ZipRider® Technology
"“The Utah Olympic Park installed two ZipRider® rides in 2004. Since then we have seen the ZipRider® technology improve every year. The trolleys, harnesses, brake materials and terminal brake assemblies have all changed. For us, the Equipment Retrieval System was a great improvement, as it greatly simplified our operation. The new trolley upgrades in 2014 greatly reduced our annual maintenance costs.""
Charlie Schnetzler, Utah Olympic Park, Ski Jump Supervisor.
Why ZipRider®? The ZipRider® is the most technologically advanced zip line attraction available in the world today! Almost every aspect of the ZipRider® is protected by our numerous USA and International patents and copyrights; the ZipRider® trolley device and its braking mechanism, the equipment retrieval system, the harness, and the terminal brake acceptor and spring dampening system. Every ZipRider® component works in concert with each other to ensure safe, efficient, low labor, high customer throughput operation.
Our technology, in conjunction with our ability to design the longest and steepest zip line rides in the world, set us apart from the rest of the zip line industry. We have built some of the most extreme zip lines in the world: the world’s longest zip line (i.e. the 8,350 foot long ZipRider® at the Parque De Aventura Barrancas del Cobre in the Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico), the world’s steepest zip line (i.e. the 34% grade Xtreme ZipRider® at the Utah Olympic Park), and the biggest, multi-span zip line tours (i.e. the 2 mile long ZipTour® system at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont. We have 28 installations worldwide, and all of our rides have the ability to operate year round.
The ZipRider® trolley's braking mechanism is adjustable, which makes the trolley completely adaptable to a wide range of cable length and percent grade. The same trolley is supplied for rides that are 750 feet and 5,400 feet long, and for cable percent grades 8% and 34%. Since every ZipRider® is designed with the ride cables tensioned to eliminate low points or bellies in the cables, the customers cannot roll back to the middle of the ride span, as common on traditional tree top canopy tours. This means all customers, regardless of size and weight, are able to reach the landing decks to ensure predictable throughput and eliminate the need for time consuming rescues.
The ZipRider® is designed as a hands-off, no sweat adventure for your customer. At the top of the ZipRider®, directly in front of each gate, the rider is seated and secured within our custom, one-size-fits-all harness, which eliminates the need for either multiple harness sizes or staging areas for fitting. When the operator opens the gates, the riders fly through the doors with no responsibilities other than to enjoy the ride. The rider sits four feet beneath the ride cable and is thus unable to interfere with the trolley and its braking mechanism. Our patented ZipRider® trolley braking mechanism controls the rider’s speed of descent, and our proprietary terminal brake acceptor and spring dampening system brings each rider to a smooth stop at the bottom. Once at rest, the harness is unbuckled and the guest is assisted out of the harness and directed away from the landing platform. The patented ZipRider® "Equipment Retrieval System" then returns the trolleys and harnesses on each cable to the top of the ride where the next customers are waiting to be seated. Depending on the length of the ride and the hours of operation, the ZipRider® has the capability of cycling 350+ customers through each day.