Velocity is a central tenet of snowboarding. We stay to really feel the air dashing previous as we descend a manicured groomer or an untouched powder area. The sooner the tempo, the higher the pure excessive typically is. It’s why difficult straight strains, regardless of being terrifying, nonetheless draw adrenaline-seeking skiers season after season. Whereas a precise analog to these pre- and post-line jitters are robust to search out elsewhere, the slopes aren’t the one place the place you possibly can fulfill the necessity for velocity. At a number of ski resorts all through North America, ziplines roughly replicate the feeling of hovering downhill in a managed, secure setting. Plus, from a zipline, you’ll take a wholly new perspective on the mountains. Listed here are seven ski resort zipline excursions price trying out.Need to sustain with the most effective tales and images in snowboarding? Subscribe to the brand new Powder To The Folks publication for weekly updates.
Photograph: Courtesy Ziptrek Ecotours
1. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
Within the Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia space, you’ve got choices courtesy of Ziptrek Ecotours, an outfit that operates 5 completely different high-flying experiences. These cater to completely different crowds and pursuits, however if you wish to go massive, look no additional than The Sasquatch®. This zipline stretches over one mile, and also you’ll attain speeds above 60 miles per hour through the experience. It begins at Blackcomb and deposits guests at Whistler, touring a whole bunch of toes above Fitzsimmons Creek. Ziptrek Ecotours calls The Sasquatch® the “longest zipline in Whistler, all of Canada, and the united statesA.” Want we are saying extra? If heights and excessive speeds are much less your factor, Ziptrek’s Bear Tour is the best choice for first-timers.
Photograph: Snow King Mountain
2. Snow King Mountain Resort, Wyoming
In keeping with the ski space, Snow King, Wyoming’s zipline is the steepest in North America. It maxes out at 36 p.c grade in essentially the most excessive part the place speeds of as much as 60 miles per hour are attainable. Fortunately, Snow King eases you into the expertise. The primary zipline within the tour features as a newbie space, permitting you to gauge your confidence stage. There are some visible distractions which may assist you to neglect that you simply’re a whole bunch of toes off the bottom, too—from the Snow King zipline, you’ll spot the towering Grand Tetons and the close by Jackson Gap Mountain Resort. End the day with a wander round Jackson, one of many West’s most well-known resort cities.
Photograph: Courtesy Sundance Mountain Resort
3. Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah
For large vertical drops and excessive speeds, Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah’s zipline tour, is hard to beat. Hosted in each the summer season and winter, the tour options 4 ziplines, considered one of which is sort of 4,000 toes lengthy. In the course of the tour, visitors will descend over 2,100 vertical toes—which, in response to Sundance, is the most important zipline drop within the U.S.—as they attain speeds as excessive as 65 miles per hour. The views are equally thrilling, together with glimpses of Mount Timpanogos, the height that stands above the ski resort at 11,752 toes. There’s a cause Sundance made POWDER’s most scenic ski runs record.
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4. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Bretton Woods is the most important ski resort in New Hampshire. It additionally homes a zipline community that makes up the Cover Tour, which incorporates 9 strains that vary from 120 toes to 1,000 toes lengthy. Right here, guests attain as much as 30 miles per hour as they zip via the air. The length of the tour is dependent upon the variety of contributors, however be ready to commit not less than an hour and a half of your day. The hours, we suspect, will not drag, although—time recordsdata whenever you’re having enjoyable.
Photograph: GlacierWorld&interval;com
5. Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana
Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana, boasts the state’s longest lift-served zip line tour. The mightiest line on the tour spans 1,900 toes or about one-third of a mile. Due to the twin ziplines on supply, you possibly can problem your folks to a pleasant rivalry—who can get to the subsequent platform first?—whereas soaking in views of the encircling (and picturesque) Flathead Valley. You’ll wish to convey some hiking-friendly footwear alongside for the experience as, in response to Whitefish Mountain’s web site, the tour includes a average quantity of mountain climbing.
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6. Grouse Mountain, British Columbia
Perched above the densely populated Vancouver, British Columbia, is Grouse Mountain. For Vancouver residents, the ski space features as a more in-depth and extra laid-back different to the area’s main draw, Whistler Blackcomb. So, Grouse Mountain is a metropolis hill, however that doesn’t imply it doesn’t supply an alpine escape from the chaotic streets beneath. Apart from snowboarding, there’s the 45-minute, three-zipline mountain tour, which floats via the treetops of Grouse Mountain. Twin ziplines facilitate side-by-side runs, whereas the encircling mountains and cityscape provide the views. Gazing down at Vancouver’s glittering skyscrapers whereas hovering via the air is an expertise you do not wish to miss.
Photograph: Courtesy Heavenly Mountain Resort
7. Heavenly Mountain Resort, California
Mountain climbing, tubing, scenic gondola rides—in the summertime, Heavenly Mountain Resort, California, options a lot of non-skiing actions. Included are two ziplines, the Crimson Tail and the Sizzling Shot. The previous is for youths and spans 100 toes, whereas the latter, for adults, spans 1,000 toes. Throughout a experience on the Sizzling Shot, you’ll hit between 30 and 40 miles per hour. If you happen to’re in search of one other exercise that delivers related downhill thrills, go for the Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster.
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