Baker says his staff does all of the clipping and unclipping on platforms. Terrapin Adventure’s owner Matt Baker says his company inspects twice a year, more than the ACCT recommendations, and his staff is always available to instruct guests. Schwartz says he’s looking into a guide wire system to keep people tethered to the zip line the entire time. He thinks states like Maryland and Virginia should follow his state’s example.īut other operators like Bryce Resort’s General Manager Rob Schwartz say they’ve “never had an accident” and think “the industry polices itself well.” He says he welcomes the new regulations toughening standards for reporting injuries, staff training and inspections. Knott was required under a new West Virginia law to report the injuries. In spite of the extra purchases, Knott says this summer “we did have a couple of guests collide on a cable when they were coming onto the platform." But there is no standard that says you have to have two trolleys, full body harness and there's no standard that says you have to have a helmet." Knott says he opted to include these more expensive safety features at the recommendation of the company who built his zip line course. Matt Knott owns River Riders and says, “The majority of the standards have to deal with the building of the course, the design of the zip line. And then annually it should be inspected by a third party."Īll of the zip line companies we visited except Bryce Resort say they follow ACCT standards. "The equipment should be inspected daily,” Borishade explains. The trade group sets “minimum standards” for zip line companies when it comes to construction. He’s the Executive Director for the Association for Challenge Course Technology, often referred to as ACCT. "We're looking to educate the entire industry,” says James Borishade. As we zoomed in from one zip line, our guide unclipped us and told us the platform was “real high” and told us “to make sure you stand over there by the tree.” Our orientation guide tells us, “Once you clip in at the start of the course, you’ll be locked onto the cable throughout the entire course.”īryce Resort at Basye-Bryce Mountain, Va., was the only location we visited where our two guides left us unhooked at times on top of platforms, with nothing to keep us from falling. We do get a very detailed 30-minute orientation before our self-guided tour. But one of the two guides is quick to remind a guest down below, "I need your helmet on down there! Helmet on! Helmet on!"īut no helmets at all at The Adventure Park at Sandy Springs Friends School in Sandy Springs, Md. One of our three guides tells us during the safety briefing, “I ask that you leave all the unclipping and clipping only to the guides."Īt Terrapin Adventures in Savage, Md., there’s no safety briefing and one clip for this single zip. area and found standards vary from state to state.Īt River Riders in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., we get a safety briefing, a full body harness, two zip line clips and a helmet. We visited four popular zip line attractions in the D.C. Unlike amusement parks, white water rafting or other adventure sports with heavy government oversight, the News4 I-Team discovered zip line companies are mostly self-regulated. In the last year, accidents in Tennessee, South Carolina and at least a half-dozen in our area according to government reports.īut don’t jump to the conclusion the government is keeping track. But the thrill of zip lining does come with some risk.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |