ArborTrek Canopy Adventures - Zip Line Canopy Tours in Vermont New York and Pennsylvania

It’s still dark outside here at the ArborTrek Welcome Center, but we’ve got everybody together for a little morning meeting and the build team is introducing themselves to the new guides, then quickly being dismissed to keep working on the course.  The trainees have lots to cover, from risk management to paperwork to technical skills, and three energetic trainers to help them.  Mike Smith stands at the front of the room and starts in on a lesson about safety and risk, and trainers Jeff Pelon and Rhonda Sandweiss chip in with advice of their own.  As soon as it’s light out, the 6 new guides will be on the zip cables, learning the details and procedures of ArborTrek’s Canopy Tour.  There is a lot to go over, but with long days and the right mix of classroom time and zip time, they’ll get everything done in five days, then take their practical exams and tour evaluations, and soon will be ready to take the public out in the air!

Arbor's Express, an abbreviated version, of the full canopy tour is now open at Smugglers' Notch and will run through December 24.  The full course is still under construction and will open to the public on December 26, 2010.  Come out and ride with us! 

I suppose if the Postal Service can deliver come rain, sleet, and snow; so can we.   After a fair weekend and early week of splendid Fall colors and moderate temperatures, we said Goodbye to the Fall and Hello to Winter.  Unhampered by the weather, but bogged down by soggy clothes and multiple layers, the build team continued to run additional cables.  Five zip lines are now temped in and two more are close to completion.  By the end of next week, we expect to have all of the zip lines temped in and have our ground platforms started.   Over the next few weeks, the course will come in to shape with additional structures, tree platforms, and bridges. 

Based on current progress, we expect to open a Short Course with three ziplines and a rappel prior to Thanksgiving.  The full Canopy Tour will be complete and ready for operations by mid-December.  For those interested in getting first rides, online reservations will be available in the next few weeks.    

After months of planning, there is nothing sweeter than the first runs...  The build team has been hard at work and Line 1 and Line 2 have been temped in. 

It will be a while before the platforms are hung and the course is ready for use by the public, but dialing in the first line is always a memorable experience.  First runs aren't always clean as you will see by the video below. 

As part of our commitment to preserving the natural environment, we endeavor to keep the forest as natural a possible.  This means leaving trees and limbs in place that may or may not be impacted by the zip line corridor until the line is set and tested.  Keeping a  corridor as natural as possible and only removing those limbs and trees that impose risk means lots of extra work, patience, and a few bumps, but we firmly believe it delivers the best overall experience for our customers.

Mike Smith

There's nothing sweeter than first runs... whether it's first tracks down the mountain on a powder day or the first flight through the trees.  After months of surveying, accessing trees, and collecting data to design a course that works with the forest and terrain, it's always exciting to venture out in to the unexplored and to be the first person to traverse a route that has never been traversed.  As an explorer, it's always hard to know if you were really the first person to climb a new rock route, paddle a river, or explore a remote area.  When you're building zip lines, it's a pretty safe bet that you're the first to fly through that area and it is very liberating. 

After several months of planning, permitting, surveying, designing and wandering through the woods, we're finally in the trees.  The ArborTrek Smugglers' Notch Build Team is setup and running the first lines.  Despite heavy rains, it was nothing but smiles as the first lines were shot in to trees and our climbers moved from workshop and desktop to the vertical world. 

Premier canopy tour design is a multi-phase process and it involves experts from a variety of fields.  While most of the heavy lifting occurs during the cable running and site preparation phase, the real work begins with the planning, permitting, surveying, engineering, designing, and financing.  Over the past few months we have been working with local surveyors, consulting wildlife biologists, consulting foresters, our friends at S.T.E.P.S., Inc., engineers, and financiers to ensure that the location we have chosen is well protected and unforgettable.  If not for the work of many talented people including the experience and efforts of the marketing teams, management, and permitting specialists at Smugglers' Notch Resort, we'd still be behind our desks.

Over the next few months we will be blogging on the development of the tour.  We'll stop to show you how we access trees, steps we take to protect the forest, and occasionally just take time to showcase the beautiful terrain and environment we're working in to establish a World-Class Canopy Tour for you here in the Green Mountains at Smugglers' Notch Resort.

The full tour consisting of 8 zip lines, 2-3 bridges, rappels, and some surprises is scheduled to be open early this Winter.  Check back frequently for more information on the tour and opportunities to win free rides. 

Mike Smith spent five years answering the phone for S.T.E.P.S., Inc. (a prominent canopy tour builder) educating bright-eyed entrepenuers, thrill seekers, and businessmen on what it takes to build a canopy tour. He spent fifteen years in and out of trees, trained hundreds of guides, conducted dozens of site visits, and today, he takes some time to answer some basic questions about ziplines, the marketplace, ArborTrek, and what is to come.

Q. Zip lines and canopy tours seem to be growing in popularity. Can you tell us a little about the history of zip lines and the sudden craze?

A. The recent boom has certainly brought zip lines in to the media's eye and we're seeing a lot more advertising dollars thrown around. In reality, zip lines have been around for ages. They've been used to ferry goods from one ship to another, as a low cost bridge to transport people and goods across gorges and waterways, and even to shuttle villages over known mine fields. Ropes courses, which gained popularity in the U.S. in the 70's among camping agencies and schools frequently included a zip line as an exit from the course. In fact, I would estimate that there were more than 5,000 zip lines in the U.S. prior to the canopy tour boom which started in 2005.

Q. How are today's zip lines different from those built on ropes in the 70's and 80's?

A. Well, there are several major differences. First, the experience has changed. The focus of the ropes course experience was on helping individuals to learn to manage adversity, challenge their comfort zones, and increase confidence. On traditional courses, participants would climb a tree or pole, perch on the edge of the platform, and make the decision to go. The cables were often slack, and the first step would send your stomach into your throat. We still see people everyday who are nervous or terrified, but they take that first step, and by the end they are so proud of what they have accomplished.  It's not our primary focus though. Second, the technology and engineering on the new commercial courses has improved dramatically. We used to use all kinds of pulleys. They weren't designed to handle the speeds that zip lines can generate and it was not uncommon to see the bearing fail. I can remember one instance where the bearing blew out and the trolley began to really smoke on the way down.

Q. How did you explain that one to the guest?

A.. We just told him that only the fastest riders get the fireworks. He loved it. When they left, we pitched the trolley.

Q. Are there other differences in today's zip lines?

A. Sure. The thing to remember is that zip lines are just a transport vehicle. There are a number of builders out there building lines that are longer, faster, and steeper. The longest is currently over a mile, but I am aware of a project that is claiming to be building a two mile zip line. With the introduction of a new hybrid trolley and vectorized systems, distance is really no longer a contest. The tours could go indefinitely. I refer to these as zip rides. Some are individual lines, some allow multiple riders to race down side by side. They're thrilling, but they remove the user from the experience and take skill out of the equation and substitute it with speed, height, and distance. For me, they're kind of a one shot deal. Other builders focus on using the zip line as a means of moving clients through terrain and habitat that would otherwise not be accessible. This is the essence of a traditional canopy tour. Others yet, have designed the zip line to include challenges. There are zip lines that let people swing great distances, that collide with cargo nets, allow people to ride a bike or ski off significant cliffs, balance on a skateboard, ride a horse and lance rings... You name it, people are doing it or dreaming it.

Q. What's next?

A.I could tell you, but then I would need to push you off this platform. Let's just say that there are plenty of exciting new concepts in the works.

Q. So, what are your plans?

A. My personal interest is in developing experiences that help people reconnect with their environment, with themselves, and with the people around them. I'm not that big in to the amusement aspect of the business. I like the adventure and exploration. A well developed canopy tour can be magical. Good tours allow users to experience the world from a different perspective, to access places that they may not otherwise ever be able to access, recreate in a risk managed environment, take shared risks, experience flight, learn about local ecology and wildlife and connect with family and friends in a novel and memorable way. That's what we're doing at ArborTrek. I think we've really got something special. We have talented and experienced people, great partners, and the locations we are exploring are awesome.

Q. What makes ArborTrek different?

A. I'm excited about our approach. We have brought together the talents of many of the leading firms and individuals in the industry and we're dedicated to creating a product that is customer focused, replicable, and unforgettable. We're seeking out partners that we want to work with, exploring places where we want to spend time, and putting together some really exciting new concepts. With the expansion of the market and lack of government regulation, there are a lot of low quality tours being thrown up. We want our guests to feel well cared for; to know that when they come to us, they are in good hands; and to create experiences that they just can't stop talking about.

Q. So when will the first tour be open?

A. We've been busy in the woods all spring and summer imagining and designing and should be announcing our first tour soon. But look for it to open this winter.

Q. In the Winter? Can you zip in the Winter?

A.Absolutely.Weather just adds to the adventure. In fact, my most memorable experiences have been in the winter, right after big snows when theentire forest was white. It can be really tranquil. In some ways, it reminds me of agood powder day on skiis.

Q. And after that?

A. You'll have to join our newsletter at www.arbortrek.com or become a member of www.ziplinenirvana.com to get the scoop.

What is a zip line canopy tour?

Zip Line: An inclined and elevated cable or rope from which a person attached to a pulley can travel from one anchor point to another by means of gravity. 

Canopy Tour: An ecological tour designed to provide users access to the forest canopy for purposes of environmental education and often recreation.  Routes through the forest canopy are generally comprised of a series of interconnected zip lines, suspension bridges, aerial walkways, and observation platforms.  Tours may also include challenge elements, rappels, swings, ropes ascent or descent elements, staircases, and towers.

How are ArborTrek courses unique?

ArborTrek Canopy Adventure courses are designed for exploration, education, and recreation.  They include a series of interconnected zip lines, sky bridges, and occasional challenge elements.  Guests and guides move through the course as a group.  Dawning safety equipment drawn from the climbing industry, industrial fall protection, rescue, and items specific to zip lines; guests proceed through the tour connected to an overhead belay and anchoring system.  Guides manage equipment transfers and guests are connected to a safety system at all points on the course that are off the ground.

Each ArborTrek tour is unique.  Courses are designed to work with the environment and not against it, and to take in to consideration a progression that educates users both on the local area as well as trains them in necessary technique be it climbing, zip lining, or rappelling.  Through an intensive design process including topographic surveys, consultation with local foresters, wild life experts, and engineers, we work to achieve a course that introduces guests to the environment with limited impact to the area.  It is our goal to remain visitors to the environment and to be good stewards for each area we enter.

Our courses are a balance of engineering, natural beauty, and environmental consciousness.  But it is our guides we take the most pride in.  We work hard to train and develop the best guides in the industry.  In addition to extensive training in risk management, rescue, and first aid, each guide receives training in ecology, geography, and local history.

Where did canopy tours come from?

Canopy Tours in the western hemisphere were originally an outgrowth of techniques developed by biologists seeking to study the ecosystems of the Tropical Rainforest. Using a variety of approaches to access the upper reaches of the forest while minimizing their impact upon its ecology, researchers began about 35 years ago to observe and catalog the animals and plants that flourished there and to study their complex interrelationships.

Observation posts and transportation routes through the canopy were established by several means, including Tyrolean traverses and zip lines, rope ascension devices, towers and cranes, suspension bridges, and even hot air balloons. Each of these methods pioneered by scientists continue to be employed in one or another of the many commercial Canopy Tours that have grown up to serve and promote eco-tourism in the Rainforest. Some operators have gone one step further and installed aerial tramways complete with enclosed gondolas.

While many tours are quite serious about their mission of promoting awareness and appreciation of forest canopy ecology, many others now operate primarily as vehicles for recreation and amusement: the thrill of the ride is the principal attraction.

The commercial craze for canopy tours was heavily fueled by the growth of eco-tourism in Costa Rica in the 1990’s.  It was not until 2003 that the first canopy tour was established in the United States.  Beginning in 2005, expansion of the industry exploded and has continued through today.

Advances in technology accompanied by creative expression has issued way for a variety of new course types ranging from pure amusement to highly educational.  Some courses are intended for athletes, others for the general public.  Expansion of the concept is moving from the forest to other unique areas including: amusement parks, historic sites, desertscapes, and most recently, the cities and urban areas.

For more information on the growth of the zip line canopy tour industry, we urge users to take a look at http://www.ziplinenirvana.com.