Go Yellowhead 2016 | Page 16

ne i l a n Adre & Adventure Here are just some of the many exhilarating options available along the highway that will make your journey one you’ll never forget. SKYDIVING BIKING From lush meadows and hillsides to looming mountain peaks, many options are available for your impending bike trek. Pack your own equipment or rent along the way — rental and repair shops can be found in most cities and towns. Amazing mountain bike net­ works exist throughout northern B.C., from Terrace and Smithers to Burns Lake and Prince George (mountainbikingbc.ca). Head to Kamloops to try 16 GO Yellowhead 2016 their BMX race track and get some air in the dirt jump park (kamloopsbikeranch.com), or take in a guided mountain or cross country biking day tour. Test your skills with dirt jumps, slopes, and teeter totters in Hinton (bikehinton.com). You can also find many trails throughout the provincial and national parks — such as Jasper, the Battlefords, Blackstrap (near Saskatoon), or Riding Mountain (near Russell) — or through city greenways and river valleys, like in Edmonton or Winnipeg. Jump out of a perfectly good plane and experience an epic moment of freefall at various stops along the Yellowhead. Strap yourself to a professional in Kamloops (skydivekamloops.com) for the 10,500-foot tandem jump or attend a 5-hour ground course before making a 3,500-foot solo jump. Jumpers with restricted mobility can take part in the tandem adaptive skydiving program (using modified harnesses) west of Prince George (skydivebc.ca). Alberta travellers can jump tandem from 13,000 feet in either Stony Plain (edennorth.com) or Edmonton (edmontonskydive.com) or enrol in an Advanced Freefall (AFF) program to become a certified solo skydiver. If those heights are too unnerving, you can try a lower-altitude tandem jump in Saskatoon (skydive.ca) or near Winnipeg in Steinbach (339jump.com) or Gimli (skydivemanitoba.com). PHOTO CREDIT: STOCK.ADOBE.COM/GERMANSKYDIVE110; TOURISM SASKATCHEWAN/GREG HUSZAR PHOTOGRAPHY — BY TAMARA ASCHENBRENNER