In this July 19, 2016 photo provided by WildPlay Ltd., tourists suspended above the water from zip lines make their way at speeds of up to 40 mph toward the the mist of the Horseshoe Falls, on the Ontario side of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is the latest natural wonder to add a zip line, offering honeymooners and everyone else the chance to take an adrenaline-pumping plunge toward churning mist at speeds topping 40 mph.
The elevated cable rides have evolved from a novel way to explore jungle canopies to almost necessary additions to lure tourists in the 21st century to established destinations. It’s a trend that’s exposed a rift between those who approach nature like contemplative monks and others who require an extreme, Indiana Jones-style experience.
“We can’t make these into museums. We have to keep the general public — the folks that these places have been set aside for — we have to keep them motivated to get out there,” argued Tom Benson, co-founder and chief experience officer at WildPlay Element Parks, which built the Niagara Falls zip line.
“How do you take a teenager and get them away from a game console to something that is going to capture their imagination?” he asked.
The booming popularity of commercial zip lines over the past five years — there are at least 200 in the United States alone — means more people are experiencing nature in a way that would make Thoreau dizzy.
They can ride above the tree line at New River Gorge in West Virginia, over California’s Catalina Island, above lush Hawaiian landscapes and in view of Denali in Alaska.
A zip line ride in Mexico’s Copper Canyon runs more than 1 ½ miles, one in Nepal has a drop of 2,000 feet and another in Sun City, South Africa, boasts top speeds of 100 mph.
“You feel all this air rushing past you, it’s this great almost roller coaster-esque feeling,” Quillan Brady said after riding on the new Eagle Flyer zip line at Lake George in New York’s Adirondacks. “But really, what I think makes it is looking around and seeing all this natural New York beauty.”
Niagara Falls-area resident James Bannister doesn’t quite see it that way. To him, the new zip line there amounts to a “circus midway-style attraction.”
“Every once in a while somebody comes along and says, ‘Boy, you could build another great attraction here!’ As if the falls itself wasn’t enough of an attraction,” Bannister said.
Zip line fans say it’s still possible to marvel at nature while whizzing above it at highway speeds.
At Niagara Falls, WildPlay’s Benson said his four lines angling 2,200 feet along the Canadian side of the gorge were designed to be sensitive to the local environment.
Catalina Island’s zip line makes stops for presentations at designated “eco-stations.” And riders of the Lake George zip line who were questioned after their rides said they had a new perspective on the natural wonder.
The owner of the Lake George line, Ralph Macchio Sr. (father of the “Karate Kid” actor with the same name), said he got the idea for his attraction by gazing out from atop the majestic Adirondack peaks.
“I thought, ‘Gee, if you could look at it like you were flying like a bird and get that view, that would be an Adirondack experience,'” Macchio said. “And that’s why I built the zip line.” Michael Hill, AP
Mountain views
A zip line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by holding on to, or attaching to, the freely moving pulley. Zip lines come in many forms, most often used as a means of entertainment.
The zip-wire has been used as a transportation method in some mountainous countries for many years. In some remote areas in China such as Nujiang (Salween) valley in Yunnan, zip lines served the purposes of bridges across rivers, but due to poor safety record, they were mostly replaced by real bridges by 2015.
In 1739, Robert Cadman, a steeplejack and ropeslider, died when descending from Shrewsbury’s St Mary’s Church when his rope snapped.
Alberto Santos-Dumont used a direct ancestor of the zip-line in spring 1906 for a method of testing various characteristics of his 14bis pioneer era canard biplane, before it ever flew under its own power later that year.
In the Australian outback, zip-lines were occasionally used for delivering food, cigarettes or tools to people working on the other side of an obstacle such as a gully or river. Australian troops have used them to deliver food, mail and even ammunition to forward positions in several conflicts
Zip line tours are becoming popular vacation activities, found at outdoor adventure camps or upscale resorts, where they may be an element on a larger challenge or ropes course.The jungles of Costa Rica, Florida, Puerto Vallarta,and Nicaragua are popular destinations for zip line enthusiasts.
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