Zip lines at Sundance

Sundance is most famous for its annual film festival. The ski resort is located near Provo, Utah. Skiing was not an option when my wife and I visited last month. We considered spending fifteen dollars for a lift ticket so we could view the spectacular scenery from the top of the mountain. But the zip tour caught my attention.

Initially, I was considering the maverick tour, which runs 69 dollars. You get a short training run followed by two longer stretches along with the lift tickets. But I ultimately gave in to the full bear claw tour. For thirty dollars more (99 dollars total) you get four full zip lines, two lifts and the training run. Two hours of zipline. This includes the third longest zip line in the United States and the steepest drop of any zip line.

We started the tour getting geared up along with a couple of teenagers who were on the same tour as us. After getting our gear situated, we humped our backpacks up to the lift. Visitors carry their own gear in a backpack. This includes the expensive brake carriage that rides on the zipline. It wasn't too heavy. There was also room in the pack for phones and wallets. You probably don't want to lose either while zipping along at 65 MPH.

The first lift dropped us at the training run, where we learned how to use the braking system. This is essential for several reasons. It can help you get sorted out if you start twisting, it allows you to keep pace with whoever is riding the parallel line with you and it allows you to begin scaling back your speed as you land. There are spring backstops on each line, but it is preferred to have you stop without using them.

After the practice run, we took a set of stairs down to the second run. That was longer but not the longest. Just enough to get your confidence up after the practice line. From there, we took another lift up to the top of another mountain. I was advised that this was located at 8000 feet. From there, we rode three consecutive lines down to a parking area where a shuttle returned us to the base camp. All in all, a fun experience.

The zip lines run May 19 - October 8 all week long. The tours operate from 10 am until 4 pm except for special moonlight and sunrise tours which cost a bit more. If you have some time and money to spend while visiting Utah, this is a fun way to spend it.