Need info about Green tourism! Are zip lines environmentally OK?

[CTyankee]

I hear they are one of the "silent sports." But do they attract busloads of people, causing traffic pollution in otherwise rural and quiet areas? Do they degrade the environmentally, even if they try not to?

From my google searching they say they are Green. Does anyone have actual experience around this sport in their area?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. We used to call them Tyrolese

And were temporarily set to move rescuers and equipment across gorges by rescuers.

I will not get on one, mostly I am leery of using somebody else's equipment that I have not checked. These days they are far more prrmament and with very little effect.


Do they attract tourists? Yup

[maxsolomon]

2. Everything carries an environmental cost.

Ziplines put people in 1 vehicle for the trip to the start, or not, whereas with hiking people drive to the trailheads in their personal vehicles.

Ziplines are a drop in the bucket compared to fuel-consuming outdoor recreation like snowmobiles, water skiing, jet skis, etc.

That's just my opinion, I'm sure someone will explain why they're worse than Hitler.

[CTyankee]

4. that's good to know about the one vehicle. I was wondering about that...

[riqster]

3. I've seen it done well, and not so well.

It really depends on the local conditions and how the operator runs things.

[Mnemosyne]

5. They are if you build them in your yard. I did for my grandson at my last home. He and friends loved

it. I wrapped a heavy moving blanket over a big pillow so they didn't smash headfirst into the bottom tree. Helmuts, eye protection, it was such fun to watch the kids slide down.

He's too big now.

[CTyankee]

6. My daughter had a small one, too. I just didn't know they were also commercially

avaliable..

[Mnemosyne]

10. I thought they were all in jungles. :) How's your daughter like it? I could barely get the boy to

get off the thing. Over and over and over... I was jealous!

[CTyankee]

15. Not used too much. My granddaughters are a little too old and big but my daughter

likes to keep it for family visits where younger kids are along.

They also have a bouncy thing...not sure it's used that much now, but a while back they were the rage...

[Glassunion]

11. You can build your own.

Pulleys, steel cables, u-clamps, etc... Can all be picked up at your local hardware store. Mother Nature can supply the anchor points.

I used to make these decades ago as a kid. They were great fun.

[geek tragedy]

7. I say yes, because they provide a way to make money off of forests without cutting them down.

It's great to say "we need to keep every tree in the forest pristine" etc but in developing countries where people are desperate to make a living, you have to offer them some way of making a living or other incentive to protect the forest. If the only way they can make money off of trees is by cutting them down, they'll do that.

Most ziplines don't draw buses full of tourists from significant distances--people tend to do ziplines that are close to them.

[avebury]

8. I love ziplining.

I have had a chance to zip line in Kuai, Jamacia, Puerto Rico, and St. Kitts. Some Zip Line companies will offer just zip lines, some will offer zip lines and different types of "bridges" to cross, and some zip lines with different types of adventurous activities along the way. I am not fond of open heights so the first time I went it was stressful. After that however, I couldn't wait to try it again. Most places will drive you to the starting point and you may hike into the woods to the starting point. Once you begin the zip line tour, it is usually arranged to have you end up back at the starting point. In some places you will have a nice, picturesque hike to the starting point. As I said above, I love the sport and highly recommend it. I have not had a bad experience.

Edit to add: Not all zip line companies bus in loads of people at a time. It is usually run in small manageable groups so that they have a decent ratio of experts to clients.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. A good question - in the Lake District National Park in England it's highly controversia

Lake District zip wire plan rejected

Plans to erect a mile-long zip wire for a temporary period on a Lake District mountain have been rejected.

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) planning committee rejected the proposal for the zip wire at Honister Slate Mine.

Seven members voted against the proposal and four were in favour.

The plan would have seen two zip wires built from near the top of Fleetwith Pike following the route of the old Lancaster aerial ropeway.

Supporters of the proposal said it would have allowed visitors to return to the base of the mine visitor attraction without damaging the fragile alpine environment on foot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-20890063

Sir Chris Bonington resigns over zip wire rejection

Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington has resigned from a charity after plans to build a zip wire across the fells of the Lake District were rejected.

He supports the proposals for Honister Slate Mine but the Friends of the Lake District (FLD), of which he was vice president, is against the scheme.

It was rejected by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) planning committee on Wednesday.

Sir Chris said advice from National Park officers had been ignored.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-20962828

(Bonington is probably the most famous British mountaineer)

[CTyankee]

13. Interesting.

[librechik]

12. 2 things I know about ziplines

1--as a 60 year old woman, they scare the living hell out of me,

2) that poor woman who lost her appendages from flesh eating disease last year got the infection from a minor zipline injury.

therefore, never gonna see me on one of those. I do like the funiculars or trams. Did a tram ride over the rainforest in Australia this last January. That was awesome!

[CTyankee]

14. I'm older than you and wouldn't be caught dead on one!

My reason for asking this question is unrelated to my interest in doing it.

Now, that tramline in Australia sounds fabulous, btw! Good for you!