West Virginia surprises by leading the way in zipline safety regulations
Skift Take
Add a zipline and a resort is suddenly an adventure destination, but along with the attractive title comes the possibility of accidents that the state plans to keep tabs on to help eliminate unnecessary risks.
As resorts across the country promote ziplines, canopy tours and other kinds of "aerial adventure," West Virginia has become one of 10 states to impose safety and maintenance guidelines on those rides.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="350"] West Virginia is one of the first states to implement specific regulations for ziplines. Photo by Sergio Leenan.[/caption]
The number of resorts in the United States that offer ziplines, canopy tours or some sort of aerial trekking facility have more than doubled in the past year, according to James Borishade, executive director of the Association for Challenge Course Technology.
West Virginia offers ziplining at 16 resorts, ranking it in the top-10 places in the country for adventure-sport enthusiasts, Borishade said.
Last summer, West Virginia began to regulate safety and maintenance guidelines for those operations through the Zipline and Canopy Tour Res
