With incredible views and stomach churning adrenaline rushes, it’s no surprise that zip-lining is becoming one of the most up and coming travel experiences.

Zip-lining History

Although zip-lining has become a big tourist attraction in many places, zip-lines were not originally designed to fulfill human desire to feel like they are flying.  Instead, zip-lines were built to help transport people and perishable goods down mountains.

The people transporting goods would put their things into a basket, strap into the zip-line, and ride to where they could sell their goods.  Without zip-lines, this journey down the mountain could take days, causing their goods to spoil.  

Zip-lining was the most effective and safest way to get down the mountain.

Years later, Australians picked up this idea to help with their trading and transporting of goods.  Instead of going through the mountains, though, the zip-lines in Australia were designed to help cross bodies of water.

Commercial Zip-Lines

Flash forward to today.  Countries everywhere are still using zip-lines to help transport goods, but they are also building their own commercial zip-lines. Whether it is in an amusement park or a rain forest, zip-lines can practically be built anywhere.

In 1979, Donald Perry developed the first canopy zip-line at Finca La Selva in Costa Rica. In 1997, a Canadian named Darren Hreniuk opened up “the Original Canopy Tour.” This became the first commercial zip-lining company in the world.  This company is still open for business and has had more than 1.5 million guests “soar” on their zip-lines.

Although commercial ziplining is a prominent tourist attraction in Costa Rica, it is not limited to that one country. Zip-line companies can be found in almost every country in the world. Will you be going to another country sometime soon and are interested in zip-lining there? TripAdvisor  is a wonderful website to begin your zip-lining search for a safe and reliable zip-line company.

Be Advised:

If you are planning to go zip-lining, be sure to go to one with a company, not just in someone’s backyard. These home made zip-lines have caused some controversy over the past few years.  There have been cases of people building zip-lines on their own private property. These zip-lines are not checked to see if they are up to code and a majority of the time those  lines snap. This results in injury and sometimes death to the person riding.

Commercial Zip-lining Companies are Taking Precautions:

It is possible for a zip-line that has been checked time and time again to snap. That, though, is very uncommon. Zip-line professionals are taking precautions to make sure the riders do not fall even if the line snaps.

A majority of zip-lines are built to withstand more than one thousand pounds. If a rider gets stuck before they land on the platform, the instructor can go out on the line and pull them to safety.  

Several zip-lining companies also do not just have one line that the rider is attached to. Most companies have two or three lines that a rider is attached to.  This way, if one snaps, the other is still able to hold the rider up.  

These precautions are some reasons why zip-lining is a growing trend.  In 2010, zip-lining was something people were interested in trying, but the safety regulations were still not always up to par.  Companies have began building longer, faster, and, most importantly, safer zip-lines for people to use.  

Even though you might have anxiety over going zip-lining for the first time, conquer your fears and get ready to zip through your next vacation!