But ziplining has more to offer than a burst of adrenaline; there are fitness benefits to go along with the fun.
“Your core muscles are constantly engaged and you will definitely work your upper body,” said Andrew “Abe” Wright, Ozone Zipline director. “It’s a deceiving activity, most people are not expecting to engage so many muscles.”
Feeling adventurous? Want to get in on the fun? Ozone Zipline Adventures at YMCA’s Camp Kern is about 30 miles south of Dayton in Oregonia.
“People come out to zipline because it’s fun, the workout is an added benefit,” Wright said.
High-flying fitness
At Ozone Zipline, adventure seekers 10 and older navigate across three sky bridges and clamor up 79 steps before flying across the first zipline.
While you are in a safety harness, you will still rely on balance and body strength, as well as determination, to make it to the top.
“Some of the overall physical demands would be on the arm muscles – biceps and triceps – as well as your upper back muscles,” said Jessie Little, Kettering Sports Medicine exercise physiologist. “You will engage all of those muscles and the overall core.”
While gravity does its part, gliding downward also requires a bit of effort as you will use your abs and back to hold yourself upright as you zip down the lines, which range in length from 250 to 1,300 feet.
But ziplining has benefits beyond physical fitness including family bonding.
“Families come out all the time,” Wright said. “We’ve had guests as young as 10 and as old as 91.”
Off the beaten path
Ziplining is a fitness activity that’s off the beaten path, actually high above that path. That variety might be just what some people need.
“People get stuck in a routine,” Little said. “You don’t have to spend the day at the gym, you can play with your kids, toss a football, do a ropes course or play a family kickball game.
“You can definitely make fitness fun.”
And what could be more fun than taking in the terrain from the treetops?
The year-round facility offers four different tours from the traditional tour, with seven lines, to the ultimate tour with 11 ziplines. Want to up the adventure level even more? Try full moon night zipping.
For more information or to make a reservation, go online to www.ozonezips.org.
SIDEBAR
Worth the drive
Hooked on ziplining?
Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, in Rockbridge, in southeastern Ohio, might make for a fun summer daytrip.
• Fly Superman style on the SuperZip tour, which is more than a quarter-mile long with speeds upwards of 50 mph. It makes the list of Discovery Channel’s “10 Amazing Zipline Tours All Around the World.”
• The “X” Tour is the latest addition to the Hocking Hills Canopy Tours. With 11 zip lines, this 2.5-hour course takes zippers through trees, over rolling hills, into hidden caves, and across the scenic Hocking River.
• The Moonshine Full-Moon Zipline Adventure Tour allows adventurers to experience ziplining in the dark. The two-hour tour includes six zip lines and four sky bridges and is only offered in the summer during a full moon.
• Young explorers have the opportunity to soar with the DragonFly Zipline Adventure including eight kid-friendly ziplines, three bridges and a sky tunnel. Kids can experience the Hocking Hills scenery just like adults. The Dragonfly zipline features a continuous-belay safety system, the first of its kind, allowing participants to stay connected from start to finish.
• For more information, go online to www.hockinghillscanopytours.com.
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