First zip-line tour in state coming to Charlemont

[ Originally published on: Friday, January 16, 2009 ]

CHARLEMONT -- With approval from both the town Planning Board and the Conservation Commission, Zoar Outdoor is building the state's first zip-line ''canopy tour'' through woods on Zoar's 80-acre property. An opening date is set for June 1.

The zip-line above the tree tops will be called ''Deerfield Canopy Tours,'' and it will include nine to 10 dual-cable zip lines strung between platforms, at levels of up to 60 feet high.

A state license for the zip line is required, but the lines must first be constructed before the state Department of Public Safety can inspect it and issue a permit, according to Zoar president Bruce Lessels. Lessels said design work and surveying is under way, and that construction will begin this spring.

Each tour will take about three hours to complete, for a group of eight participants plus two guides. To ride the steel cables, participants wear full-body climbing harnesses that are attached by a ''trolley'' to the cable, with handbrakes to slow the ride. Lessels says previous experience is not required and groups are welcome to sign up for reservations.

Lessels says canopy tours are part of a growing trend known as ''Geotourism'' -- tourism that sustains the geographic character of a place.

Besides the excitement, the aerial ride provides a new way to experience stands of oak, pine, maple, hemlock and the birch trees that comprise a New England forest.

Zoar Outdoor celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The company is primarily known for whitewater rafting, kayak and canoe instruction, although it also provides rock-climbing classes, bike and kayak rentals.

According to its Web site, the cost for the three-hour tour is $85. For more information, visit:

www.deerfieldzipline.com

or call 800-532-7483

 

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