Zip Lines Here

Not So New A Sport

When I was invited to fly, I thought it was all about a sport like paragliding, hang-gliding or parachuting. But this time it was different. “You will see”, I heard from who would be our adventure guide.

This new activity is called zip lining. It is practiced in some places around the world and for some time it has been practiced in some key spots in our country. It consists of steel wires hanging from one tree to another creating a slope in order to slide along them with the help of a pulley. The upper end is the starting point, and the other end, the finishing point. Fastened to high mountain carabiners and ropes, those who practice zip lining experience a strong feeling of adrenaline and speed until they reach the lower end of the wire, where the rest of the instructors are waiting

Zip lining is not new for man. Since time immemorial, it has been practiced by different tribes and even by the armed forces to carry objects from one place to another, mainly when the ground was not easy to walk.

Today, long after those days, the activity has been recycled into a sport variant for those who look for unique feelings: crossing ravines, canyons, rivers from coast to coast, just hanging from a rope.

The original idea was to create a tour that would link different spots, mainly trees, to offer visitors the possibility to go from one place to another suspended in the air.

It is hard to make the decision to jump down the rope, but safety measures (helmets are required) are taken into account and complied with in almost all the circuits.


Zip Lining in the Mountain

In Sierra de la Ventana, the activity has flourished and this is evidenced when hearing everybody, especially young people, talk about it. The invitation to “try” at Vertientes Aventura was perfect. It is a farm where different outdoor activities can be practiced and some shallow streams flow through the wide valleys. Here, the mountain range would be the magnificent setting to “fly”. The resources have been waiting there for years. A thick grove surrounded by the Esmeralda Mountain Range and the Ventana Mountain Range had been carefully prepared to be part of the tour.

Man-made platforms can be seen at the top of these huge trees and they can be reached by using rustic ladders or long ropes. Once there, the guide is in charge of providing beginners all the knowledge and safety measures necessary for a pleasant tour. Harnesses, safety ropes, carabiners, helmets and pulleys are necessary.

It is important not to be afraid but to take into account all the safety measures and to make the most of them. Thus, the time comes to dare to jump into the void, from one tree to the other, in order to complete the whole circuit.

Tyrolean rope in hand, the visitor has to make the decision, as the guide winks and says everything is OK. “Go now” is probably what visitors do not want to hear. And there, on the border of the platform, before the void, there are no other impediments than losing their fear and beginning the flight.

An unique pleasure for vertigo and speed lovers.