Shortly after Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood, Mo., gained final approval last fall to install a ZipTour, work began in earnest to clear trees for the spans and pour concrete foundations. Now, the concrete towers that will carry the four-span, dual-cable ZipTour are nearly complete, and the resort is eyeing a late-May opening. The attraction will be open year-round.
It’s not a small project, according to Hidden Valley general manager Greg Gavrilets. “There will be eight concrete towers, altogether they hold 56 tons of rebar,” he said.
The four zip-line spans range in length from about 300 feet to more than 2,800 feet. Riders can reach a maximum speed of around 50 mph. The ZipTour’s unique trolleys allow riders to control their speed throughout the descent. The tour will take roughly two hours to complete.
It took some doing to get to this point. Hidden Valley faced a fair amount of opposition for the project from locals, and had to make several changes to the plan in order for the Wildwood City Council to finally approve it. Things got so contentious that Tim Boyd, CEO of Peak Resorts, Hidden Valley’s parent company, threatened to close the resort entirely if the proposal was not approved, citing unsustainable business levels without a year-round, revenue-driving attraction.
