The Quarry Flyer while under construction. Photo courtesy Zip World.
UK-based outdoor adventure company Zip World is opening the Quarry Flyer, a new two span, dual zip line at its Penrhyn Quarry site in northern Wales. The approximately 655-foot-long (200 m) attraction will launch this Saturday, July 24, 2021.
Designed and built in-house, the new parallel zip is billed as “ideal for kids or anyone not quite up to the white-knuckle adrenaline rush of Velocity 2,” another attraction at Penrhyn Quarry that Zip World calls the fastest zip line in the world.
Quarry Flyer has two legs—a 360-foot zip from a launch platform to a tower, and then a 295-foot zip from the tower to the ground—with a total elevation drop of roughly 30 feet.
It will be open to riders age 3 and up who weigh a minimum of 33 lbs. (15 kg). The attraction was added to Penrhyn’s lineup to bring more families to the park, increase the amount of time guests spend on site, and offer a lower-priced, lower-adrenaline activity. Tickets are available online for $13.69 (10.00 GBP).
Zip World Tower Off to a Strong Start
It’s been a busy season for Zip World. In addition to the new attraction, the company also recently launched its fourth adventure park. The new site, Zip World Tower, opened in South Wales in April 2021. Plans for the site were approved in 2019, but it appears Covid-related complications delayed the start of construction.
Zip World Tower’s star attraction is the Phoenix, a 1.5-kilometer-long (nearly one mile) seated zip line that can reach speeds up to 70 mph, making it the fastest seated zip line in the world, according to Zip World.
Demand at the new location has been unprecedented, said Zip World commercial director Andrew Hudson, noting that it has “quickly outstripped capacity, so much so, we’re opening every available slot we have to meet the demand.”
These new additions are part of a larger strategic plan formed in 2019 to double the company in size by 2022, a plan that remains in place notwithstanding pandemic-precipitated challenges.
“We’re relentless in our commitment to invest in new products, new sites, and more importantly our people and brand despite the financial challenges caused by the pandemic,” said Hudson.
Zip World is a third of the way through its growth strategy. “The company’s focus is to drive growth through new virgin sites, through acquisitions, and we’ll continue to invest in our existing sites,” elaborated Hudson. “Equally, innovation will always be in our DNA, as such, we want to embrace new technologies to enhance the visitor experience and push ourselves to create ‘wow’ in all that we do.”
