During our visit in Montreal, we had a great fun tasting the city’s culinary delight and attending the world’s largest jazz festival. But our gravity-defying adventure in SkyVenture Montreal took the fun into a higher level.

What’s the adventure all about?  SkyVenture Montreal offers a wind tunnel that is the only one of its kind in Canada.  It is a 14-foot cylindrical diameter vertical tube that is 45 feet tall in which the airstream is passing at a speed of 175 km per hour. Once inside, it gives participants an opportunity to experience the sensation of a free fall during skydiving or just simply flying.

After we checked in at our reserved time and completed the paperworks, we were assigned a group and were ushered to the viewing area to observe the flight sessions going on.

Some of what we saw made us a bit worried. It didn’t look like it was going to be easy as we thought. We expected that we were going to automatically float in the air once we were inside the wind tunnel. Apparently, it was not the case. We saw some people who could hardly take off despite assistance from the instructor. We were afraid that that would happen to us.

After about 10 minutes of observation, our group of six was led by our instructor Ian to the training room. Ian showed us the proper flight position and hand signals.  We also watched a training video.

We learned that the success of our flight depends on the proper positioning and that through slight body movements we could control how high or low we could fly and how we maneuver around the tunnel.  It is also important to be relaxed;  otherwise it will be impossible for us to take off.

After the short training, we were outfitted with jumpsuit, helmet, goggles and ear buds. Running shoes are the required footwear (we were given the instruction when we made the reservation).  A locker was  provided where we stored all our belongings. We cannot take anything in the chamber.

When my turn came, I was really nervous. The intensity of the wind made me even more nervous; it was so strong that I could feel the skin of my face and lips flapping. But I tried to relax and to remember the right positioning and I took off! Whew!

Ian gave me a hand signal to lower my chin and that slight movement made me soar higher. However, I got scared that I was going too high and I raised my chin up to lower myself down.

Each flight lasted one minute. It may sound short but it’s actually enough once you’re in there. We booked an introductory package of 2 flights.

Keith was much more relaxed during his first flight and was able to do more maneuvering around the tunnel.  In a stabilized position, the palms should be facing down.  He turned his palm slightly towards the right and he turned into the right direction and another slight hand movement made him turn into another direction. It was an amazing physics.

I was more excited and relaxed during my second flight and I was able to soar higher without being too scared. I  always wished I could fly like a bird when I was a child. This is the closest thing to making that chilldhood wish come true.

Before the second flight, Ian asked each of us if we wanted to do a tandem flight. We said yes and Ian attached himself to  us during the second half of the flight and we soared to the highest possible level and then down several times. It was really awesome!

I guess because Keith looked very strong he got some extra stunt.  During the tandem, Ian gave him a very fast spin. He had a blast.

After our session, Ian did an exhibition where he was flying all over the tunnel like superman. It was amazing! He also gave us evaluations on how we could improve our flying next time.

It was an exhilarating experience.  Check it out if you’re visiting Montreal.

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Travel Notes:

• SkyVenture Montreal is located in the Laval district. From city center, you can reach it by taking the subway (red line) to Montmorency (last stop) and take a short taxi ride from the station.
• Reservation is highly recommended.
• Introductory packages are available in flights of two for C$71 (incl taxes) and flights of four for C$108. If you decide to add the tandem flight, it will be an additional C$10, which you can pay at the end of the session.
• Participants should be more than four years old and able to wear a properly fitting safety helmet and should not weigh more than 230 lbs, or 104 kg.
• You can purchase photos for C$5 each and the video for C$21.74. Or you can buy the package of all the photos and video for C$60. Since all the photos and videos of both us are included in the package, it was definitely the best deal for us.

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Linking to Travel Photo Thursday.

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