Guest Blog: Ride a Mountain Coaster in Revelstoke, B.C.
In honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary on July 1, we’re bringing you 150 Travelzoo Tips – one per day until July 1 – to help you explore and enjoy this great land. For Tip 108, Randy Sharman, host of the weekly radio program The Informed Traveler, shares the rush of riding one of the more unusual coasters in Canada. Find more from Randy on Facebook and Twitter.
Boasting the most vertical in North America, the Revelstoke Mountain Resort is also home to a thrilling ride called the Pipe Mountain Coaster. The ride itself takes only a minute or two, depending on how fast you want to go, but it’s a thrilling minute or two, making you want to go again. And maybe again.
To begin, you’ll ride the gondola to the top, which is a beautiful scenic view in itself. At busy times the lineups can be long, but if you’re not in a hurry you can enjoy breakfast or lunch at the top of the mountain and take in the breathtaking view of the valley below. In fact, it’s probably a good idea not to be in a hurry.
Any fears I had about descending too fast down a mountain in something that isn’t much bigger than a go-cart were quickly dispersed after seeing a few people go ahead of me. The staff are very friendly and explain all the things you can and can’t do. The sign at the top says it all: push your control stick to accelerate, pull to brake, wear your seatbelt. The maximum speed you can travel is about 40 km/hr.
The ride is weather-dependent, so if it’s raining you’ll have to wait for a nicer day. There are some weight and age restrictions as well, and there’s a maximum of two riders per cart. My daughter, who was seven at the time (you must be at least eight to ride by yourself) had to ride with her mom. They liked it so much they went twice. After the first run, you kind of know what to expect and you’ll probably want to try it again. And maybe again.
