition enough to reach out and claim it?

As you stand on Whistler Bungee's bridge, you peer out into your fears and realize the choice was made even before you left your home to arrive in the imposing beauty of old growth forests and rugged basalt column cliffs. The only real decision you have to make is...how will you jump?

Luckily Whistler Bungee offers 4 ways to attach their bungee cord and throw yourself into the oblivion.

1. Chest / Waist

Perhaps this sounds a little odd, but jumping with a chest and waist harness provides ample comfort and safety. (Also you're less likely to get squeamish if the world isn't upside down). The chest and waist harness hold you in an upright position during the rebounds (which are quite high) and allows you to marvel at the canyon's awe inspiring beauty as you wait for them to pull you back up to the bridge. Different cords can be used for this jump to provide rebounds that faster/higher or softer/slower.

2. Ankle / Waist

The traditional way to jump, this method ensures you plummet headfirst towards the seething Cheakamus rapids. Thankfully, Whistler Bungee uses a softer cord for this type of jump so there is less of a spine-stinging snap when the cord stretches taut. A secondary waist harness allows you to be upright while they haul you back up to the bridge.

3. Tandem

Two people harnessed to the same cord and thrown off a precipice? Sign me up. Whistler Bungee offers tandem jumping for couples that desire a unique way to express their love, and for friends too petrified to hurl themselves alone into the abyss. They recommend a combined weight of no more than 350 lbs (unless you don't mind a dip in the river).

4. Wheelchair

Think just because you're in a wheelchair you won't be able to partake in a plummet? Think again. Whistler Bungee offers a comprehensive setup for wheelchair jumpers, as long as you possess moderate finger and hand dexterity and are able to attach the retrieval line to the harness system. Here's how it works: Whistler Bungee fits you in a waist and chest harness, then rigs a separate one for the wheelchair.

The force is limited to the chair and not you. They recommend the easiest way to launch yourself off the bridge is to get 3 friends to hoist your over the railing.

Now that you have chosen your method of launch, you are hovering on the edge of Whistler Bungee's bridge. Bald eagles, rushing river, throwing caution to the wind and all that. You have reached the moment of truth. As you take that fateful step across the threshold, with nothing but empty space between you and the torrent below, you realize the danger is a slight fallacy. After all, Whistler bungee has a perfect safety record and operators with over 17 years experience.

So you close you eyes, and jump.

Whistler Bungee, British Columbia's highest and most pristine year round bungee jumping site, located 15 min south of world renowned Whistler Village Resort, off HWY 99.

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