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Last week I posted about North America’s Fastest Zip Line, the Skyline in Calgary, Alberta. Well my time slot has come and gone, and so has the whiplash. I got up to a decent speed even with a parachute strapped to my back. Good thing, otherwise there would be nothing left of me.

Overall this is a fairly basic procedure taken to some extreme. The top of the Skyline resides at the top of the 90-meter ski-jump tower at CODA’s Canada Olympic Park. Of course the first thing to be done on the Skyline is to sign a contract making you personally responsible for WWII, then you’re off to suit up and go for a practice run. The harness system makes for a fairly nice ride and softens the blow of the braking system. It essentially produces a chair to sit in while cruising down the line. You are also outfitted with your own set of ‘wheels’ which you use on all three of the zip line runs.

The ride itself was relatively uneventful: you gain speed, you max out and cruise, then hit the brakes. You are taught to make yourself as large a wind target as possible to keep your speed under wraps and not kill yourself, which is a good thing. The most fearful part of the ride I found to be the step off the edge of the tower because I wasn’t sure if this thing was going to drop me hard and fast or gently ease me into the ride; it turned out to be the latter.

The braking system on the Skyline is rough and leaves a little something to be desired, but if done correctly it’s exhilarating and painless. This being my first time through, I tucked into the brake position a little early and in doing so essentially turned myself into a cannonball hurtling toward the spring at the end of the line, ending up with only a slight neck kink from the impact.

Overall, I would recommend everyone try this at least once. Even those who have a slight fear of heights (read: me) can enjoy this. It’s pretty cheap thrills at $50 CAD, or $40 if booked with a group of 12, per person. I was finally able to walk in the footsteps of Eddie the Eagle; my life is complete.