Ever since my first trip to Banff, Alberta back in my teenage years something about the mountains has completely captured my heart. Maybe it's being from Ontario and the relative lack of geography that makes the mountains so appealing, or maybe it's their absolute beauty. I don't know exactly what it is but the feeling of driving into the mountains is one of my favourite and i'll take any opportunity to relive that feeling over and over agin. So when Lincoln asked if I wanted to come to BC to try the Lincoln Navigator I said "YES PLEASE!".
When we arrived in Vancouver we were greeted by the team from Lincoln and given a quick overview of the brand new 2018 Lincoln Navigator. We had a quick bite and presentation and then it was off to the races. I couldn't wait to jump into the driver's seat. The Navigator greets you much like the Continental greeted us last year, with the lights on and the Lincoln logo emblazoned on the ground below the door as you approach (a very nice touch). After lowering the backseats with ease and throwing our luggage in the trunk we were off towards the Rockies.I connected my phone and we pumped our tunes through the 20 speakers in the Revel Ultima audio system.
The beautiful interior of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator
The Revel speakers are outstanding.
Look at that screen!
The first thing I noticed was that this was a BIG vehicle, it's got tons of space and gives you a great view of the road. The trip to Whistler from the Vancouver International Airport is just under two hours and our first stop on the way was Porteau Cove Provincial Park which we had previously stopped at in the Continental last year. We decided to forgo the Provincial Park because we had an opportunity to check out the Sea to Sky Gondola which i'd always wanted to ride. It was getting dark and we were worried we wouldn't make it in time but as we rolled up we were told we'd be in one of the last gondolas up! We grabbed our camera and headed up the mountain, as we ascended the rain that we had been driving through below slowly changed to snow and these enormous flakes completely surrounded the gondola. At the top, perched between the two peaks was a picturesque suspension bridge, perfect photo opp but was defintely a bit unnerving.
We left the Sea to Sky and headed for Whistler. We checked into the Four Seasons Whistler, quickly washed up and headed down for dinner with the crew. It was an early night for most as it had been a busy day of travel and excitement.
This is gonna be the poster for my new action movie.
Look at that view!
The next day we began bright and early with breakfast in bed, once we had refuelled for our busy day ahead we made our way down to the lobby where we were greeted by a driver to take us to Whistler Helicopters. The plan was to take a helicopter from Whistler to Pemberton and tour Whistler and Blackcomb from the sky. We were incredibly nervous that morning that the conditions were going to prevent us from the ride of a lifetime but to our surprise the skies cleared like an act of god and we made our way to the helipad. Riding in a helicopter was definitely a bucket list experience for me and getting to do it in such a picturesque location was nothing short of a dream come true. After strapping in, putting on our headsets and getting acquainted with our pilot we were off. I was surprised how smooth the ride was and the view was absolutely incredible, we saw Seventh Heaven, the Blackcomb Glacier and areas of Garibaldi Provincial park that most never get to lay their eyes on. After a 30 minute ride we landed in Pemberton with our Lincoln Navigators waiting for us.
Burton hooked me up with some pretty sweet gear.
That afternoon I had a snowboard lesson and got to ride my favourite mountain in the world again. The conditions were outstanding, Whistler had gotten over 120cm of snow in the past 7 days and it just kept dumping. After riding for over 3 hours my legs began to burn, I had forgotten just how much work it was to ride BC powder. I thanked my guide and headed back to our room at the Four Seasons, when I walked in the door I poured a hot bath and relaxed for the next two hours before dinner. That night we went to the Bearfoot Bistro for dinner, we began the night learning to sabre champagne bottles (it's actually really easy) and sampled some fine vodka between courses (the Vodka room was -31 degrees!). We had a lovely dinner with the folks from Lincoln and definitely made some great friends (thanks for the Nitro Martini Jim!).
I can't say enough about the 2018 Lincoln Navigator, if you're in the market for a 7-seater luxury vehicle that can get you from point A to point B in heated and cooled massage seats then this is the SUV for you. There is nothing better then throwing on that butt massager during a 2 hour car ride to combat the dead legs you normally get from sitting for too long. If you're looking for a vehicle that has such a good sound system that you'll think Justin Timberlake is actually singing to you from the backseat then this is the SUV for you and if you're looking for an extremely safe, extremely powerful and beautiful piece of machinery then look no further.
