incident reviews. More importantly, they learn a comprehensive skill set of rescues, including platform lowering, rappelling, rappel self-rescue, trolly swaps, mid-cable cutaways, lanyard fall rescues, bridge rescues, and mass evacuations for environmental emer- gencies.” Guides are also empowered to cancel tours if the weather is outside of established safety protocols. It is essential that all the guides are trained in the same skills and self-suf- ficient, says Henderson, as emergency medical services can take up to an hour to arrive and he can’t be on site at all times. “Murphy’s law says that emer- gencies will happen when I am away.” Recruiting. One tactic Henderson uses in recruiting staff is to post job listings on online job board Cool Works. Denali Park Zipline also shares with the Davises’ vehicle-excursion adventures a staff-re - cruitment site, workindenali.com. How- ever, getting the quality of employee he is looking for to fill out a staff of about 25 (16 of whom are actually running the zip line) is no small task when relying largely on inexperienced young people looking for summer jobs. And once he has his staff assembled, training is arduous—at least 80 hours in often harsh, late-spring weather. These are not jobs that just any warm body can fill. However, Henderson says that because the zip line relies so heavily on the performance of its guides, in return he goes out of his way to make sure that they are treated well. Employee housing with private rooms is provided nearby. A fleet of employee cars to commute to and from the zip line site is made available. Good performance is reward- ed with end-of-season bonuses. And in general, Henderson tries to nurture a high degree of respect, appreciation, and worker morale for the effort his staff puts in. The result, at least pre-Covid, was a surprisingly high annual rate of return employees, given the location and the short season—somewhere around 50 percent. Covid threw a large wrench into the staffing works, as it did in many places, but Henderson says that the tour is now scrambling its way back toward a healthy return rate.
STAMP OF APPROVAL
Whatever Denali Park Zipline is doing, it seems to be working, and it now has ACCT accreditation to validate that fact. This year, the zip line tour was given the ACCT’s stamp of approval with an Operation Accreditation, earned after what Henderson calls “a mountain of paperwork” and rigorous inspection. Many parks that apply for such recog- nition prepare ahead of time for the inspection to be sure everything is running smoothly, safely, and profes- sionally. But Henderson says that he essentially did nothing—if the park was to earn its accreditation, it ought to be based on regular day-to-day operations, not on some dolled-up, inspector-pleas- ing version. Earning a thumbs-up under those circumstances, says Henderson, was strong affirmation that what Denali was doing was right. But why go through the process at all? Henderson admits that there was at least some ego involved in being able to bask in the distinction of being a certi- fiably well-run operation. He compares the ACCT accreditation to the Michelin stars that first-rate restaurants crave. However, because the meaning of the accreditation (unlike Michelin stars) might not yet be appreciated by the majority of visitors, the marketing value for the time being is probably minimal. Yet there was one immediate and substantial reward: Henderson says the park saw a drop of $40,000 in its insur-
ance costs. He also sees the possibility of a bigger-picture, long-term benefit. He believes that if he can convince other aerial-adventure operators in the state to go through the accreditation process, it could help to elevate the Alaska brand as home to the best-run aerial adventures in the country. He admits that that might be a pipe dream, but he sees it as something out of the rising-tide-lifts-all-boats playbook. Rugged appeal. Henderson speculates that Denali Park Zipline is the north- ernmost zip line in North America. That might be true and it might be a selling point, but it is also an assurance that nothing, from construction, to opera- tions, to staffing, comes easy. Yet that’s a fundamental allure of living in or visiting Alaska. It’s a place where you go not because it is easy but because it is hard. The remote location on the edge of Denali National Park serves up unspoiled views of the surrounding Alaskan wilderness.
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