When I created this blog I promised something would be posted about zip lines aka ziplines. So, here is the first post about all that.
I visited Costa Rica a few years ago and rode on my first wild zip line. That is, it wasn’t a carnival ride or a rope in someone’s yard. It was down a mountain, in the rainforest, and attached to trees, and pretty freeking amazing. When I got home, my spousal unit said, “You’re going to build one of these, aren’t you?” And I said “Of course!”
I set up a a 420 foot zipline on our property. So far I’ve built the tower and ladder, which is a great treehouse getaway:
and I built the lower platform:
and have installed and tested a temporary (smaller diameter) cable. Here is a fun movie of a sandbag wearing my spousal unit’s blouse slamming into the platform:
Zip Line Test with Fake Spousal Unit Getting Seriously Hurt.
While I was pleased at the 32 MPH speed, this test proved that I need to raise the final cable a bit on the tower tree and on the base post as well when I finalize everything.
There are more photos of the building process on my website: Zipline Photos.
The full size cable is up on the hill ready to install but at this point the path down the mountain needs to be cleared (again) before we continue with the construction. For now, I’m working to finish building our house, so this project is on hold for the moment, but will be completed at some point.
What’s funny about this particular project is that when my spousal unit’s elderly relative heard about it, she wrote us out of her will, telling another relative in private (which of course didn’t remain private) that “Building a zip line is pure Tom Foolery! These people have time to burn!” Well, building a zip line is what I do on the weekends rather than watch football. Just don’t call me Tom.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out my book about building a bridge. It includes some cool ideas that apply to other projects, like how to put a really tall post into a deep hole when you aren’t that tall. Amazon has the book on sale for about $12.00 right now. Here is the link:
Building a Small Cable Suspension Bridge with the Cable Locking System
Images, diagrams, and text copyright 2013 by Marvin Denmark unless otherwise noted. Please do not copy and post my content anywhere without my permission. Thank you.
Wildcat Man 