Travel: Adventure

It's hard to fathom the vastness of Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Between the two mountains, this place is truly colossal. I snapped this photo at the top of Blackcomb at Horstman Hut, a no-frills dining cabin at an elevation of a few feet shy of 7,500 feet.

The helicopter lifts, then tilts back, back, back… The trees spin sideways. The bay slips out from under us. The sky comes rushing forward. Clouds. Blue. An eagle… The trees begin righting themselves. We were upside down for only a split second before completing the loop-d-loop. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to weightlessness, and though I want to retain my composure, I can’t wipe the silly grin off my face. We feather toward the lake, landing softly on one of the resort’s three over-water helipads.