Poised on the platform, ready to zip along the mountain line, guests of the new Adventures on the Gorge (www.adventurewestvirginia.com) Gravity zipline are set to take in a panoramic view of the New River Gorge. The open-air zipline offers a mile-long tour, zigzagging across the ridgeline and crossing a scenic mountainscape.
What these high adventure enthusiasts may not realize is that they are seeing a changing of the guard with regards to the development and use of this scenic property. Before it became a playground, it was a working surface mine. Gravity Zipline stands as the latest tourism venture that brings a new vision to lands that once brought economic benefit through mining.
“This property was a working surface mine in the 1970s and was reclaimed in the 1980s,” said Dave Arnold, director of public relations for Adventures on the Gorge. “It has been restored to its natural contours and is a good example of how quickly nature heals itself.”
Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, is pleased with the land’s new use as an adventure destination. “There is a special synergy between the tourism and coal mining industries in West Virginia,” said Raney. “This is an exceptional example of how reclaimed land can continue to bring economic vitality to an area when it is repurposed for tourism.”
Launched by Adventures on the Gorge in late September, Gravity takes riders soaring a jaw-dropping 200 feet above the ground at its highest point. Riders start from a platform on one of the highest points above the valley on two consecutive warm-up zips, each about 500 feet long. Then, the real action kicks in with the third zip crossing a distance of 1800 feet over the bowl of the mountain. The fourth and fifth zips stretch 1600 and 1300 feet, respectively, reaching heights of about 200 feet above the ground and speeds up to 45 miles per hour.
“The valley drops out below quicker than the cables are descending the ridge so you keep getting higher and further away from the mountainside,” said Brian Campbell, title of Adventures on the Gorge. “I’m not afraid of heights and even I was surprised at my adrenaline rush!”
Elevated above the trees, adventurers have unspoiled views of the ever-changing West Virginia forests as they scale the mountainside during their two-hour ride in the sky.
Gravity tours are available every hour. This half-day adventure can also be paired with the signature Adventures on the Gorge TreeTops Canopy Tour to create a full-day outing in the sky. The TreeTops Canopy Tour is the state’s longest zipline tour and gives outdoor enthusiasts an insider’s perspective of West Virginia forests with ten ziplines that run through the forest canopy crossing Mill Creek gorge and into the lush woods filled with rhododendron, old-growth Eastern Hemlock, and numerous hard wood species.
Gravity is open to all guests 12 years and older who meet the weight range requirement of 100-250 pounds. TreeTops Canopy Tours are available to all guests 10 years and older weighting 90-260 pounds. All-inclusive packages are available for guests who book the Gravity and TreeTops Canopy Tours together. For more information on Gravity and the all-inclusive packages available with Adventures on the Gorge, please call 888.782.9982 or visit www.adventurewestvirginia.com.
About Adventures on the Gorge
Adventures on the Gorge is located on the New River Gorge in Lansing, West Virginia, and borders three miles of the New River Gorge National River. The destination covers more than 1,000 acres and includes a diverse selection of activities such as whitewater rafting on the New and Gauley Rivers, TreeTops Canopy Tour, Gravity Zipline Tour, Bridge Walk, kayaking, fishing, mountain biking, hiking, mountain climbing, disc golf, and paintball. Lodging options include tent and cabin selections from rustic to luxury, and the campus includes three restaurants. In 2009, the outdoor adventure destination “Adventures on the Gorge,” also known as Class VI River Runners, was selected as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” in the 2009 National Geographic Adventure survey.
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