Summertime Ziplines Recreate Wintertime Thrills At West Resorts
All around the mountain resorts of the West, ziplines take advantage of serious vertical drops, expansive terrain and drop-dead scenery to draw thrill-seekers to the high country.
Ziplining is much like the hurtling, wind-in-your-face rush that skiers and riders cherish during the winter. These days, many reach 70 mph and most have a number of intermediate platforms on which to catch your breath. Age, height and weight limitations apply. Here are a few that stand out.
The zipline king of vertical drop can be found at Utah's Sundance Resort. High-flyers drop 2,100 feet in two miles that divides up into four sections from the summit to the base of the mountain.
For the longest ride, zip-riders go up three chairlifts before clipping in for three separate spans. Riding side-by-side, riders can control speeds up to 65 mph. Stop for a moment mid-ride to soak in view of 11,275-foot high Mt. Timpanogos -- the second highest mountain in the Utah range. A single-span zip operates off Outlaw all year.
In the town of Jackson, Wyo., Snow King Mountain boasts one of the steepest ziplines around . The tour begins with a ride up the Snow King gondola. After a short intro zip ride at the summit, thrill-seekers can go for all 3,100 feet of wire and 415 vertical drop in two stages. With braking devices, speeds top out at 65 mph, and wire grade tilts to 36 percent tops.
Snow King also has a treetop adventure tour that includes zip lines, suspended bridges, climbing nets, swinging logs and aerial skateboard.
In southeastern New Mexico, Ski Apache's three-part zipline begins with a ride up the Apache Arrow Gondola to the summit at 11,489 feet elevation. From there, pairs of zipliners hook into the longest section -- the mile-long Pena section that crosses over Apache Bowl onto Game Trail ridge.
Then, it's the short, 1,700-foot long Carrizo section off the steep side of the ridge that links into the final plunge -- the Palmer zipline that runs 1,900 feet to the base. Total vertical drop is 1,584 feet, and speeds reach 65 mph. Gondola runs Saturdays and Sundays.
And up north over the border at Vancouver's Grouse Mountain, the zipline tour begins with a ride up from North Vancouver on the transport tram or gondola to the mountain's main plaza. After check-in, zipliners take a ride up the Peak Chair to the 4,100-foot summit -- and expansive views of Vancouver bay and city.
Riders pair up for side-by-side cables and assigned to guide, they head down a five-zip tour that runs through evergreen forests and over mountain ponds. Speeds reach 45 mph and the tour takes two hours.
