Longest zip line in North America to debut at Mammoth this fall

[ski diva]

Would you do a zip line that's 2,100 vertical feet and reaches speeds up 60 mph?

I'm not sure I would -- I have a thing about heights -- but it sounds like fun to you, then be sure to get to Mammoth this fall, when the longest, steepest zip line in North America goes on line.

More here, including a video.

 

[santacruz skier]

I have a thing about heights

Me too.... ever since I was on my mtn bike riding along RR tracks and somehow went over the side. My bike fell 150 ft down to the river and I managed to hoist myself up off the cliff... how I don't know. My friends climbed down and retrieved my bike. This was 20 yrs ago and I'm still afraid of heights and riding anywhere there is a drop off. I even walked a section of the famous Flume Trail in Tahoe b/c there was a 1300 ft drop on one side.....

 

[Christy]

Is this something that is actually a draw for people? I thought ziplines had come and gone, except for little kids.

 

[marzNC]

Oh yeah, I would do it for sure. My daughter and I have been doing ziplines for years. Massanutten has a short parallel Megazip right next to the tubing lanes that is open year round, including during ski season. Uses the magic carpet used for tubing to get people to the top next to the start tower.

Big Sky put in ziplines a while ago. Also open during the winter, weather permitting.

In the southeast, northeast, and midwest, ziplines are for all ages. Easy to find a "canopy tour" in the mountains, but there are also ziplines in the flatlands. Not really for little kids because the minimal weight is often at least 70 pounds or more for longer zip lines. Good fun even for adventurous grandparents to do with their grandchildren. The one in NC near Highpoint was built in the trees next to a cornfield, with a primary multi-story tower in the cornfield. Makes it easy for people who aren't zipping to follow along walking underneath. Full body harnesses so even my sister-in-law was willing to do it. Even have special zip tours on night with a full moon.

The longest ziplines I've done was in the NC mountains just south of Asheville. When the Gorge course was built a few years ago, it was billed as the longest and fastest lines in the U.S. Mostly through old growth forest. None of the sections were particularly steep but had great views of the gorge below.

 

[marzNC]

For a little inspiration for older Divas . . . there is another Gorge zipline set up in West Virginia. Has a more traditional system than The Gorge in NC, which uses ZipStops. Here's a video of a family outing to celebrate the grandmother's birthday.

 

[marzNC]

Here's an 84yo woman who went to The Gorge in NC. Had friends from her retirement community near the NC coast went along but only to watch her get started. She's very adventurous apparently. It's an unusual set up because the "base" is at the top. There is a shuttle bus from the bottom to get back to the small building where the course starts.

 

[ski diva]

I'm not sure I would -- I have a thing about heights...

Actually, I just did a zip line last week. I went with my daughter and her family to a water park in the Poconos, and they had a ropes course and zip lines there, too. Since it was part of our admission package, I figured what the hell, and went ahead and did it. The zip lining itself was fine; for me, the hard part was climbing the tower to reach it and then stepping off the platform to get going.

The zip line at Mammoth, though, seems awfully long, fast, and steep. So I'm not sure I could handle it

Is this something that is actually a draw for people? I thought ziplines had come and gone, except for little kids.

A number of ski areas here in New England have zip lines and rope courses, as part of their efforts to attract people during the off season. A few years ago we had a summer Diva gathering at the adventure course at Magic, and yeah, we did zip lines. It was a blast.

 

[Tvan]

We’ve done the ropes courses and zip lines at Catamount and at Jiminy. Its fun (and a little scary)!

 

[Jilly]

Tremblant's is 4km long, using 5 lines. I have a video that I'll find tonight.

Kind of like Ski Diva, I had a problem just going down the steps. Once the harness lines went tight I was OK. But see through steps and landings have always bothered me. Getting off the Tram in Courcheval was the same.

 

[marzNC]

The hardest start for a zipline I've done was part of a set up for teen and adult training. The zipline started at the top of a tower that was a rock climbing wall set at the top of a small hill. Once the hook up for the zip line was done, the start was a drop that looked pretty scary. The challenge was making the decision to go.

The small homegrown company (in northern Indiana) that created the set up mostly did leadership and self-confidence training for high school groups and small company team building. There was a ropes course too.

 

[marzNC]

Stowe has a zipline on Mt. Mansfield that can get up to 60mph. Hard for petite women to get up to the fastest speeds though.

Sounds like Alterra plans to build a zip line at Mammoth that can rival the one at Blackcomb. Having a gondola certainly makes it easier to get summer tourists up to the top of a mountain for a long zip line.

 

[Jilly]

WB and Tremblant's are from the same company. They throw in an eco tour with it. I have video from 2 of the lines. In fact I may have already posted it. I'll go and look.

 

[marzNC]

Ah, now I get it. There are now three levels of ziplines: Mega, regular outdoor, and indoor. Seems as if mega ziplines are relatively long and more or less from top to bottom. Standard outdoor ziplines are usually part of a "canopy tour" with multiple segments of varying lengths and steepness. Top speeds are higher for mega ziplines.

https://www.ziplinesolutionsus.com/systems/mega-zip/

 

[marzNC]

OMG, one company has created the concept of a rollercoaster zipline! As much as I like straight ziplines, I'm not sure I'd go for this level of excitement.

 

[Christy]

I had no idea. I've never heard anyone here talk about them. There was a brief proposal to put one for kids in one of our forested parks in Seattle but it was quickly shot down by people that didn't want their park crapped up with an amusement. And they set up one for kids at the Mariners FanFest at Safeco Field. That's my entire exposure to these lol.

 

[marzNC]

The change in the rules for how U.S. forest land could be used during the summer happened in 2011. It's called the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act. Passage of the law was pushed by Vail Resorts, presumably with support of other ski resorts that operate under U.S. Forest Service agreements. The previous law from 1986 restricted commercial use to winter only for sports like skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.

I first saw video of mega ziplines on the Amazing Race, the TV reality show with locations all over the world. Those looked fun. The bunging jumps off bridges . . . not so sure about that idea.

 

[marzNC]

Looks like in Europe there is a more comfortable way to ride a zipline. They use a "parachute seat" on the parallel lines at Grindelwald in Switzerland. Start by riding up a 3-stage gondola. Open in the winter too. Pretty cool way to get a view of the Alps!

 

[marzNC]

While I knew that there are quite a few long ziplines in Europe, would never have guessed that the fastest one is not in the Alps but in North Wales. Apparently for 2018, Zip World upgraded their set up to make it longer, have a top speed of 125 mph, and added two lines so there are four parallel lines. The original two lines set up in 2013 had a top speed over 100 mph. The 2-min video from 2016 below shows the "superman" position and the landing process. There is a practice run on the Little Zipper before boarding a truck for the ride to the top through the old quarry. Must be a successful business given the money spent on new lines and a new building at the top that includes a restaurant. The company has built a couple other outdoor adventures like ziplines or high ropes since 2013, one in a cavern and another in a forest.

April 2018 - includes notes about other long ziplines in the world
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/fastest-zip-line-in-the-world-in-wales/

 

[mustski]

I would love to try it. My worry is that I wouldn't be able to take that first "step." I have a tremendous fear of falling- not of heights. The fear of falling does not come into play if I believe I am secure. I have no problem with rope bridges, or chairlifts with bars, or even walkways with railings like at the Grand Canyon. Yet, I can't even walk out on a standard jetty that is about 4 feet wide and only about 3 feet high. If I "believed" I was secure on the zip line, no problem. I just have no way of knowing what I believe.

 

[marzNC]

Found a website dedicated to ziplines around the world. Definitely a bit regional in the U.S. Based on a NY Times article from 2008, I get the impression that regular ziplines started getting popular in the east just before the 2008 recession hit the recreation industry hard. The author listed zipline adventures in PA, WV, OH, and NC. Mega zips started outside the U.S. later on.

Hawksnest in the NC mountains was a small ski area that closed in 2008 because the local town refused to allow expansion of the slopes. By 2009 Hawksnest opened ziplines. They have multiple snow tubing areas during the winter. Now has 20 ziplines, including 4 mega ziplines, that are open year round.