Summer Starts Here

Corporate Memberships & Meeting Packages A limited number of corporate memberships still available for 2017. Ask about our meeting and golf packages, perfect for small to medium sized businesses. Elmhurst - Manitoba's Premier Golfers Club Experience the difference, your tee time is now. 2017 Membership Offers PRORATED DUES AVAILABLE FOR REMAINDER OF 2017. PLAY FREE WITH PURCHASE OF SHARE. Contact for details. New Intermediate Members aged 19-40 require no share purchase with rates starting as low as $1,350 for the season. Shareholder privileges and amenities include: n 10-day advance booking n Club storage, locker room, pull cart and shoe cleaning n Unlimited use of practice facility n Golf and social events for individuals, couples, juniors CONTACT DAVE McMILLAN Phone 204.224.2244 or golf@elmhurstcc.ca www.elmhurstcc.ca Starts here! 03 IT'S EASY TO SEE THE APPEAL OF ZIPLINING. THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING STRAPPED TO A CABLE AND SOARING HIGH ABOVE THE GROUND WITH THE WIND WHIPPING THROUGH YOUR HAIR IS EXHILARATING. Apart from leaping off a cliff in a wingsuit or other aerial pursuits like hang gliding, it's the closest most people will get to actually flying. Those in the mood for this kind of adventure this summer can find it in the scenic Pembina Valley in southern Manitoba. Situated southwest of Morden, Man., Hywire Zipline Adventures is about a 90-minute drive from the Perimeter Highway in Winnipeg. Up to 3,000 people a year have been travelling to Hywire for its zipline tours since it opened a decade ago. According to Allen Brown, the property's numerous hills and ravines make it a great spot for ziplining. The business was started by Brown and his wife Lynn but it's now being run mostly by their son and daughter, Adam and Caitlin. The entire family (including two other daughters) helped construct the facility, and it has been a labour of love for the Brown clan. "We built it on our own and we designed it in such a way that if it wasn't going to work [as a business], our kids were going to have the best backyard playground in the province," Brown laughs. Hywire offers two different zipline tours — a five-line tour and an eight-line tour. Participants travel by foot to the various launching points, hiking a total of one kilometre for the shorter tour and 1.5 kilometres for the longer one. The ziplines range from 150 to 450 metres in length, and are up to 60 metres high. Riders hit speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour on the longer runs. According to Brown, safety is the number one priority at Hywire. "When we came out, we wanted to set the bar high for anybody else coming behind us," he says. "That's why we wanted to build the safest possible system we could, and I feel that's what we have here." Each zipline at Hywire features a stationary brake system operated by guides as well as sturdy gear for riders that includes top of the line rescue harnesses. "You can't buy anything better than these harnesses. They're a lot more comfortable and they're as safe as can be," Brown says. Brown says the harnesses also allow more freedom for riders while they're ziplining. "If you want to lay back and let go with your hands, that's fine. If you want to hang upside down, that's fine too. A lot of people try it," he says. Brown notes that about three-quarters of Hywire's patrons are first-time zipliners, and customers have included kids as young as five and seniors up to 90 years old. According to Brown, Hywire Zipline Adventures has attracted visitors from as far away as Europe, and it has a five-star rating from Trip Advisor. To solidify its appeal as a fun family destination, the business has added a nine-hole mini golf course this year and a bush maze is also being built. As Brown proudly points out, one of Hywire's main drawing features are the spectacular hilltop views of the picturesque Pembina Valley. "You've got one of the most beautiful places in Manitoba right here," he says. Amber Guenther is a regular customer at Hywire Zipline Adventures and lives nearby. Guenther, who moved there from Wisconsin 11 years ago, says ziplining with visiting family members at Hywire has been a great opportunity to show off the natural beauty of the area. "I like to show them the hidden gem of the Pembina Valley," she says. "It's a real treat for visitors who come in from other locations." Zipline showcases region's breathtaking beauty BY MARK HALSALL ZIPPING THROUGH MANITOBA'S SCENIC PEMBINA VALLEY Hywire Zipline Adventures has attracted visitors from as far away as Europe.

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