Zip lines, zip wires, aerial runways, aerial rope slides, Tyrolean Traverses whatever you choose to call them, have been around for ever. At least long enough to be mentioned as an “inclined strong” in HG Wells book “The Invisible Man” way, way back in 1897. The Tryolean Traverse was developed for mountaineering in the Tyrols of Northern Italy and widely used in mountaineering and rock climbing. The modern version of the zip line became popular with the development of canopy tours in the mid-1970’s and was made even more popular with the movie “Medicine Man” in 1992.
Many still think you have to travel to Costa Rica or other places in Central and South American to experience a Canopy Tour. Not true–they are available right here in Massachusetts at the Berkshire East Ski Resort.
Berkshire East has three different options from which to choose. A base area tour at $30 pp, a Mountain Top Tour at $85 pp and a Valley Jumping Tour at $110 pp
The Base Tour is a great introduction for those that are not sure they will like it. Mountain Top Tours are for those a little more adventurous. With 7 zip lines varying in length from 250′ to 800′ and a couple of short hikes in between, this tour captures the thrill of zipping and the beauty of New England all in one package. The Valley Jumping Tours are for the brave at heart. After warming up on a series of smaller lines X1 takes you 2300′ across the valley and X2, which is even longer at 2600′ brings you back.
Children must be eight years old and weigh at least 70 lbs to participate. Adults have a maximum weight restriction of 275 lbs for the Mountain Top tour and 260 lbs for the Valley Jumping Tour.
If this sounds intriguing and you want to try it, The Inn at Clamber Hill is definitely within reach. You can “zip” right over to Berkshire East for any of their regularly scheduled tours. Just be sure to reserve ahead of time as it is becoming extremely popular. We discovered it last fall when two of our overnight guests spent the day zipping before coming here for a relaxing dinner and overnight. They were very enthusiastic about their entire weekend.
And if the Mountain Top Tour is a bit of a stretch budget-wise, keep your eye out for special deals. On June 18 Berkshire East is sponsoring a Zip & Sip party with Mountain Top Tours at $50 pp! You must use the code SZSMT to reserve and do it now as there are limited spaces. If you miss that, Trail Head is offering a special for their customers on June 27th. The Mountain Top Tour will be discounted to $65 pp. Of course they have a special customer code too, so go shopping at their great store in the center of Orange MA and find out what it is!
So young or old, start your summer off with a little zip! Check it out on YouTube — just search for Berkshire East!
