Zip-line

A zip-line (or zip line, zip wire, aerial runway, aerial ropeslide, death slide, flying fox, or foefie slide (in South Africa)) consists of a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by holding on to, or attaching to, the freely moving pulley. Zip-lines come in many forms, most often used as a means of entertainment. They may be short and low, intended for child's play and found on some playgrounds. Longer and higher rides are often used as a means of accessing remote areas, such as a rainforest canopy. Zip line tours are becoming popular vacation activities, found at outdoor adventure camps or upscale resorts, where they may be an element on a larger challenge or ropes course. The jungles of Costa Rica, Florida, Puerto Vallarta,and Nicaragua are popular destinations for zip line enthusiasts.

History

The zip-wire has been used as a transportation method in some mountainous countries for many years. In some remote areas in China such as Nujiang (Salween) valley in Yunnan, zip lines served the purposes of bridges across rivers, but due to poor safety record, they have mostly been replaced by real bridges by 2015. Referred to as "an inclined strong", one appears in The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells, published in 1897, as part of a Whit-Monday fair.