It’s just about time to raft the Gauley River, folks, and I was just looking at the ACE activity lists today. Even as the start of school approaches, folks are still vacationing. Which is cool.
The numbers show that the Zipline Canopy Tour here at our New River Gorge headquarters is our most popular off-river activity. I can understand why. For me, this trip was a major factor in conquering my fear of heights. I think it’s the same way for everybody, to an extent; it allows guests to do something out of their comfort zones.
As this summer’s Canopy Update blogger, I am going to use this post to clarify the new zips and let you know what to expect.
Zip #1 is a great warm-up for the rest of the zips. It gives you the first look at the new A-frame structures that act as launches and dismounts. They make you feel like you are in a tree house getting ready to set out on an adventure, because, hey, you’re in a tree house, getting ready to set out on an adventure! It gave me a real sense of childhood for some reason. Maybe this is the tree house my dad never built?
Zip #2 offers some of the best scenery on the trip. As you are flying across a chasm, there are amazing rock faces surrounding you. The dismount on this line has an amazing view of the river and gorge below. Once you are unhooked, it’s great to gather up friends new and old for a photo op on the edge of the gorge. That picture will look great on the mantle.
Zip #3 gets the competitive juices flowing. This is the racing zip. Family and friends can go head to head on lines that are strung just a few feet apart. Parents and kids can compete to see who will have bragging rights for the rest of the trip.
At the end of this line, you clip in and walk over our first swinging bridge. About 1.5-feet wide, the bridge has a rope and cable railing with an overhead cable safety system that you clip into. Beautiful stuff.
Zip #4 is the fastest sip on the course at more than 525-feet long. This line is so long that the guides have to communicate via walkie talkies since they are not visible to one another. This line has 2 options: one for guests under 130 pounds, and one for guests over 130 pounds. The different lines are strung to maximize the gravity breaking system for each weight range without compromising the fun (or speed!) At this line, the guides encourage you to ball up to increase your speed or spread you arms and legs like a starfish to slow down. My description really does not do this thing justice, y’all.
Zip #5 is THE PLUNGE. It’s my personal favorite. After dismounting from Zip #4, there is a short hike up and around, to reach the launch. You sit on the edge of the platform and leap (or slide off). It takes a nose dive into the ravine. Once you reach the other end of the zip, you slide back and forth until you settle in the center of the zip-line. From there, your guide will pull out a ladder to get you down.
This isn’t the end of the revamp though. New lines are being built to offer even more thrills. You can see the construction on the horizon at zip #1. As usual, I will keep you all abreast of any canopy tour news.
Finally, I would like to give a special shout out to Josh Sapio and his crew that guides all the Canopy Tours. They go out of their way to make this a fun and exciting experience. They are invaluable members of our ACE family. And we’re pretty happy that our family can bring such great memories to your families.
If you’re coming to ACE for a whitewater rafting trip on the Gauley River, seriously seriously consider doing a zipline canopy tour while you’re here. And tell Josh and the crew that I sent you.
