Nearly every kid has tied a rope to tree and swung from it. And when you did, you probably wished you had a little more.
Well, now you do.
Tamarack resort near Donnelly has built Idaho's first zip line course. It's quite a bit more elaborate than a rope tied to a tree, but it's the same basic concept.
Zip lines are cables strung between two anchors, which are usually tree trunks, rocks or man-made structures. There's a launch pad and landing area at each end of the cable.
You wear a rock-climbing harness and are strapped to a pulley that rolls along the cable. You step off the launch platform, and gravity takes over. You're rolling toward the other side.
It's sort of like diagonal bungie jumping, but instead of dangling upside down at the end, you step onto a platform, get unhooked from the cable and head to the next one.
"It's a fabulous thrill, and surprisingly, I felt more secure than I would have imagined, and that's a great combination," said Jim Rembar of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., who took the zip line tour earlier this month.
The security comes from several sources. First, your guides lead you through the process. One of the first things you realize is from the time you step onto the launch platform until the time you step away from the landing platform, you are attached at all times by a safety strap.
You can't fall. The worst you can do is dangle.
When you're zipping along the cable, you can twist the carabeiners so you stay facing forward. Other than that, you're just hanging in your harness and enjoying the ride.
The landing requires either stepping onto a ramp at low speed or grabbing a rope so you can be pulled in.
The six zip lines vary from 175 feet to 875 feet long. The tours start with short lines at mellow angles so you cruise across at mild speeds.
As the zip lines get longer, the speed increases, and you will notice your feet are farther and farther from earth. At one point, you will be zipping 200 feet above Tamarack's slopes.
Launch and landing areas range from on-the-ground platforms, to raised platforms, to a tree house that is built more than 100 feet off the ground.
"The tree house alone is worth the price of the admission," Rembar said.
With the increasing length and height of zip lines is a corresponding spike in the adrenaline rush.
"It really culminates when you get to the tree house," said David Claiborne of Darien, Conn. "When you're 100 feet up and looking down, even if you're clipped in, it's a pretty hairy experience."
Zip line tours are popular in seemingly disparate locations like Costa Rica, Alaska, Belize and Hawaii.
The common denominator is often cruise ships. Zip line tours have become a common side attraction where cruise ships land.
The folks at Tamarack saw the potential for a zip line tour because they already had a chairlift that would take people up the mountain, and they decided zip lines would be a great way to get them back down.
It also provides more recreation at the resort. It's common for people to be riding zip lines and watching mountain bikers cruise trails below.
Tamarack plans to add two more zip lines by late July so it can offer full-day tours that include lunch.
The current tour offers great views of Lake Cascade and a bird's-eye view of the forest as you zip across canyons and gullies, through the canopies of trees and across open slopes.
"I was really looking forward to riding the chairlift up and seeing what the whole valley looks like, and it's glorious," Claiborne said.
Roger Phillips: 373-6615
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