How do you slow down when ziplining?

At Rotorua Canopy Tours, your safety is our top priority. When ziplining, we ensure smooth and safe stops with expert braking systems operated by our highly trained guides. Every zipline is unique, influenced by the forest, climate, and engineering design, but at Rotorua Canopy Tours, we make sure you can simply relax and enjoy the ride.

There are various braking systems used in ziplining globally. At Rotorua Canopy Tours, we make it easy for you by taking care of the slowing-down process. Your only job? Relax, enjoy the ride, and take in the stunning native forest views. If you’re feeling nervous, read our guide on how to overcome your fear of ziplining.

Every ziplining tour at Rotorua Canopy Tours is guided by two experts. The lead guide operates the braking system and ensures a smooth stop, while the tail guide attaches each guest safely and ensures a safe departure from the platform.

The lead guide uses a simple yet highly effective braking system: a wooden block, ropes, and pulleys create friction to gently slow you down as you approach the platform. We have heard this is one of the smoothest systems people have experienced when comparing it to other zipline breaking systems around the world.

 

So… who slows down the lead guide you ask?

Our guides are highly trained and they do it all themselves. Having ridden these ziplines hundred of times they are pretty skilled and have their own wee tricks they use on each flying fox NZ. The guides all wear high-quality leather gloves which they can use to slow themselves down. Some spread out like a parachute to slow down. The natural incline of the zipline end also helps the whole process.

 

How are our flying fox NZ guides trained?

Each guide is goes through extensive training before becoming a flying fox NZ guide. They learn about the zipline cable and how this contributes to ride speed (tension, angle, and slack of the cable), zipliner features (weight, body position and size), trolley bearing speed and the natural environment (wind direction, temperature and rain). Read more about our safety measures and the rigorous processes we follow. It’s a rigorous training program of almost 3- 4 weeks and a minimum of 100 tours (300 – 400 hours) before the art of using the breaking systems are mastered. Some guides become so experienced in braking; they learn to tell the speed of a zipliner by the sound their trolley is making as they come down the zipline. How cool is that?

What if your going really, really fast?

For the bigger, faster ziplines on the Ultimate Tour, our guides use mechanical support to slow you down. On our longest zipline (400m tandem), part of the ultimate canopy tour, speeds can get above 80km/h for the average adult. We encourage you and your friends to race each other on this one! For this zipline we installed our usual manual braking system, and also added in a system known as a ZipStop – designed by Headrush Technologies.

On our other platforms the lead guide catches and assists our guests onto the platforms, stopping you from rolling back out into the of the line. But, adding an extra line to make this a tandem zipline also meant that the Lead guide would have to catch two people at the same time. That seemed like a big ask when the lines are a few metres apart. So, we installed a nifty capture device. This device that clamps over your trolley and suspends you above the platform until you are assisted down the ladder by your guide.

 

Can you go too slow on the flying fox NZ?

Yes you can. But it’s not a problem, we found a great soloution. We figured out that simply adding a loop of rope underneath the break block was all we needed. If the zipliner is coming in a little slow, the guide can tell and simply will yell “grab the rope”. The zipliner just needs to reach up and grap the rope, the guide can then just tow you in. Going slow on the zipline can happen to anyone for several reasons. The most common being our lighter folks don’t get quite enough momentum. Or thoes who are having so much fun they act like a human parachute and spread out their wings while flying.

 

What happens if I miss the rope too?

Missed the rope? Don’t worry! You’ll roll back to the middle of the line, where you can relax and enjoy breathtaking views. Our guides will quickly assist you back to the platform. You’re likely to slowly roll back towards the lowest point of the zipline (which is the middle) and come to a stop. That’ll be your chance to carefully grab your phone, GoPro or camera and take some photos. Throw the hashtag #stuckonazipline onto those social media posts (just keep a tight grip, there’s a slim chance of finding your device in the dense forest below if you drop it). If that feels too risky, just relax and enjoy the breathtaking scenery from the middle of the flying fox NZ line! Your guide will swiftly be out to rescue you. They’ll earn their keep and put in a bit of hardwork to tow you back into the platform.

Who designed this and how do I know it’s really safe?

With hundreds of tours, expertly trained guides, and thoroughly tested braking systems, your safety is guaranteed. Our structural engineer-designed course passes rigorous audits and regular safety checks, ensuring every zipline is perfectly maintained. Our course and system designer is one of the owners of Rotorua Canopy Tours and is a highly experienced structural engineer, especially in zipline design and construction. We consistently pass safety audits, perform safety checks on all aspects of the braking systems regularly. We ensure everything is replaced well before it is worn so each piece of equipment is always in working order. To top it off our number one core value is safety. All staff coming into the business live and breathe a safety-first culture.

Hopefully I’ve answered all your questions about slowing down while you’re ziplining with us! We can’t wait to have you on tour, flying throughout our native forest. Discover all our adventures on the Rotorua Canopy Tours Experiences page and book your next ziplining experience today!

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ADVENTURE, NATURE, AND YOU – ATTACHED IN AN EPIC GUIDED EXPERIENCE