Above and right: Devices like the C-Pass Zip block zip line access if a rider is on the line. Below: Staff on the zip line re - cieving platform communicate via radio at Quarry Park Adventures, Calif.
be limited, and redundancies must be in place to prevent miscommunication.
after checking the participant’s gear, the guide will ask the participant if they see the flag—this creates a double check. Other operations have guides use hand signals. Sarah Brubaker, the aerial sports program specialist for the Summit Bechtel Reserve, a West Virginia-based training, scouting, and adventure center, says she created distinct hand signals that were visible from afar to communicate with guests about when to brake on a hand-braking course, as well as hand signals to use when all other communications fail to indicate a “do not send.”
radios when clearing zip lines. Radios can be an incredible tool when used correctly and can simplify an otherwise complicated process. When shopping for radios, operators should consider reliability, weather resil- iency, and range. Conversations with other parks can be extremely helpful and, as always, a brief internet search can also provide plenty of reviews and information. If new radios aren’t in your budget, some manufacturers and ven- dors offer rental options. Technology. Beyond radios, the indus- try has seen a surge in new technology specifically designed to address issues with zip line collisions. >> continued
The North Carolina-based U.S. National Whitewater Center (US NWC), which of- fers 1,300 acres of recreation, has found success in an “all clear” flag system on its zip lines. Outdoor activities assistant manager Allison Leedom says the flags are help - ful and easy to use correctly: for one, a guide must actively pull on a bungee system to raise a flag into the “clear” position and flags automatically return to the “not clear” position when a guide releases the pull. This visual signal is also worked into the guest briefing on the sending side, says Leedom, when,
Auditory cues. Many operators communicate with technology such as
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