UP IN THE AIR
When the opportunity to ride the new HighFlyer Zipline at Foxwoods came up at a newsroom meeting and I volunteered enthusiastically, some people seemed surprised at my lack of hesitancy. But I was surprised nobody else seemed as eager.
I’ve always been a fan of ziplines. As a kid, I enjoyed traversing through the trees on short ziplines while doing ropes courses at sleepaway camps in Woodward, Pennsylvania, and Saranac, New York. I most recently was on a zipline at Fields of Fire Adventure Park in Mystic last summer.
The longest zipline I’ve done was 3,981 feet, at Gunstock Mountain Resort in New Hampshire. I did the ziplines and “Aerial Treetop Adventures” there with my mom, who had ropes course on her bucket list.
Thursday was the first time I’ve been on a zipline not in the summer, and it was rather nippy. (The zipline will be open year-round, so those unbothered by the cold can opt for a polar zip.)
When people hear that zipline riders can go up to 60 miles per hour, the assumption is it’s a high-octane experience for thrill-seekers. But as I flew over the treetops, feeling snug in my harness and surveying the landscape below, what struck me was how peaceful it all felt. (It’s worth mentioning, though, that I am not afraid of heights but rather am someone who actively seeks them out.)
The zipline experience varies based on length, maximum speeds reached and weather, but I’ve otherwise found the physical feeling to be fairly consistent. What makes the HighFlyer unique is how quickly you can get from hanging 330 above the ground to watching a big-name performer, or sitting at a poker table, or shopping at the outlets.