Q7: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ZIP LINE BRAKES: ACTIVE OR PASSIVE?
KEITH: I’m a big fan of passive, for several reasons: Staff get distracted, technology has come a long way in the last five years, and new brake systems are brought to market each year. Additionally, most states that are regulating zip lines have problems with hand braking. The question being asked is, “If a person is required to be the brake, and a brake needs to be tested each day before use, how do you test the brake [that is, the person’s ability to slow themselves]?” Do you just watch them once on the ground in a calm and controlled environment? Do you provide a grip strength test with a hand tensionometer?
That said, as an inspector, we don’t fail hand brake or staff-operated zip lines. The brake system has to be looked at in the context of the operational policies and the staff training and supervision.
DAVE: Passive, but we are not only, or really, in the zip line business. In our aerial adventure parks, where zip lines are one of many different elements, passive. In most AAP designs, you won’t see the 1,000- to 2,000–foot, high speed zip lines that require mechanical braking devices.
Our design strategy requires no hand braking interaction from the guest. Proper design allows for speed to be controlled, and correct platform design eliminates the risk of guests impacting the arrival area.
During our thorough safety and equipment demos, guests are instructed on proper positioning while participating on the zip lines. Prior to accessing the courses, each guest must demonstrate proper zip line technique to the guide giving the safety and equipment demo.
KEN: I think in the long run, there will have to be some adjustments in how hand braking, braking, long zip lines, all that stuff plays out. And case law will influence it. Somebody at some point will say, “this is what is acceptable, and this is not.” That has not been ironed out. But the suits are starting to play out now.
I think there are some really good vendors out there trying to do a good job. There are a few good options out there. But the systems have yet to really manage stopping in all instances and providing that fail-safe function.
ERIC: Every zip line system should include some type of passive braking system at the end of the ride, regardless of whether there is active braking or not out on the line. If there is an active braking system, this secondary passive system protects the riders from injury, if and when they do not follow the proper protocols or when there is an equipment malfunction. There should be no single point failure locations designed into any aspect of the passive braking system.
SHAWN: The quick answer is passive. We understand the customer experience gained from interactive ropes courses, as well as the fun in hand braking canopy tours. But everyone close to the industry understands (or should) the issues of active braking. As the race began for the longest, steepest and fastest zip lines, the potential risk raced right along with it. From the beginning, we’ve engineered passive braking for all of our installations, identifying the need to set the bar for safety in the industry. So we’ve designed rider trolleys that brake riders on their descent, as well as passive terminal braking systems employing triple redundancy. Our concept is simple: design zip lines that will dare and scare most folks, and build them with the level of safety of any amusement park ride.
Along with an unforgettable experience, our goal was to take the liability out of the riders’, operators’ and owners’ hands. Technology keeps improving; we’re at a point now where smaller-scale canopy tours and adventure parks can tap into some of the high throughput passive braking systems previously only available to the bigger, better-funded operations. Regulation of adventure parks and zip lines has really just begun, and it is impossible to know for sure where it will end. But the safer we make it, the more we will be able to control the future of it.
