Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Are You Ready To Zip?
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on April 16, 2024
What a weekend we had at Smoky Mountain Ziplines! We (and our guests) enjoyed some of the most incredible springtime weather in recent memory. The days were almost completely sunny with very mild temperatures and low humidity. They were the perfect conditions for a canopy tour at our Gatlinburg zip line attraction.
Thankfully, spring isn't over yet. There are still lots of great days ahead for getting outside and basking in the warmth and sunshine as nature comes into full bloom. Ziplining with us is the ideal way to spend a few hours in the beauty of nature. You'll enjoy fresh air, majestic mountain views and a true adrenaline rush as you soar through the treetops on our seven-line course.
If you've ziplined with us before, then you know exactly what we're talking about. But those of you who have never ridden a zipline before can only find out by experiencing it for yourselves. We know there are lots of folks out there who would absolutely love to ride a zipline, but perhaps they haven't yet because of fears or lack of information. That's why we're devoting the rest of this post to addressing both issues.
If you're feeling apprehensive about the thought of riding a zipline, you're not alone, especially if you're new to the experience. It's natural to be a little nervous about taking that first step off a launch platform and putting your safety in the hands of a body harness and a steel cable.
But here are a few things you should know. Our cables and support lines and structures are inspected regularly, to ensure that everything is in top-notch condition and capable of doing its job. Also, we provide each guest with all the gear they'll need - helmet, gloves, harness - to safely navigate our course.
A big part of the safety equation is our team of guides. Each tour group is led by two guides, and they're there to make sure your ride goes smoothly. They teach you how to ride the ziplines and how to arrive at each landing platform. They make sure that each guest is continuously clipped by safety tether to each launch and landing platform, an essential component since many of our platforms are in treetops or atop tall manmade towers.
Our guides make sure no one starts their zipline run until the previous guest has arrived at the end of the zipline, and the guides split up so that there's always one to see you off on your ride and another to help you land without incident. Our safety record over the years has been impeccable.
We understand that some people have a debilitating fear of heights, and in such cases, you probably shouldn't force yourself into a situation that would be extremely uncomfortable for you emotionally. But if your nervousness and apprehension are of the garden variety, we challenge you to try to overcome your fears. We've seen it time and time again, people who were anxious about ziplining before they did it but then afterward became diehard zipline fans. Once you get yourself over that hump, you might just find that you're ready to take on bigger and bigger challenges.
Fortunately, that's the way our course is designed. We start you off on a very short and low-hanging zipline, mainly to let you put your guides' instructions into practice and to give you a feel for what it's like. As the canopy tour progresses, the ziplining gets more bodacious, topping out with lines that are 800 feet long (almost three football fields) and more than 100 feet above ground level.
We've also learned that some people hesitate to go ziplining because they don't think they are capable. Too young? Too old? Not for most people. We do ask that our youngest guests be at least eight years old and weigh at least 60 pounds. Likewise, we do have a weight limit of 275 pounds per passenger. But otherwise, you probably qualify to ride. We've even had guests ride our ziplines who are well into their seventies and eighties.
If you're in reasonably good health, you're good to go. Some of the restrictions we have exclude pregnant women, those with heart conditions, recent surgeries or significant back, knee or joint problems.
