Ziplines originally were invented for just two functions: sneaking hamburgers over the Berlin Wall and zazzing up presidential entrances to State of the Union addresses. Put some zazz in your zip with today's Groupon: for $40, you get the High Flyer Tour at Eco Zipline Tours in New Florence (an $82.50 value).
Airborne treetop trekkers at Eco Zipline Tours careen through the canopy of a natural sanctuary while attached safely to steel cables. After a safety briefing during which zippers learn how to apply brakes and master important hand signals, flocks of about 10 flyers snuggle into harnesses, strap on helmets, and don protective gloves and bowties. The gravity-free gliders on the High Flyer Tour traverse the site's lush landscape at up to 40 miles per hour, whizzing along the more than 5,200 grin-inducing feet of zipline. The Super Zip, the adrenaline-harvesting crown jewel of the tour's 10 lines, levitates riders to cloud-skimming altitudes of more than 225 feet. Though some excursions are appropriate for almost all ages, High Flyers should be at least 12 years old or be able to solve a Rubik's Cube in less than 12 seconds.
Eco Zipline Tours keeps its harnessed cargo safe with a wide array of policies and procedures enforced by each guide and a group of watchful owls — the company inspects their cables daily, sends two guides to accompany each group of 10 riders, and provide safety lines and equipment for each rider before allowing them to take off. After the adventure, fuel up at the picnic station or send a souvenir zipping home from the gift shop.
Eco Zipline Tours
Flying over forest canopies may seem like an unconventional way to tour the wilderness, but the staff at Eco Zipline Tours wouldn't have it any other way. Bright-green leaves paint a picturesque backdrop for more than a quarter of a mile of cables that zigzag through the trees in New Florence to create 6 individual ziplines that cover 1,800 feet. Staff members lead groups through three different tours that range from the Easy Rider, which covers four lines, to the High Flyer, which rockets patrons down all 10 lines over a mile of ziplines at heights up to 225 feet.
Eco Zipline Tours’ founder, Mike Seper, not only brings a passion for his hobby and Missouri wildlife, but he also brings expertise drawn from as far away as Hawaii. Eco Zipline tours upholds rigorous safety standards, including daily cable inspections and braking tutorials, and provides each patron with the required gear. Children aged 5 and older are welcome to zip, provided all minors are accompanied by a parent on tour.