Canada’s Ultimate Challenge is back for a second season! Once again, we turn our beautiful country into a massive obstacle course as teams travel from coast to coast to compete in 16 jaw-dropping challenges.
“Canada’s Ultimate Challenge defied my expectations in every single way!” says Whitney, an entrepreneur and mother of three who competes on Team Blue. “Getting to travel all over our beautiful country with no phones and truly soak in our beautiful country was priceless.”
Here are some of the spectacular places we’ll visit this season.
Team paddling at Quidi Vidi Harbour, St. John’s, N.L.
A super quaint fishing village located in the east end of St. John’s, Quidi Vidi is one of the most photographed areas in Newfoundland. It was once an important commercial fishing harbour, with roots tracing back to the 16th century.
Now it’s a popular destination for tourists and home to several historic buildings including a brewery, an inn and artisan studios.
And of course last fall, Quidi Vidi Harbour became the scene for an epic challenge as teams raced through the harbour in classic Dory boats trading beer kegs and cod.
Hauling lobster traps in Îles de la Madeleine, Que.
The Îles de la Madeleine is a breathtaking destination in Québec full of spectacular sunsets, towering red cliffs and deserted beaches.
“It is by far one of the most beautiful places in Canada I have ever been,” says Jenny, a professional cheerleader from Team Orange. “The trip out there felt like I was entering into an astonishing faraway land,” says Shasily from Team Green.
The windswept beach at Plage Du Corfu was the setting for a gruelling lobster haul challenge where teams had to retrieve cumbersome traps out of the chilly waters offshore.
Navigating the Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ont.
Ottawa is home to the Rideau Canal, a navigational waterway that links the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario at Kingston. Opened in 1832, the system’s locks raise boats both up and down between the two waterways. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built for commercial shipping, the locks are now used for pleasure boating. During the winter, a section of the canal passing through central Ottawa becomes the world’s largest skating rink.
Last fall, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge teams also navigated parts of the canal — albeit without boats. For many, it was the toughest challenge of the season.
Scavenger hunt through the HMCS Haida, Hamilton, Ont.
The HMCS Haida is known as “Canada’s most fightingest ship.” She served from 1945 to 1963, participating in World War II and the Korean War, sinking more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship.
Destined for the scrap yard, the Haida found a home in Toronto in 1964 where she was eventually moved to Ontario Place. In 2002, Parks Canada purchased the ship, gave her a 5 million dollar retrofit and took her to the Hamilton waterfront.
There, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge teams boarded the vessel on a mission to find repair materials to help them fix their own boats nearby — which had been intentionally damaged with multiple holes — before they raced across the harbour and back.
White water rafting in Canoe Meadows, Canmore, Alta.
Next, it was west to the mountains of Alberta to do some white-water rafting.
When the gates at the Barrier Dam near Canmore are opened, the emerald waters of a glacier-fed artificial lake flow down the Kananaskis River, creating an exciting rapids course.
The teams had to navigate an exhilarating 600-metre run down the river — more than once.
High-wire rescue in Revelstoke, B.C.
Canada’s Ultimate Challenge visited Revelstoke Mountain Resort to take in the spectacular view of the Columbia River as it meanders through two mountain ranges.
A destination for skiers, the resort has the longest vertical descent in North America at 1,719 metres. In a high-wire challenge, the remaining teams climb to the top of a supporting tower and perform a nail-biting rescue from a gondola high above the slope.
Mountain biking at Mount Washington, Comox, B.C.
And then it was off to scenic Vancouver Island to do some mountain biking in the finale.
Mount Washington is home to an exciting bike park that’s been designated a world “Gold Level Ride” destination. Teams had to assemble their bikes before taking off on a muddy two-kilometre ride uphill.
The tension and the stakes were high, as players raced to secure their team’s spot in the finals.
“Every single part of these lands carries endless beauty, history and life. Coast to coast, the oceans, lakes, trees, mountains, wildlife, all of it will fill your heart and spirit with good medicine,” remembers player Courtney.
Watch Canada’s Ultimate Challenge coming to CBC Gem on April 28.