Adventure Park Insider Winter 2017

TRENDING # rigging_essentials # limiting_your_losses # new_products # guest_service_A_to_Z # and_much_more

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WINTER 2017

Safeguarding Your Business: Eight steps to help you manage risk and stay organized

The Name Game: Can we all agree on the terms we use to describe our activities?

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E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I TO R S

SIZING UP THE INDUSTRY Despite our relatively young age as a publication, we receive frequent inquiries for data about our industry. There are some valuable tidbits available, but no single source. So as our readership grew, and the calls came in, our desire to gain a better understanding of the industry also grew.

The results we publish here represent only a fraction of the full survey. We will release more data as we dive deeper into it, and will make a report available in the near future.

We eventually embarked on what has been a significant project to collect industry data. Sarah Ebbott, who is both our digital editor and marketing manager, spent weeks gathering input from several sources and experts to construct a survey.

The result is a report that covers the gamut, from physical attributes, to revenues, and future plans and concerns.

This whole process has been a learning experience. Valuable guidance from industry experts—with a special nod to Paul Cummings of Strategic Adventures—helped inform the initiative. We discovered better ways to ask questions, and better questions to ask. What we have created this first year, we believe, is a baseline view. Next year, we hope more of you will contribute to building the database. And we will continue to refine it as we learn what data is most valuable to you.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the effort. With your help, we learned a great deal about business operations, marketing and media trends, wages, and issues that cause you the most concern—beyond staffing, which is almost unanimously the number-one issue everyone is grappling with. We present a very selective top line summary of this data in our “State of the Industry Report,” starting on page 46.

Design Construction Inspection Training Operations 4 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

We had 152 operators respond, hailing from parks and programs representing a wide range of sizes, locations, and business models. They generally fall into one of two groups, of course: pay-to-play and experiential. These two segments share an annual convention, trade organizations, a magazine, suppliers, and in some cases, standards. But they run their businesses quite differently.

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Speaking of contributions: We would like to thank Scott Hannah of Guest Research Inc. for helping us analyze the data and determine the best ways to present it. Scott and his group provide market research services to dozens of winter resorts, and they are masters at explaining their findings. Any ambiguity or errors that remain are our own.

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VOL. 3 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2017

CONTENTS ON THE COVER Our first-ever State of the Industry Report quantifies some of the major trends in the aerial adventure park business, and points out some promising avenues for further growth. » 46 Cover design by: Joerg Dressler joergdresslerdesign@gmail.com

4 Letter from the Editors 8 Park Briefs News from around the adventure park world.

Staff Report 10 New Products Six items aimed at boosting operational efficiency and the guest experience.

By Liz Mettler 16 Limit Your Losses A strategy to control workers’ comp costs.

By Cameron Annas 20 Gear Storage Ideas Three programs share clever solutions.

By Sarah Ebbott

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22 Details Matter Eight steps that safeguard your business.

By Tim Yates

EDITORIAL OFFICE P.O. Box 644 • Woodbury, CT 06798 Tel. 203.263.0888 / Fax 203.266.0452 Website: www.adventureparkinsider.com Publisher Olivia Rowan­—olivia@adventureparkinsider.com Editor Rick Kahl—rick@adventureparkinsider.com Senior Editor Dave Meeker—dave@adventureparkinsider.com Associate Editor Liz Mettler—liz@adventureparkinsider.com Art Director Liz Mettler—liz@adventureparkinsider.com Digital Editor Sarah Ebbott—sarah@adventureparkinsider.com Production Manager Donna Jacobs—donna@adventureparkinsider.com

What’s in a Name?

Marketing Dos and Don’ts

50

54

28 Marketing Goes Live Live streaming could be the next big thing.

Here’s what you need to know.

By Rachel Moore

58 The Iron Way Via ferratas are a good fit for adventure parks with the right terrain and clientele.

By Peter Oliver

34 Park Spy Can you accommodate a multi-generational family? We put 10 parks to the test.

By Sarah Ebbott

62 Look and Feel An overview of fiber life safety rope inspection.

By Rob Manson

Definitions of key terms and concepts in the aerial adventure world.

By Stephanie Sibille

36 Rigging the Game Key elements of inspection, maintenance, and installation of your equipment.

By Keith Jacobs 46 State of the Industry Report A snapshot of the aerial adventure and experiential businesses.

By the Editors

Practical advice on how to make the most of your digital marketing efforts.

By Julia Barrero

64 Little Things That Matter Big A guest service check list.

By Paul Cummings 67 Park 360 Climbing walls are popping up in the aerial world, for good reason.

By Peter Oliver WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Visit our website for industry news, articles, classifieds and more at adventureparkinsider.com.

CONTRIBUTORS Cameron Annas Keith Jacobs Scott D. Baker Moira McCarthy Julia Barrero Peter Oliver Aaron H. Bible Stephanie Sibille April Darrow Don Stefanovich Sarah Ebbott Paul Thallner SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR Paul Cummings ADVERTISING/MARKETING OFFICE 70 Pond Street • Natick, MA 01760 Tel. 508.655.6408 / Fax 508.655.6409 Advertising Director Sharon Walsh—sharon@adventureparkinsider.com Marketing Manager Sarah Ebbott—sarah@adventureparkinsider.com

CIRCULATION / SUBSCRIPTIONS 70 Pond Street • Natick, MA 01760 Tel. 508.655.6409 / Fax 508.655.6409 subscriptions@adventureparkinsider.com Circulation Manager Sarah Ebbott—sarah@adventureparkinsider.com A subscription to Adventure Park Insider is COMPLIMENTARY to adventure park industry professionals. Visit our website, www.adventurepark­insider.com and click on “Subscribe” to get on our list to receive the publication and online content.

ADVENTURE PARK INSIDER — Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter 2017, published by Beardsley Publishing Corp., P.O. Box 644, Woodbury, CT 06798. Copyright 2016 Beardsley Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Beardsley Publishing, P.O. Box 644, Woodbury, CT 06798.

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PARK BRIEFS

The 2016 ACCT Conference gathered nearly 1,100 builders, educators, and challenge course, zip line, and adventure park operators in Lost Pines, TX. The organization is hoping for an even bigger turnout this year.

2017 ACCT Conference Mixes Information, Inspiration The 27th annual International ACCT Conference & Expo will take place Feb. 2-5, 2017 at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, Ga., and offer a mix of inspiration and education.

This year’s conference, themed “Search for Adventure,” opens with keynote speaker Jonathan Ronzio. The adventurist, international speaker, and entrepreneur is best known for directing and starring in the award-winning adventure philanthropy documentary, “Between the Peaks.”

The supplier expo takes place Feb. 3-4. Workshops will be offered daily in three tracks: Canopy/Zip Line Tours, Facilitation and Programming, and Industry and Business. Workshops begin with pre-conference programming on Wednesday, Feb. 2, and finish up with post-conference workshops on Sunday, Feb. 5, with a full schedule of programs in between.

ACCT will offer certification courses as part of the preand post-conference activities. Courses include:

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• OSHA 10-Hour Construction Course • Petzl PPE Selection, Inspection, & Management: Competent Person • Wood Pole Inspection & Safety • Commissioning: It’s Not An Inspection, It’s A Process • Machine Operator Certification Course • The Fundamentals of Rigging • ACCT Inspector Certification Prep Course & Exam Those interested in the ACCT Inspector Certification program are encouraged to visit www.acctcertifications. com to determine certification eligibility.

adventure park operators to Lost Pines, Texas, and the organization hopes for an even bigger turnout this year.

To see the full schedule, apply for a scholarship, or to register for the event, visit www.acctconference.com.•

OSHA Offers Zip Line Pamphlet OSHA recently released a “Protecting Zip-Line Workers” pamphlet, which was produced with input from the ACCT Employee Workplace Safety Task Force. It outlines employer responsibilities and worker rights in zip line operation.

Among other things, the pamphlet says that employers are responsible for providing workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge. PPE may include harnesses or lanyards attached to an anchor or line, helmets, gloves, and/or safety nets. The PPE provided must meet the industry standard for fall protection from height. Employers are responsible for ensuring equipment properly fits each worker and is in good working condition, as well as maintaining all equipment.

The pamphlet also specifies what employers must train workers to do. These requirements include the ability to identify fall or other hazards, recognize and report equipment defects, and safely operate the course per company policy, among others.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE AERIAL ADVENTURE INDUSTRY

ERCA Sets General Meeting The European Ropes Course Association (ERCA) is hosting its general meeting event, Jan. 23-25, 2017 in Much, Germany. The event, themed “Burning Ropes & Frozen Poles,” is an interim event between the bi-annual General Meeting and Conference.

The event will include networking and training opportunities as well as a “Team Challenge Event & Workshop.” The challenge will require attendees to bring their creativity, dedication, and skillfullness. For more information, visit www.erca.cc.•

Insurance Hits The Sweet Spot What a difference a few years makes. Three or four years ago, obtaining insurance at a reasonable rate was a big concern for adventure parks, camps, and experiential programs. There was just one company willing to underwrite insurance. Today, there are four or five, and the aerial adventure and experiential education worlds are in a Goldilocks situation: there are enough companies writing insurance so that operators can find coverage, but not too few or too many, which could drive rates unsustainably high or low. The market is just right.

“I’m excited about the newcomers,” says Robert Monaghan of Hibbs Hillmark, ACCT’s longtime insurance partner. “The availability of insurance has improved. With Everest, Philadelphia, there are four or five companies now I can shop. So it’s easier to find the best route to go for a particular company.”

That’s a refreshing change. “Three or four years ago, insurers yanked the floor out, so we were left with just one company,” recalls Cameron Annas of Granite Insurance. “And then we saw 30- to 80-percent premium increases. People were getting non-renewed in the middle of the season.

Scholarships are available to cover conference registration fees and a pre-conference workshop.

Workers’ rights include the ability to say something about safety concerns without being punished. The rule, says OSHA, is, “If you see hazards or an injury, speak up!”

“We’re in good shape now, and overall, [operators are] in the best position they’ve ever been in. There’s a lot more stability now in the marketplace, and it should remain stable—unless the insurers try to decrease prices to gain market share.

The 2016 conference brought nearly 1,100 builders, educators, and challenge course, zip line, and

The full pamphlet is available for download at www. acctinfo.org and www.osha.gov.•

“Having too many companies would not be good; if industry premiums are spread over several companies,

WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Check out other current and recent news of park openings, developments, and more in the “Park Briefs” pages at adventureparkinsider.com.

Monaghan agrees. With several insurers, he says, “When there are claims, they are not in just one pool.

So the claims are spread out more. That’s going to help the industry and keep rates competitive, as they are now.”

A Booming IAAPA Expo

Monaghan says that insurance costs typically run between 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent of revenues. “Many operators are around two percent, and some of the larger operators are at one percent or less,” he says.

At the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo, Nov. 14-18, 2016, in Orlando, Fla., the editors of Adventure Park Insider spied both new trends and new products.

Monaghan notes that rates have come down, in part, because operators are doing a better job of controlling risks—in particular, reducing the number of collision claims on zip lines. “That’s due to following the weight limits,” he adds. “That was a big source of injuries.”

One sign of the times: Aerial adventure suppliers have expanded their product offerings to include a broader range of activities. For example, Walltopia’s booth offered a suite of individually branded adventure products: Rocktopia, Ropetopia, Rollglider, FunWalls, and more. Spectrum Sports was also touting a diverse product mix including Klime Wallz—its new single tower, interactive climbing wall system—as well as Skyride, which the company says is the next evolution in the mountain coaster industry.

But for all the good news, Monaghan warns the industry is still fragile. “The companies could walk away if there’s a major suit,” he observes. And that means risk management will remain a key component in keeping the insurance market healthy. •

Companies are showing greater love to kids. We saw several ninja-style obstacle course variations aimed at the active young audience. The more low-key Sandy Creek Mining always had a huge crowd at its booth—a clear sign of the interest surrounding this turnkey revenue-producing option aimed at kids.

Aerial adventure course builders had a significant presence, reinforcing the popularity and continued growth of such attractions. CliC-iT and KristallTurm had a large demo course outside the expo hall that was popular with attendees. Inside, the expansive Ropes Courses Inc. demo course had 900 conference goers climb it on the first day alone.

Overall, suppliers were very happy with the show and the business it generated. Tree-Mendous took home the award for second place in “Best Booth Design,” and also signed a deal with the Bronx Zoo for a project that includes a full spectrum of aerial adventures. •

Top Left: Lots of familiar faces at the IAAPA expo in Orlando (left to right): Sharon Walsh, Adventure Park Insider; Bahman Azarm, Outdoor Ventures; Klemen Zupanc, Vevrca; Jacques Christinet, Kanopeo Saferoller; Romain Leforestier, SPS Filets; Romain Aubrun, @Play Safe Adventures; Micah Salazar, Outdoor Ventures.

Top Right: Adventure Park Insider publisher Olivia Rowan visits KristallTurm and CliC-iT’s outdoor demo area with Philip McCharen (left) and Henri de Rocca-Serra (right) of CliC-iT. Bottom Left: The team at Tree-Mendous took the award for second place in “Best Booth Design” at the IAAPA expo.

Bottom Right: Mike Holder and his army of orangeshirts from American Adventure Park Systems enjoyed a successful IAAPA expo.

9 Winter 2017 

you can’t cover a big loss. The premium structure has to work for everyone,” says Annas.

NEW PRODUCTS _______________________________ Adventure Park Insider rounded up six new products for park operators, aimed at boosting operational efficiency and providing a better all-around experience.

Video Sharing Fotaflo is adding video to its digital photo service for the adventure tourism industry. Rather than providing guests with a USB or DVD that then ends up in a desk drawer, the Fotaflo system makes the videos available online. It takes short clips of guests, combines them with pre-recorded clips provided by the park, and embeds the park’s branding into the video.

Guests view their videos through Fotaflo’s web based-portal, and can share them via email or social media. www.fotaflo.com.

Pack 7 MAC 7 Matrix kit American Adventure Park Systems and Vertikal Trek Innovations are offering a ready-

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to-install continuous belay kit for new parks and retrofits. With the Pack 7 MAC 7 Matrix kit, half-inch wire rope zip lines of unlimited length, height, and speed can use the Quick Trekker continuous belay system. Participants can transition from bridges, stairs, platforms, or towers onto zip lines without ever disconnecting from the lifeline. The Pack 7 is the company’s heaviest-duty connector, rated at 90 Kn (20,232 lbs). www.americanadventurepark.com.

>> continued

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NEW PRODUCTS A Maze of Edutainment Amaze’n Mazes collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service

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and other top maze builders to create a new set of designs and concepts that integrate new physical challenges with educational themes. The themes are focused on learning about the natural environment, with each maze customized to focus on elements native to its specific location. Preliminary concepts include: following a river from its headwaters to the ocean; the life cycle of a forest as it faces bug infestations or a wildfire; local wildlife; or a closer look at local flora and fauna. New elements inside the maze include monkey bars, kid-sized zip lines, hollow logs for crawling through, and undulating bridges to increase the challenge while offering an interactive illustration of how wildlife might climb, fly, or crawl. www.amazenmazes.com.

Adventure kids CLiC-iT presents its newest product—CLiC-iT Adventure

Kids. Adventure Kids is the first and only communicating lanyard designed especially for children.The CLiC-iT connector has been completely redesigned to meet the needs of smaller hands—a thinner handle makes it easier to grasp, and a safety trigger for the index finger allows for more intuitive handling. A bigger cable opening and more flexible cables reduce friction, adding to its kid-friendliness.

The magnetic detection feature has also undergone some changes to further maximize the ease of hooking. The product won the “Innovation Award 2016: Best Product” presented by the International Adventure Park Association (IAPA) in Berlin. CLiC-iT Adventure Kids will hit the U.S. market early summer 2017. www.clic-it.eu.

>>continued

NEW PRODUCTS Easy Adjust Double Leg Lanyard Aerial Adventure Tech introduces the Easy Adjust Double

Leg Lanyard. A modern alternative to traditional spliced lobster claws, this “Y” lanyard is made of ANSI rated components with sewn rope terminations. For secure user adjustment, it features tacky rope and sliding hitches, with adjustment from 3.5 to 6 feet. The lanyard is available with a girth hitch or carabiner harness attachment, and various anchor connector options. www.aerialadventuretech.com.

Check out the entire list of new products and trends at www.adventureparkinsider.com/new-products

Quick IIIs Full Body Harness Ropes Park Equipment in-

troduces the “Quick IIIs” (pronounced “quick three S”), the latest version of its “Quick” series of full body harnesses designed for the adventure park market. As its name implies, the Quick IIIs is a full body harness designed for three things important to adventure parks: safety, speed and savings. Safety: rugged construction and all the benefits of a full body harness.

Conforms to EN12277 type C requirements. Speed: the design speeds up the process of getting into and out of the harness. Savings: parks only need to stock two harness sizes, because each is highly adjustable and the two cover the complete customer size range. Sizes are color-coded to make sorting easy for park staff. www.ropesparkequipment.com.

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LIMIT YOUR LOSSES Employee accidents happen, but you can control their impact on your business— and your workers’ comp premiums.

By Cameron Annas,

Granite Insurance

You, as an employer, often have direct control over your workers’ compensation program and its premiums. If you understand the broader concepts of workers’ comp, you can work with your insurance agent or broker to manage employee injuries in a manner that benefits the employee and keeps costs down.

There are two different types of claims costs: medical expenses and indemnity.

The latter includes lost time wages and anything other than medical costs. It’s this latter element that you can control.

The simplest way to do so is to place an injured employee in a light-duty work program in which the injury does not interfere with the work, and which the employee can perform during recovery.

This keeps the employee involved in the business, and can decrease the impact on your workers’ comp premiums—in some cases by tens of thousands of dollars.

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To help you understand how, let me introduce you to the “experience modification factor.” This is based off your most recent three years of workers’ compensation losses, excluding the most immediate policy year. For example, the 2017 experience mod would take into account the years 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The lower the mod factor, the better.

Workers’ comp premiums are based on average claims costs for workers doing similar, or equally risky, work. If you have a .75 experience modification factor—signifying lower than average claims—your premium is determined by multiplying .75 times the base workers’ compensation premium, giving you a 25 percent discount. Conversely, if your experience mod is 1.25, you will pay a 25 percent surcharge.

Claims Costs: There’s a big difference between the impacts of medical and indemnity costs on your insurance premiums. If you can return an injured employee to work before the waiting period ends (usually three or seven days after an accident, depending on the state), and thus limit a claim to “medical only,” you get a 70 percent reduction when that claim is applied to your experience modification factor. As soon as the first dollar of indemnity expense is paid, you lose that 70 percent discount.

Take the example of a company that pays an estimated $80,000 in workers compensation and has a .74 experience mod (see chart, above right). If it has just one claim of $15,000 limited to medical expenses only, the claim’s effect on the experience mod takes it from .74 to .79. Over three years, the company’s workers compensation premiums will increase $16,000. Remember, because this claim was limited to medical expenses only, the claim received a 70 percent discount when it was applied to the experience mod.

WORKERS’ COMP CLAIM COSTS

Medical Costs

Lost Time Wages Experience Mod.

WC Premium Increase (3 years)

$0

$0

0.74

$0

$15,000

$0

0.79

$16,000

$15,000

$1

0.91

$55,135

$15,000

$35,000

0.96

$71,351

$15,000

$65,000

0.99

$81,081

The table here shows the impact for varying levels of claims and lost wage payments, from no claims (top line) to a single claim with high indemnity payments (bottom line) for a hypothetical business.

If the employee is out of work for even a day longer than the waiting period, the injured employee would begin collecting lost time wages. This is an indemnity expense rather than a medical expense. In this case, the experience mod rises to .91 or more, and the company pays an additional $55,000 (or more) in increased premiums. In this instance, even $1 in lost-time wages would cost the company $39,000 in premiums over three years. That initial

$1 of indemnity expense causes the biggest increase in the insurance premium, but the longer the employee is collecting lost time wages, the higher the mod factor and the insurance premiums.

As a practical matter, the workers’ comp premium increase, once lost time wages are paid, will almost always exceed the cost of employing a worker in a light-­ duty program. >> continued

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LIMIT YOUR LOSSES HOW TO PREVENT AND MANAGE LOST TIME WAGES When managing your experience mod and workers compensation premiums, there are two very important elements to consider.

1. Medical Provider Selection. If your state allows it, your company should have a pre-selected medical provider for employee injuries. This medical provider should be familiar with your operation and job descriptions. The medical provider should know that it is extremely important for you to get your employee back to work in a light-duty program as soon as possible, and know which jobs an injured employee is able to perform.

Why is this important? A doctor who is not familiar with your business (or who is a friend of the employee) might keep your employee home and out of work for an unnecessarily long time. That would cause your workers’ compensation premiums to rise.

2. Light-Duty Program. If an injured guide cannot do his normal job, a light-­ duty program can be a great way to keep him or her active in the company and allow you to retain the 70 percent discount on the claim. Have the injured guide help out in the office, at the reser-

The first step is to determine the length of the waiting period for lost time wages to be activated in your state. The employee needs to be in a light-duty program before missing this number of workdays, or you will lose the 70 percent discount that is applied when the claim

LOST TIME WAGES VS. LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM

Lost Time Wages Paid By WC

Light Duty Program

$71,351 $0 $71,351

$16,000 $35,000 $51,000

WC Premium Increase Salary from Light Duty TOTAL INJURY COST

This example compares the costs of allowing an employee to collect $35,000 in lost time wages against the cost of employing the worker in a light-duty program for our hypothetical business.

Implementing a light-duty program would have saved $20,000 in premiums.

vations desk, or in another job function that does not require a lot of physical activity. This arrangement will help boost the employee’s morale and keep him or her part of the team. It will also encourage a fast recovery: Many guides would rather be in a more active role, and performing light-duty work may remind them they prefer being a guide.

is limited to medical expenses. The second step is to keep the employee busy with light-duty tasks. Both you and your employee will be glad you did.

Cameron Annas is an adventure sport risk consultant for Granite Insurance. He can be reached at cannas@graniteinsurance.com.

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GEAR STORAGE IDEAS

Clever solutions from operators across the U.S. and Mexico.

By Sarah Ebbott

STRUNG UP The team at Iowa State University’s Adventure Learning Center likes to keep things organized. Using a homemade system of detachable racks for the Center’s gear, the team is able to maneuver gear from the indoor storage to outdoor staging areas with ease. Helmets and harnesses are kept overnight in a storage building at the Learning Center, hung from the homemade racks with S-hooks. The racks themselves are hung from the rafters of the storage building using carabiners picked up at the local hardware store. When the course opens each morning, guides unclip the carabiners from the rafters and carry the entire assembly out to the participant staging area.

There, the racks are clipped onto a retired zip line cable that’s strung between the trees. This system allows for easy visual inspection of gear by the staff, as well as an organized gear-up process for the participants.

WHEELY COOL Mount Hermon Adventures in Santa Cruz, Calif., is a high-volume operation, so keeping gear well organized is vital. With this in mind, the team at Mount Hermon spent approximately $200 designing and building two large wooden racks to store their gear. Each rack holds four clearly labeled “batches” of gear. Each batch consists of eight sets of helmets, harnesses, and affiliated clips, which match the tour structure at the course. This arrangement is useful, in part, because once the gear is set up for the day, each tour’s gear is organized and ready to go. The custom racks travel on wheels, so guides can roll them out of indoor storage each morning and down the paved walkway to the staging area. There, each rack is rolled onto specially positioned tracks to keep them accessible but out of the way. “We love them,” says adventure programs director Steve Brown. What’s not to love?

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HIGH AND DRY In wet or tropical locations, damp gear can be an issue. Xplor in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, designed and fabricated a series of metal racks in-house to store and dry its helmets. After a day of use, each helmet is cleaned and placed on a rack to dry overnight. To aid drying, mobile fans circulate air from different positions around the racks. Each rack can hold 105 helmets, and is built on wheels for easy maneuvering to and from the gear-up area. Harnesses at Xplor are given a similar treatment: up to 100 harnesses are hung up overnight on a retired zip cable inside a specially constructed cupboard, outfitted with an extractor fan above and a drain in the floor. The doors to the cupboard are opened each morning, giving guides easy access to the gear while they assist participants prior to each tour.

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DETAILS MATTER Eight steps to protect your business

BY TIM YATES, SAFEHOLD SPECIAL RISKS

Whether you are just getting started in the adventure park world or are a seasoned operator, it’s important to attend to the technical details and paperwork across a wide variety of business aspects. Consider the following eight steps as a guideline to help safeguard your business. >> 1. Review your purchase and installation contracts.

When just starting out with attractions like zip lines, mountain coasters, summer tubing, ropes courses, bungee trampolines, climbing walls, and even bouncy houses, read and understand the terms of your purchase and installation contract, as well as the owner’s or operational manual. Can you adhere to the terms? Are they unfavorable to you? Can they be changed? What standards or regulations must the

contract meet? Are you prepared to operate and maintain the attraction as required by the manufacturer? If necessary, seek advice from a professional about these agreements. >> 2. Get to know the regulating agency. Determine which agency regulates the attraction and what requirements it may impose. This will differ from state to state. For regulations regarding zip lines, a good place to start is ziplineinspection.com.

For other attractions, head to saferparks.org. Your builder’s operating manual should be in alignment with your jurisdiction’s regulations.

Both the regulatory agency and the manufacturer or installer will mandate requirements for inspections and certain records. Make sure these inspections are done and records are maintained. These steps are a “must” and a bare minimum.

Your insurer will want the required inspections done regularly and without exception. If these are completed as required and that documentation is readily available in the event of a claim or lawsuit, your insurer will be in the best possible position to defend you. >> 3. Train your staff. It’s important to not only train your staff as required by the manufacturer, but also to document and maintain employees’ training. In a lawsuit, plaintiff attorneys almost always allege inadequate training on the part of the operator. To successfully mitigate this, ensure that all required training has been done and is documented. >> cont.

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>> 4. Train your guests. Training your guests has an entirely different meaning than training team members. Guest training is a much broader concept: it might include postings of warnings and attraction-specific rules, as well as ground school for aerial courses and zip lines.

For written warnings, we suggest an integrated approach through on-site signage and website postings. This will protect you as well as your guests. In a recent court case, an injured guest testified the attraction operator posted no warnings or informational signs. In reality, the operator posted more than 43 warning signs, three large banners, and presented three looping instructional videos in the waiting areas. The operator was able to prove all this by keeping a catalogue of all signs for every operational season. When the time came to reproduce these, the records already existed.

Plan to create an information and warning program, and implement a plan to document it. >> 5. Consider a release form. Should your guests sign a release? In most cases, if practicable, yes. Some states reject releases as being against public policy and are not allowed. If unsure, consult your attorney. Where they are allowed by law, releases can give you a significant line of defense. Consult your attorney for the wording needed to make your release as effective as it can be in your home state. In states where releases are upheld, courts have granted summary judgments on cases where a plaintiff has signed a release—which means, the court dismisses the case before it ever gets into the courtroom. A summary judgment will reduce defense costs and avoid reputational damage.

Many operations have guests sign a paper release. The newer option is to offer electronic releases, completed online or on-site. While these can be convenient for both operator and guests, there are some key considerations: how is the data stored? For how long it is stored? Will the company be able to reproduce the actual release executed on a given date? In other words, if your e-release changes from year to year, will the provider be able to reproduce, say, last year’s version?

24  [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

Legal opinions on the use of electronic releases vary. Some attorneys strongly recommend paper and ink releases, while others see e-releases as a natural progression in e-commerce. Consult with your attorney before making your choice. >> 6. Maintain operational logs. Check with the manufacturer and regulatory agency in your area to determine what logs are required for your particular attraction or operation. Even if not required, consider as a minimum keeping a daily inspection and operations log and a maintenance log. The daily log should include, but not be limited to: staffing, pre-opening inspection, weather conditions, opening or closing of an attraction due to weather or mechanical issues, and maintenance to resolve daily issues. For some attractions there may be other information worth noting on a daily basis.

You should also have a maintenance log that includes both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance done on the attraction. In the event of a claim, such a log will reflect your dili-

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gence in maintaining your attraction and concern for safety. >> 7. Learn how to investigate incidents. Uncovering and memorializing the facts of on-site incidents in a timely way is vital should your park or camp need to defend itself. You should have several basic forms on hand for this purpose, among them an incident report form, witness statement form, employee statement form, and diagram forms. A good investigation may also include photographs of the incident scene, a log of warning signs (as mentioned earlier), a signed release, plus any other forms or statements that might be relevant.

During the investigation, the focus is purely on fact-finding— not trying to solve what happened. You can spend time on that later. Not sure about how to conduct a rigorous incident investigation? Contact your insurance claims person or attorney for guidance. They might even be available to help with training. (Also, see “How to Handle an Incident,” Adventure Park Insider, Fall 2016.) >> 8. Create a document retention policy. With all the paperwork required to operate a business, a retention policy is key. This policy should spell out where you will store records, how you will organize them, and how long to retain which documents. Many people assume seven years is the magic number, because it’s the standard for retaining IRS-type documents. Seven years, however, may be irrelevant to your documents. Consult an attorney to see what purposes your documents might serve in the future. Factors to consider might include the statute of limitations in your state. Does the state or manufacturer have any requirements? A local attorney will know, or know how to discover, any of these.

The paperwork outlined here may seem like over-documentation, but it is really just a starting point. In the long run, a good documentation program will pay dividends. Not only is it required in many cases, it will also demonstrate the job you do in your daily operations, should that become necessary.

One way to manage the paperwork is to hire an office manager, especially if you are not trained in or experienced with recordkeeping. This will allow you to focus on other issues.

Note: The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and should not to be construed as legal and/or tax advice.

26 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

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MARKETING GOES LIVE Live streaming is set to become the new normal

BY RACHEL MOORE, CHIEF SOCIAL OFFICER, REALLY.SOCIAL

Until recently, the moments you shared on social media had already happened.

Your photos and videos may be very recent, but they are past tense. Now, though, you can put your followers in the moment as it’s happening, thanks to live streaming. This could be the next big marketing tool for your operation.

Facebook Live, in particular, has become one of the most popular choices for brands seeking exposure at no cost, with little effort. Facebook has given marketers a tool that makes its platform matter more than ever before.

for marketing.

^ GutMonkey’s most successful live stream was not a clip from a zip line or adventure course, but rather a unique video from the CEO himself, which garnered 6,600+ views.

Find links to that video, and others, in an expanded version of this article at www. adventureparkinsider.com

It’s true that using a mobile device to live-stream video while participating in any aerial adventure activity can be tricky. But with a bit of thought and creativity, it is certainly possible to do it safely, and effectively. Ultimately, the benefit is worth the effort. >> cont.

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MARKETING LIVE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE Remember the days when we knew people’s phone numbers by heart and wrote letters on paper? The Internet and social media have changed the entire landscape of interpersonal communication by sliding a keyboard and screen in where pen and paper, and human beings, used to be.

Live video is bringing social media communication full circle, putting faces back where they belong: right in front of us.

Live video isn’t produced, edited, or fabricated—it’s the real thing. A real person is sharing an experience instantly, and the reality of that moment is irresistible to social media users weary of the old standard.

And executives are taking notice.

According to AdWeek.com, brands and retailers “are interacting with their employees, partners and consumers in a new way that is authentic, engaging and scalable.” By putting a real face in front of viewers, companies can show they

have a heart to go along with the pulse of their human personnel.

WHY LIVE MATTERS FOR MARKETING Live video absolutely crushes other types of social media sharing. If you use Facebook for marketing, you probably get prompted often to boost a post (“it’s performing better than 95 percent of your other posts”) or create an ad campaign. This is because Facebook’s algorithm—the formula that decides which posts get pushed to the top of your followers’ news feed—treats posts from business pages like Lucy treats Charlie Brown when she yanks the football away as he attempts a kick.

Unless you pay to play, the effort you put into posts on your Facebook page is basically a crapshoot.

Until, that is, the arrival of Facebook Live. Facebook may not give preferential treatment to page posts, but it is going all-in to encourage every single Facebook user to go live.

And here’s the payoff for you: once you go live and publish the post, that live

video immediately gets special treatment from Facebook and is pushed to the very top of the news feed. And it lingers there for several hours. All of that boosts viewership. According to SocialMediaToday.com, Facebook users spend three times longer watching a live stream video than a standard recorded-and-posted video.

GUTMONKEY GOES LIVE One challenge course that has used Facebook Live with success is GutMonkey. This Portland, Oregon-based outdoor adventure and challenge course company serves a very specific audience: hemophiliacs. For these adventurers, GutMonkey’s services bring healthcare along with its clients into the great outdoors for challenge and teambuilding.

As a consumer-facing business, its team wanted to find ways to get more eyeballs on what it shared without having to “pay to play” on the Facebook feed formula. So, CEO Pat Torrey and his staff have broadcast several live videos that all generated great interaction. >> cont.

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MARKETING LIVE The most successful stream didn’t feature people climbing or zip lining through the trees. It shows Torrey sitting on his deck with a large duffle bag in front of him, going through his packing list for an upcoming conference. A hand emerges from the duffle bag, handing him various items from within, much like Thing from “The Addams Family.”

We can’t stop watching how this bodyless hand helps Pat with his packing.

In a short period after the live stream was posted, it was shared 18 times, gained more than 100 reactions, and had topped 6,600 views.

LIVE AT YOUR PARK Most aerial adventure operations discourage the use of mobile devices on-course, for valid risk management reasons. But as complicating as it may be, consider how you might embrace mobile devices and facilitate their safe and responsible use.

Can you include a package or service that allows your staff to shoot a video using your guest’s device? Can you incorporate a device-securing strap, tether, or something similar into your customer’s gear, allowing them to broadcast safely? Better yet, perhaps you can make it an option and rent such an apparatus for a small fee. How about ensuring there’s a strong Wi-Fi signal at key points along the way? Can you set yourself apart from your competitors by being “live stream friendly?”

You bet you can. Your customers will thank you for it, and you will thank them, too, because they will create content that provides valuable exposure for your park—at no cost.

AN AFFORDABLE OPTION Social media have been a fabulous marketing tool for small businesses due to their low entry cost and ability to reach a broad audience. That said, social media platforms have ushered advertising into their feeds to grow revenue.

And that effort can reduce the impact of each social tool for businesses trying to share their message.

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Live video is almost too easy to adopt into your marketing strategy. If you have Wi-Fi and a mobile device with a camera, you’re most of the way there.

Sprinkle on a little preparation and learn how to interact with viewers, and you’re the official live broadcaster for your business. Then, after the broadcast, you can repurpose your live stream videos by posting them to your YouTube channels, website landing pages, promotional reels, and even your email blasts.

LEARN TO LIVE STREAM Before you go live from your company’s Facebook page, get your feet wet by trying a live stream in a more casual setting: a family member’s sporting event, or broadcasting a holiday message to friends. Settings in Facebook allow you to broadcast a live video just to yourself, if you want to. Like everything else, practice makes perfect.

Want to know more? You’re in luck! I’m teaching how to use live streaming in a workshop at the ACCT conference in Savannah, Ga., Feb. 2-5. See you there!

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PARK SPY THE QUESTION: “I have family coming into town ranging in age from 5 to 80 years old and we’re looking for an activity we can all do together.”

Families are a huge market segment for any outdoor facility. But families aren’t just two parents and a couple kids—multi-generational families, including grandma and grandpa, enjoy participating in activities together, too. Even if the facility is not conducive to the less agile or very young, there are ways to say that and still leave a good impression.

Have a question we should ask for Park Spy? Send Sarah Ebbott (sarah@adventureparkinsider.com) your question and, if we use it, you’re immune for one issue! We present eight Spy missions here. You can check out all 10 online at www.adventureparkinsider.com.

PARK #1, TX

34 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

First contact: Automated machine. Chose reservations.

Answering phone: Male.

API: Stated question.

Staff: (sounding half asleep) So, the zip line, the minimum age is 10 years old.

API: OK, do you have any other activities the younger kids might be able to do?

Staff: Ummm, if it’s five years old, they can do the pony rides.

API: OK, is that in the same area as the zip line?

Staff: Ummm, no. So the zip line, they are taken up the hill to the zip line area. The, uh, pony rides, they meet in the horse barn where they are put on a pony and taken out to do the pony ride.

API: OK, great. Are there any other activities they might be able to do?

Staff: Uh, no.

API: OK, thanks so much.

Staff: You’re welcome, have a good day. Buh bye.

Score: 3 Comment: If you don’t sound interested in me coming to hang out at your park, why would I be?

PARK #2, AZ First contact: Male.

API: Stated question.

Staff: Yeah, you betcha. As far as the zip line, this is a ride for all ages. I believe our youngest rider has

been two, and our oldest rider 97. You just have to be 42 inches tall to do the zip line, so the five-year-old should be tall enough. As for other activities, the train ride, the mine tour, mystery shack—you should be able to all enjoy the attractions together. I think the zip line and the horseback riding are the only activities with a height requirement, so everyone should be able to participate.

API: Great. And that would apply to everyone through the grandparents in the group?

Staff: As long as they are mobile and able to walk, they shouldn’t have any problems.

API: Yes, they are very athletic.

Staff: Great. They’ll have a ball out here.

Silence...

Staff: Well, we’d welcome your family out here and we hope to see you.

API: Thank you!

Staff: Alright, bye bye.

Score: 7 Comment: I called the zip line directly, and all the other activities sound awesome, but where do I get more info? A website mention would have earned extra points.

PARK #3, AL First contact: Automated machine. Chose operator.

Answering phone: Male.

API: Stated question.

Staff: Well, I am sorry to say that our minimum age is seven to complete the aerial course. This is primarily due to height, as anyone participating needs to be

able to reach certain elements and touch points on the course.

API: No problem, is there anything else the younger kids could do while everyone else did the aerial course?

Staff: Not at this time, no.

API: OK, thank you so much.

Staff: OK, bye!

Score: 4 Comment: That was a great way to say no, and gave a reason why. But this park DOES have a cool playground for smaller climbers—that’s key information! #productknowledge

PARK #4, MD First contact: Female.

API: Stated question.

Staff: OK, we do have both a junior course and an adventure course. Availability may differ, though, because we are nearing the end of our season. Do you know when you might be looking to visit?

API: We are still deciding on a date.

Staff: OK, no problem. Now, we have had guests participating in the adventure course who have been all the way up into their 90s. As for the junior course, any child under the age of six would need to have an adult participate with them. Ages 10 or older can participate on the adventure course, we just have a supervision ratio that for every two children between the ages of 10 and 15, one adult 18 or older must participate with them. This could be something that your entire family

Score: 9 Comment: Great attitude, tons of info, and I didn’t have to pull teeth to get it. Minus one point for using a rope ladder as the fitness requirement example; something common like climbing a set of stairs would be easier to understand.

PARK #5, SC First contact: Automated machine. Chose operator.

Answering phone: Female.

API: Stated question.

Staff: Our course is open for all ages!

API: Fantastic, are there any restrictions on which course the younger kids can do?

Staff: Nope, we’re all ages!

API: Do you have any requirements for parents participating with kids under a certain age?

Staff: Yup! Silence...

API: And what are those?

Staff: Oh, yeah! Any child under 11 participating in the course has to have an adult on site, and any child five to eight needs to have an adult on course, too!

API: Great, we’d like to all go together so having adults on course with the kids shouldn’t be a problem.

Staff: OK! We hope to see you soon!

Score: 4 Comment: Enthusiastic, but to a fault, that

fault being an almost complete absence of information.

PARK #6, TN First contact: Female.

API: Stated question.

Staff: So, ours start at six. They have to be six years and above.

Silence...

API: OK. Would there be any other activities that the five-year-olds can do?

Staff: Umm, no.

Silence...

API: OK great, thank you very much.

Staff: Bye. Score: 2 Comment: It’s OK that you don’t accommodate younger climbers, but don’t make me feel like I’m bothering you for asking.

PARK #7, VA First contact: Male.

API: Stated question.

Staff: I dunno. But I’m not sure this will be the best activity for your family.

API: Why is that? Is there any age restriction that would prevent some of our group from participating?

Staff: Well, I’m pretty sure the five year olds can’t.

I think you have to be six, but the seniors probably shouldn’t either. Don’t want them to break a hip. Ha ha.

API: We’re all very athletic, even the 80-year-old.

Staff: Still, I think it would be an issue. Liability, and all.

API: OK, have a good day then.

Score: - 2 Comment: I am so angry on behalf of my fictional adventure-seeking grandpa, this guy gets negative points.

PARK #8, CA First contact: Automated machine. Chose operator.

Answering phone: Female.

API: Stated question.

Staff: Definitely. With the broad range of ages, I would definitely recommend our XYZ location. Five is the minimum age, and five- and six-year-olds can do

five out of the seven courses. Anyone seven and up has no restrictions and can do all seven courses. Reservations are required; we are selling out fairly quickly, so I would recommend booking soon! Is everyone in your group relatively active?

API: Yes, we’re all decently athletic.

Staff: Great, they are active courses. Each session is two-and-a-half hours, so anyone feeling pretty fit and ready to go is welcome to enjoy the courses.

API: That sounds great.

Staff: Great, would you like to check out some dates for availability?

API: Thanks, but I need to check our schedule before booking. I just wanted to see if there were any age restrictions as we are looking to do a fun activity together.

Staff: Great, well, you can book through me or online at our website, abc.com, and just select the XYZ location. There is also a pretty cool video that gives you an idea of what the course looks like and the kind of elements you’d be working through.

API: Great! I’ll check it out.

Staff: Hope to see you soon.

Score: 10 Comment: Friendly, concise, and to the point. She even made a suggestion about which of their locations I should go to based on the composition of my group. Identity Revealed: Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park

Debrief: We had a wide range of ages in our fictional family group and a wide range of answers. Two things to consider when working with your staff: 1. You will always have questions to which the answer is “no,” and that’s OK! But when you aren’t able to accommodate a guest, answer more thoughtfully. If the caller is asking about a child that is too young to participate, tell the guest you would love to have them participate in the future. One-word answers with no explanation are a putoff, and that guest won’t be calling back when the kids are old enough.

2. Questions about seniors or folks with physical limitations completing your course should be handled carefully. We all know there are physical requirements to participate in adventure activities, but those requirements apply to everyone, young and “experienced.” Frame your answers to reflect that. It is not the phone staff’s responsibility to screen participants beyond clearly explaining minimum physical requirements—the onus falls on the guest when making a reservation. If there is question about a participant’s ability level later, you’ve already CYA because you clearly explained those requirements in advance.

35 Winter 2017

could do. Now, what I would recommend is visiting our website at abc.com. You can look and see what the course looks like by watching videos we have on there. That might give you an idea if this is something your family might like to do, because we’re not just a zip line course, we’re an obstacle zip line course, so in order to go down the zip line you must complete the obstacles.

API: OK, is there a certain level of fitness you need to be able to complete the course?

Staff: No, ma’am. As long as you can climb a rope ladder you can complete our course.

API: Fantastic.

Staff: Now, I will let you know that we are just the zip line obstacle course at the park. There are quite a few other activities at the park, but you would need to contact them directly for information. I would be more than happy to answer any more questions you have about the zip line, though.

API: That’s OK, zip lining was one of the activities we had all talked about doing. We just wanted to be sure there wasn’t an age restriction.

Staff: Absolutely, we have no age restriction because we have both the junior course and the adventure course, we should be able to accommodate your entire party.

API: Great, thanks so much.

Staff: Thank you for calling, enjoy the rest of your day.

and installation advice for equipment and systems.

36 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

At first glance, rigging hardware and equipment is pretty simple machinery.

But not all park operators pay sufficient attention to its quality and proper application. Partly, this is due to history. Don Stock, owner of the Adventure Guild in Chattanooga, Tenn., says, “Our industry got its start in the back of the woods with little to no regulation, so people did what they thought was best—and for the most part, things have worked out.”

A water dummy equipped with a load cell and accelerometer is set for testing impact loads on a zip line brake system.

Photo: Experiential Resources and Rope Works

what looks similar. But there can be a vast difference in quality and strength between what should be used and what they installed.” The DIY approach can put staff and guests at risk.

That’s especially true when the job’s tasks entail hoisting and lowering.

OSHA requires employers to use qualified riggers during hoisting activities for assembly and disassembly work (1926.140(r)(1)). But operators aren’t always aware of the OSHA rules.

Inspection, maintenance,

From carabiners to clamps to wire rope, there is no substitute for having the proper rigging equipment.

Equally as important as the physical pieces—whether your course is two feet off the ground or more than 100 feet up—are training, inspections, proper documentation, and ongoing maintenance. All contribute to a safe, prosperous operation.

^

RIGGING THE GAME

BY KEITH JACOBS, EXPERIENTIAL SYSTEMS

According to Stock, most incidents regarding equipment or system failure in hoisting situations result from a few key factors:

But times and regulations change. “In today’s marketplace, installers and inspectors have a lot of codes and standards to follow, and this includes the requirements for choosing the right hardware for the application, understanding the safety factor required, and the loads that will be put on the component or system,” he adds.

Proper installation matters, too. Josh Tod, president of RopeWorks in Austin, Texas, has visited several challenge courses and zip line operations where cable clamps were installed upside down or spaced inappropriately. He’s also seen instances in which operators installed the wrong type or size clamp.

“These situations are very common when facilities try to do their own maintenance and the person doing the work is underqualified and has no training,” he says. “Untrained people will often go out to a local hardware store and buy

• insufficiently trained people doing a physically demanding task while hanging in a harness 40 feet in the air • poor communication between the rigging crew, supervisor, and/or the project designer • use of poorly designed, maintained, or installed hardware and equipment.

ADOPTING A SAFETY PHILOSOPHY Accidents are preventable with proper selection and installation of equipment, hardware, signage, and training. Only qualified people should operate tools and equipment. If all those conditions are met, risk is minimized considerably.

Don Nagy of Experiential Systems says there is no magic to rigging safety. “Welltrained crews that are properly supervised, trained to understand the industry standards, and provided the correct tools and materials tend to have few to no accidents,” he says. “At the same time, annual or ongoing inspections and maintenance of your adventure park activities and life support systems is critical to prevent accidents.” >> cont.

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RIGGING Shawn Tresselt of Experiential Systems Inc. uses a tensiometer to check wire rope tension during a zip line inspection.

INSPECTIONS For peace of mind, a third-party professional with the proper credentials should complete your annual or periodic adventure park inspections. ACCT offers certification for both in-house and professional inspectors, as does the National Association for Amusement Ride Operators (NAARSO). ACCT and ASTM both require in their written standards that courses and equipment

be inspected annually at minimum.

However, larger and busier operations may need to adopt more stringent inspection guidelines.

Kennerly de Forest, founder of Challenge Works, recommends that operators start by identifying everything that needs to be inspected, and create an inventory of equipment, components, and activities.

“Make sure you have all available documentation for what you’re going to inspect. This includes manufacturer data sheets, engineering drawings, shop drawings, manuals, and previous inspection reports,” says de Forest.

“Then, proceed systematically, one component or system at a time, and examine each piece of hardware or component—touch it, don’t just look at it. Observe the component for dents, breaks, cracks, misalignment, and improper loading or tightness.”

De Forest says that most inspections are very detailed, especially if the original installation was not 100 percent validated with a comprehensive commissioning inspection checklist that recorded items such as load tests, nut and bolt torque checks, and cable tensions. >> continued

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RIGGING Operators should also perform more frequent visual and hands-on inspections. “The equipment inspection frequency really depends on the duty cycle of the equipment,” says Brian Brun, a partner with Experiential Resources in Hawaii. “In general, a typical cable termination, eyebolt, belay cable, or harness should be looked at visually each day before use. But once a month, a more complete hands-on inspection of all the systems and components in use should be thoroughly documented by in-house staff.”

That work requires training. Nagy says all Experiential Systems inspectors maintain rigging certifications with Crosby, CM ISC and/or OSHA, and inspector certifications with ACCT, NAARSO or AIMS (Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers association). These types of training and certifications are available throughout North America for a small to modest fee.

Tod recommends that operators use the

ANSI/ACCT standards and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manuals as references. Brun adds that the Wire Rope Users Guide and the Crosby Rigging Product Application Workbook both have detailed listings of strengths and applications for a variety of common hardware.

If an operator doesn’t possess the paperwork for an inspector to reference, including drawings and plans of the park, Nagy says that information can be determined through testing. “In those cases, we’ll proof test an item, whether an eyebolt, belay cable, or ground anchor, and our inspectors have [the ability] to make a determination in the field.” His team members rely on tools such as load cells, tension meters, and portable proof testers, as well as wire rope wear gauges and calipers, to establish the information the client is lacking, allowing them to document the information for future inspectors.

INSPECTION CREDENTIALS ACCT, along with subject matter experts, created the challenge course and zip line Inspector Certification Program to help

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ensure inspectors are properly educated, insured, and licensed to provide inspection services. ACCT currently offers “in-house inspector certification” for those performing daily and quarterly inspections, and “professional inspector certification” for third party and professional inspectors who visit countless adventure facilities that have a broad range of equipment and operational systems.

ACCT offers its certification alongside its annual conference in February, with a few additional test days throughout the year. The ACCT Inspector Certification focuses mostly on the ANSI/ACCT standards, with additional focus on the ASTM Amusement Ride standards for the Level II Professional Exam.

In addition to ACCT, some inspectors also carry certifications from NAARSO and/or AIMS. Both NAARSO and AIMS serve the traditional amusement ride industry, and the programs focus on systems like hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical, and magnetic.

Who needs what level of certification?

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RIGGING whether you need to be a certified inspector, and this varies by jurisdiction.

Make sure you check with your state or province to determine what the requirements for inspection are, because regulations change frequently.

TRAINING Stock feels that common sense and thorough training in the proper operation of equipment and maintenance are important, whether you’re a professional builder and inspector, a tour guide, or maintenance staff for the park. To that end, he recommends all technical staff get engaged in the industry and join the ACCT or attend ASTM meetings. This allows technicians to network with peers and vendors, who may have more current information about training practices and recommendations for the way their equipment is used and maintained.

42 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

Experiential Resources owner and president Todd Domeck urges that a walkthrough and practical demonstration of maintenance skills should be in-

cluded as part of staff training. “If you’re provided tools, you should be trained on how to use and care for those tools,” he says.

He notes this is not just to mitigate risk while the park is operating, but also while it’s closed and undergoing maintenance. “Injuries are most common during maintenance procedures,” he says. “Staff should work in teams, with clear communication strategies, including verbal calls and nonverbal hand signals.” Domeck reminds operators to document in a log any training that is completed.

HARDWARE & COMPONENT SELECTION When shopping for hardware and components, look for the following: A reputable manufacturer. Hardware used for life support or other critical applications should come from a recognized manufacturer, and that manufacturer should have its name stamped or molded into the product. Be wary of any component that lists only a “country of origin” on it. Examples of reputa-

ble hardware manufacturers: Crosby, CM, and Chicago Hardware.

Rated strengths. Critical hardware should have rated breaking strength (BS) or safe working loads (SWL) stamped or molded into the product.

Do not exceed the loads listed. Make sure to look at the specific manufacturer’s capacity tables. Pieces of hardware of the same size and type may have different rated capacities depending on the manufacturer. For example, the rated capacity of one 5/8-inch eyebolt may be hundreds of pounds different from the exact same size and type of eyebolt made by a different manufacturer.

Corrosion resistance. This is especially important if the piece of hardware is being used outside. A variety of coatings and materials are available, the most common being hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel.

Direction of load. All hardware is designed for an intended direction of pull, typically in-line. However, many pieces of hardware you’ll find are rated for a

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RIGGING

peening, breaks, cracks, loose components, stuck components, etc.

reduced load, and this information can be found in the manufacturer’s capacity tables.

Know how to inspect. All reputable hardware manufacturers provide a list of inspection criteria for their components, be it a bolt, shackle, carabiner, or wire rope. Know what potential issues to look for during an inspection, including dings, dents, nicks, corrosion, rust,

When in doubt, test. When you can’t identify the manufacturer, size, or strength of the hardware, you can perform a proof test—assuming you have the right tools. Tension meters, portable proof testers, and load cells allow inspectors to verify strength in the field.

EXPERT ADVICE Safe rigging starts with the manufac-

turer and authorized dealers. They can guide you not only on the installation, but recommended safety practices, training, signage, and maintenance requirements. When looking for expert advice, seek reputable vendors that work in and understand the North American work environment and laws.

Additionally, look for vendors who are members of ACCT, NAARSO, AIMS, or other adventure or amusement industry trade groups. Look for certified inspectors and licensed contractors with vast industry knowledge. Last but not least, make sure they have proper insurance coverage.

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RIGGING HARDWARE Bairstow CM Crosby Group Edward Daniel Company Peak Trading WIRE ROPE ALPS BC Wire Rope Bridon ESCO New England Ropes Pfeifer (Adventure Park Gear) Southern Wire Corp Worldwide Enterprises FIBER ROPE Davey & Company LTD Langman Ropes New England Ropes PMI R&W Rope Sterling Rope Wellington Cordage Yale Cordage ROPE ACCESS HARDWARE CMI Fehr ISC Kong Petzl Rock Exotica Ropes Park Equipment SPS Filets TES, Inc.

Our industry-wide survey provides a snapshot of the aerial adventure park and educational/experiential businesses.

Adventure Park Insider has conducted an industry-wide survey to measuare current and future trends. We collected data from 152 operators across North America—85% of whom were high-level managers or owners of their parks. All answered our questions to the best of their ability. Guest Research Inc., a market research firm, assisted us in analyzing the results.

Despite the small sample size, the survey reveals several unmistakable trends. In future years, we hope to generate a greater response and provide a more comprehensive picture.

The P2P side of the industry began, in a very small way, with zip lines in the 1990s, and experienced steady growth as both the industry and consumers explored a new avenue for adventure and thrill-seeking. Aerial adventure parks first appeared in the early 2000s, and they are continuing to grow fast; 38% of

P2P respondents got their start in the last four years alone.

Activities Offered Both segments comprise a range of activities. The largest growth area industry-wide has been in aerial parks and challenge courses. These are the most

WHAT YEAR DID YOUR OPERATION OPEN? 100

EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

75

Here’s what we found.

PHYSICAL AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS The growth of pay-to-play parks has created two distinct segments in the industry, each with its own unique structure: the traditional challenge course programs that are developmental, therapeutic, or educationally focused; and the commercial, recreational, pay-to-play aerial adventure parks.

46 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

Consequently, we have separated the data points into these two categories, experiential and pay-to-play (P2P).

Experiential respondents made up 40% of our sample, and pay-to-play made up the remaining 60%.

Experiential operations saw strong growth starting in the 1970s; our sample shows steady growth through the mid-’00s. The largest growth in this segment in the past decade, at least among our respondents, has been in therapeutic applications, with the addition of ropes courses and zip lines to counseling centers, psychiatric hospitals, and behavioral health operations.

50

25

1970

1975

1980

BASE: 147 RESPONDENTS

1985

1990

1995

2000

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 93

2005

2010

2015

0

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 54

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES CURRENTLY OFFERED AERIAL ADVENTURE COURSE F&B ZIP LINE ZIP LINE TOUR PHOTO SERVICE CLIMBING WALL HIGH ROPES KIDS COURSE LOW ROPES CANOPY TOURS LODGING TARZAN SWING DISC GOLF

EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

INFLATABLES BASE: 148 RESPONDENTS

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 94

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100 EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 54

Respondents have an average of three aerial courses, with an average of 39 elements on site—an average of 54 elements for P2P operations, and 21 for experiential programs.

SAFETY LINE CONNECTION SYSTEMS CONTINUOUS/ SMART BELAY

EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

LOBSTER CLAW DYNAMIC BELAY 0% BASE: 104 RESPONDENTS

Zip lines and zip line tours are also widespread: respondents have an average of eight zip lines, with participants reaching an estimated average speed of 37.5 mph.

Beyond that, respondents offer a range of activities, such as target sports, mechanical bull-riding, geo-cacheing, kayaking and whitewater rafting, cavern tours, mining sluices, and laser tag, among others.

Belay Systems Challenge courses and aerial parks use a variety of belay systems, and these reflect some key differences between experiential and pay-to-play operations.

With their often self-guided courses, 86% of P2P respondents use a continuous or smart belay system, with the remaining 15% using lobster claws. Some operators use a combination of the two—continuous or smart belay system for participants, and lobster claws for guide use— to allow more flexible travel through the course as necessary.

Experiential respondents paint a much different picture: 69% use lobster claws, 51% rely on dynamic belay systems, and only 8% use continuous belays.

These differences stem from both the very different aims of the two types of businesses, as well as the structure of their courses and programs. Experiential operations offer primarily low and high ropes activities, which can necessitate the use of multiple belay systems. Dynamic belay systems, especially on high ropes courses, are designed to foster trust between teambuilding participants.

This helps explain why experiential operations rate “increased regulations” as a top worry for the future. Dynamic belays and lobster claws are integral to the ed-

25%

50%

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 66

75%

100%

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 38

ANNUAL VISITATION FOR 2016 0-5,000 5,001-10,000 10,001-20,000 20,001-30,000 30,001-40,000

EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

40,001-50,000 50,000-75,000 75,000+ 0% BASE: 146 RESPONDENTS

5%

10%

15%

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 92

ucational process, yet the greatest level of security in the P2P world comes from the use of continuous and smart belays, which reduce the chance for guests to disengage from the belay system. If regulators were to require continuous or smart belays for all types of aerial activities, that would negate much of the educational/experiential value of challenge courses.

BUSINESS VOLUME AND DEMOGRAPHICS The industry is growing not only in the explosion of new P2P operations, but in visitation at individual parks and programs as well.

P2P businesses see greater numbers of visitors, on average, and volumes are growing faster than for experiential/ educational operations. Respondents as a whole have experienced 18% growth since 2013. Individual P2P operations

20%

25%

30%

35%

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 54

experienced 25% growth over the past three years; experiential operations, 9%.

The biggest growth area in the P2P arena for visitation has been in smallto mid-sized parks that draw 5,000 to 20,000 visitors a year. However, a growing number of parks are seeing volumes of 30,000 or more; the number of parks with visitation volumes exceeding 75,000 has doubled since 2013.

A large percentage of respondents at experiential operations, in contrast, see less than 5,000 annual visits. The largest growth has been in the number of experiential programs in the 5,000 to 10,000 range, up 27% since 2013.

Both sides of the industry are predicting continued growth in 2017, with P2P respondents predicting average growth of 17%, and experiential operations predicting growth of 9%. >> cont.

47 Winter 47 February 2017 2015

commonly offered activity among our P2P respondents, and rank 8th among experiential operations. We should note, though, that zip line/zip tour/canopy tours combined are at least as widespread among respondents as aerial parks.

Who’s most interested in playing in the air? The largest age ranges for participation are 13-17, 18-24, and 25-34 in both the P2P and experiential sectors.

The biggest growth markets for P2P, though, are younger participants ages 2-5, and adults 55+. For P2P operations especially, having options that appeal to multiple generations, and marketing them in a way that appeals to all ages, will be a key to future growth. That helps explain the growing importance of alternate activities, such as climbing walls and kids-specific aerial courses.

These are among the items operators are planning to add in the near future.

FINANCIAL METRICS P2P operations average $900,000 in annual revenue (see chart below).

Thirty-eight percent of respondents ring between $100,000 and $500,000 per year, while 55% are grossing $500,000 or more. Twenty-nine percent of respondents are bringing in more than $1.5 million, reflective of the growing number of parks with visitor volumes greater than 30,000 a year.

The experiential market has a heavy concentration of smaller operations; 46% of respondents report revenue under $100,000. Another 13% show revenues between $100,000 and $300,000.

These relatively low revenues may reflect our sample’s preponderance of smaller camps and seasonal programs, many of which are non-profits; 84% of

experiential respondents identified as a non-profit organization. But not all educational programs are small: 20% of experiential respondents, including several religious organizations, report revenues exceeding $1.5 million.

The differences in the business models for P2P and experiential programs show up in other ways, too. Pricing structures, for example.

In the P2P segment, 74% of respondents offer either a-la-carte pricing or the option of a-la-carte and all-inclusive tickets. In contrast, 58% of experiential respondents offer only an all-inclusive option, while 27% offer both a-la-carte and all-inclusive. That reflects the more structured programs of the experiential world.

Revenue sources (see chart at right) also show some decided differences.

P2P respondents indicated that course admissions were their top source of revenue, with ancillary revenue coming from retail, food and beverage, and photo services. Multi-activity packages and events, both of which aim to drive attendance and make parks “sticky,” are also important aspects of the business. It’s likely that, as adventure parks mature, ancillary services will become more important to guests, and a greater source of income.

OPERATION SIZE BY DOLLAR VOLUME

Note that while ancillary revenues from photo services, retail and events appears relatively low, not all operations offer these services. Among those with photo services, for example, the majority say revenues are 10% or more of total revenues.

Course admissions also ranked as the number one source of revenue for experiential operations, but corporate and group sales are much more important than in the P2P arena. The same is true for lodging, as many educational programs are multi-day programs where participants stay on-site.

Experiential and educational programs generally do less business in souvenirs and keepsakes. It would appear there is market potential in ancillary services such as photos and souvenirs, as HR departments and other groups might well appreciate mementos of their experiences as much as adventure park guests do.

All that said, the overall prices both types of businesses charge are surprisingly similar. Our experiential respondents’ all-inclusive packages range from $15 to $200, with an average price of $67 per participant. The pay-to-play operators are offering all-inclusive rates of $15 to $185, with an average of $72.50 per participant.

Staffing levels show that P2P operations tend to have larger staffs, which reflects the greater number of participants they host.

MANAGERS’ SALARIES

7%

3% 13%

48 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

22%

17%

PAY-TO-PLAY

7% 9%

EXPERIENTIAL

7%

PROGRAMS

46%

44%

35% 13%

17%

<$100K $100K – $300K

4%

11%

21%

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 83

18%

7%

$300K – $500K $500K – $1M

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 52 $1M – $1.5M $1.5 M – $2M

RESPONDENTS: 124 $2M+

$10-$12/hr $12-$15/hr

$15-$20/hr $20+/hr

When it comes to salaries (see pie chart, previous page), though, the P2P and experiential segments offer very similar salary structures. We’ve shown managers’ salaries here, with 44% of respondents in both categories paying managers $20 an hour or more. But the story is much the same for guides, supervisors, and other staff.

SOURCES OF REVENUE PHOTO SERVICE RETAIL EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

EVENTS GROUPS/CORPORATE

LOOKING AHEAD Forty-three percent of respondents are planning capital expenditures for the 2017 season; another 38% said they had not decided at survey time.

FOOD & BEVERAGE LODGING MULTI-ACTIVITY PASSES COURSE ADMISSIONS 0% PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 83

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 46

P2P ADVENTURE PARK TICKET PRICES AERIAL ADVENTURE COURSE

Aerial courses are the most popular planned addition, at 25% across both sectors of the industry. But operators are looking for a greater variety of activities to offer. In the P2P world, as operations reach peak volumes for their primary activity, revenue growth potential will fall squarely in the ancillary activities and services such as photography, retail, and high-throughput, lowcost activities such as climbing.

In the experiential segment, 36% of respondents are planning to add high ropes elements, and another 24% plan to add an aerial adventure course.

ZIP LINE TOUR ZIP LINE CLIMBING WALL LOW AVERAGE HIGH

HIGH ROPES ALL-INCLUSIVE $0

$50

$100

$150

$200

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 91

With growing competition on both sides of the market, operators will increasingly seek ways to make their activities as inclusive as possible, expand the experience with ancillary services and high-throughput, low-cost activities, and manage consumer expectations and concerns as it relates to regulations, incidents, and safety.

PLANNED CAPITAL EXPENDITURES HIGH ROPES

AERIAL ADVENTURE COURSE

LOW ROPES

CLIMBING WALL

AERIAL ADVENTURE COURSE

PHOTO SERVICE

ZIP TOUR

FREE FALL

ZIP LINE

LOW ROPES

CLIMBING WALL

ZIP LINE

5%

10%

15%

PAY-TO-PLAY RESPONDENTS: 49

20%

25%

30%

35%

EXPERIENTIAL RESPONDENTS: 33

40%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

49 Winter 2017

0%

EXPERIENTIAL PAY-TO-PLAY

BY STEPHANIE SIBILLE, SENIOR ANALYST, STRATEGIC ADVENTURES

As aerial adventures expand in range and scope, the words we attach to them carry more importance.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? “So, what exactly is a ropes course?”

As our industry grows, this is a common question from the general public. Yet if we ask five different industry professionals, we might get five different answers. As an industry, it is important that we have some consistency in our terminology.

Somehow, this has gotten lost in the shuffle of harnesses and carabiners.

50 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

Why is it so important to get our terms straight? If nothing else, we need to sound like we know what we’re talking about as our industry comes under scrutiny from regulators and litigators.

Second, from a practical, day-to-day business perspective, we need to set clear expectations for our customers.

One of the most common complaints on online review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp is that visitors were expecting a different outcome than they received.

This often sounds like “this wasn’t really a zip line tour,” or “the ropes courses were harder than I expected.” These complaints can be avoided by properly positioning your park, and that starts with using precise language.

So let’s define some basic terms.

The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School.

Photo credit: Outdoor Ventures

1. ZIP LINES ZIP LINE TOUR: A series of cables, strung together at height, that participants ride for a unique aerial experience. These tours are usually guided.

CANOPY TOUR: A zip line tour in which all platforms between zips are located at height, and participants travel from platform to platform via zip lines and, perhaps, sky bridges—elements or obstacles that are strung between two platforms, which participants cross to connect between two zip lines.

Other zip line tours may involve various exit points on the ground, where participants walk to the next zip. While this qualifies as a zip line tour, it is not

a canopy tour, as participants are not above the ground for the duration of the experience.

DUAL RACING ZIP LINES: Two parallel zip lines of identical length and height, allowing two individuals to start at the same time and descend side-by-side.

Some parks have three or four (or more) parallel zip lines, creating triple or quad racing zip lines, etc.

ride, as the name suggests.

While zip line tours are relatively common, any attraction that has a zip line anywhere on property will probably capitalize on the term to boost recognition—whether it is a summer camp with a single zip line, or a multi-million dollar facility in a major tourist destination. If you operate a zip line tour or canopy tour, be sure to clearly define that in your marketing materials.

SINGLE ZIP LINE: A standalone, single As for the spelling of “zip line” versus “zipline?” The two can be used interchangeably.

2. AERIAL ADVENTURE PARKS AERIAL ADVENTURE PARK: A series of obstacles, strung between trees, poles, or other vertical structures, designed to provide a novel, above-the-ground physical challenge for participants. May also be called aerial trekking.

Variants on the term: Since “aerial adventure park” can be a bit of a mouthful, we often see it shortened to aerial park or adventure park, as it is in the title of this magazine. While “aerial park” is pretty straightforward, “adventure park” can also apply to everything from water parks to miniature golf. We aren’t suggesting you should stop using that term, it just may require additional explanation to your customer base.

ZipTour zip line tour at Attitash Mountain Resort, N.H. Photo credit: ZipRider

POLE-BASED COURSES: Pole-based courses may be constructed from wooden or steel poles.

TREE-BASED COURSES: These rely on trees as primary support structures.

Often, some sort of pole or tower construction enhances tree-based courses.

LINEAR DESIGNS: On these fairly common layouts, participants simply travel

51 Winter 2017

From a practical, day-to-day business perspective, we need to set clear expectations for our customers.

Aerial adventure parks are typically self-guided, with course monitors available to offer suggestions and assist participants as needed. Monitors may be located on the ground or at height.

The safety equipment, particularly the belay (safety attachment) system, varies greatly from park to park, and can be one of the biggest differentiating factors.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? from one trail to the next, following a set path. These may be compact, set up in a geometric shape with courses operating one above another, or could be strung across a line of trees or poles.

higher level of redundancy and flexibility in course design, but can be more difficult to operate, depending on the setup of each attachment point and the age and experience level of participants.

HUB-AND-SPOKE DESIGNS: Also known as European or Swiss designs, these are setups in which each trail fans out from one central platform, allowing participants to choose their own level of difficulty while maximizing throughput for the park.

CONTINUOUS BELAY: A system in which the guest is attached to the belay cable at the start of the course, and remains attached throughout, with no need to disengage at any point. This system offers great ease of use, but may make it more difficult for participants to pass one another, which could impact throughput. It also somewhat limits design, and removes much of the ownership of the safety attachment process from participants.

A popular variant of this is a towerbased design, in which a large tower structure, typically constructed of either wood or steel, is host to two or three centralized platforms, each operating at different heights and corresponding levels of difficulty. Elements fan out from the tower in various directions.

Compact versions of this concept have a relatively small footprint, yet allow for a high volume of participants. When installed in public places or open spaces, these offer a very different user experience from a tree-based course in a forest setting. Whatever the experience is, be sure to define it for your participants.

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BELAY SYSTEM: A means by which guests remain attached to the elements and platforms of the aerial adventure park. Guests are typically expected to operate their own belay system on an aerial adventure park, so ease of use and redundancy are both crucial aspects.

DUAL-CARABINER BELAY: Often referred to as “lobster claws,” this system uses a harness and two belay lines that attach to a belay cable. Guests transfer themselves between platforms or elements, and are instructed to always have at least one line clipped in at all times. Typically, these are relatively easy to operate, but come with the highest risk, as there is no mechanism preventing individuals from unclipping both lines at the same time.

SMART BELAY: A dual-carabiner belay system designed with a mechanism that requires at least one carabiner to be attached to the belay line at all times.

Magnets or another mechanical feature prevent both lines from being unclipped simultaneously. This allows for a much

DYNAMIC BELAY: Typically used on ropes courses (see below), the participant is attached to one end of a rope, while a facilitator or instructor is attached to the other end. The rope is strung through a shear reduction device (a pulley-like system that allows rope to feed through easily) or other master point above the element. The facilitator (or a team of people) is responsible for managing the other end of the rope and removing any slack from the system.

3. ROPES COURSES ROPES COURSE: This term has two distinct meanings. First, it has been used to define the physical climbing structure, the complex or obstacles suspended or supported by ropes. And second, it can refer to a specific learning experience designed for groups, with programming based on an aerial climbing structure.

For now, let’s step away from the structural definition, and focus solely on a “traditional ropes course experience.”

Historically, ropes courses have been used as a team-building tool for groups seeking a specific educational outcome, typically revolving around trust, communication, leadership, or teamwork. A “traditional” ropes course program usually involves some ground activities as well as both low ropes and high ropes challenges.

LOW ROPES: Activities that occur a few feet off the ground, and are tied to some sort of group problem-solving

task. These activities are almost never belayed, and introduce the additional element of participants taking responsibility for spotting one another, in effect preventing their peers or colleagues from hitting the ground.

HIGH ROPES: These elements often look very similar to those found on aerial adventure parks, but the obstacles are typically built as standalone activities. Participants are usually belayed from the ground, either by a facilitator or by their peers/colleagues via a team belay, in which multiple participants take responsibility for various aspects of the belay system. In a few cases, a high ropes course may include a static belay, where participants use some form of self-belay, much like aerial parks.

CHALLENGE COURSE: Often used interchangeably with “ropes course,” this term defines the type of experience without the ties to (or confusion with) the climbing structure.

Of course, “ropes course” is often used to define the structure on which participants climb, and that usage will remain common despite any efforts to the contrary. Forest Service members tend to use this term internally, so you may need to use it for your aerial park if you are planning to build on public land.

More importantly, ropes courses have been operating in the United States far longer than aerial parks, so don’t be surprised if participants refer to your park, or even your zip line tour, as a “ropes course,” for a long time to come.

While the term “ropes course” is ubiquitous, it is important that we maintain consistency within the industry and try to avoid using terms interchangeably.

As a company, we use the term “ropes course” in the traditional programming sense, and “aerial park” or “aerial adventure park” for any commercial, pay-toplay operation.

To geek out over industry terms, or call out something you want to see defined, contact Stephanie@strategic-adventures. com, or attend her session, “Selling the Outcomes,” at the ACCT conference in Savannah, Ga., Feb. 2-5.

^ “Islands in the Sky” or “The Matrix” at Georgia Tech, where participants on the high ropes challenge course are tasked with fitting more people on the little floating platforms (40-feet up) than seems possible at first.

SO, WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN TO ME?

One common error we see among operators is a failure to set the proper expectation for guests, and that often relates to the terms used in promotional material. There’s a temptation to capitalize on the most ubiquitous industry terms. Sprinkling “zip line” throughout your aerial park’s website may help with initial web traffic, but could disappoint guests if they arrive expecting a fullblown zip line tour and instead find some shorter lines interspersed among your aerial obstacles.

Here are a few other common situations caused by misleading communications: • attending a teambuilding program on a ropes course, and expecting to climb all day • attending a teambuilding program on a ropes course, and expecting that everyone gets to ride the zip line • visiting an aerial park, and expecting to ride all of the zip lines on site • taking part in a teambuilding program on a zip line tour or aerial park, and expecting a facilitated experience • climbing on an aerial park, and expecting that a guide will take care of all of the clip-in stations

• taking part in a zip line tour, and expecting that all platforms are connected above the ground, like a canopy tour Any of these issues can result in negative online reviews, which will, in time, offset any initial marketing traction.

So how do you capitalize on popular industry terms without misleading your visitors? Here are a few pointers that might help: Avoid using misleading terms in your name. If your primary attraction is not zip lines, don’t use the word “zip” in your business name—or in your domain name, slogan, URL, or title of any given web page, for that matter. Some visitors will read your copy thoroughly and discover the truth, but let’s face it—most folks only read the headlines.

Integration, integration, integration.

You can mention your zip lines, even if they are not your primary focus, as long as you are clear about how extensive they are (or are not). Keyword integration allows search engines to pick up on various terms, and integrating these keywords into your web copy allows you to capitalize on popular searches—but on your terms. Create a page that compares your offering with another similar offering (canopy tours versus aerial parks, for example). You get to use all of the popular industry jargon, but also set extremely clear expectations and come across as an industry expert.

FAQ page on your website. This can also help manage expectations. It is your opportunity to clear the air and reassure visitors who are uncertain about what they are in for. It doesn’t hurt to start with, “What is a ropes course?” or “What is an aerial park?”

Partnerships. Capitalize on industry trends by partnering with a nearby operator who offers a complementary service. I know a ropes course operator who will not take pay-to-play groups, so she refers these to a nearby aerial park.

Likewise, the park calls her when a group wants to come in for teambuilding.

FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS No two parks are exactly alike. The best way to draw visitors is to focus on what makes yours unique. Whether you are an adrenaline-infused zip line tour in an amazing location, an aerial park with a fantastic array of elements, or a ropes course with world-class facilitators offering various success stories for strengthening teams—your best bet is to focus on conveying your best attributes to potential visitors.

To truly understand what sets you apart, take the time to visit other parks or tours and get a clear sense of what’s out there. The more you know, the more you can be an expert in your specialty, and the better prepared you’ll be to maintain your niche. — ­ S.S.

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No one will come to your park ready to quiz you on these terms. However, you should be able to speak intelligibly on the subtleties that define these terms, because chances are, your guests will not know the difference.

BY JULIA BARRERO, XOLA

How to use digital media effectively without employing a full-time marketer.

MARKETING DOS AND DON’TS Why, more than a decade into our Facebook-centric world, are we still trying to figure out social media marketing? In part, it’s because social media are revolutionizing the way businesses and consumers communicate—and old habits die hard.

For decades, marketers communicated with consumers through traditional media, and they had few ways to gauge their audiences’ reaction in real time.

Social media, in contrast, allows businesses to humanize themselves online and build their brand through conversations with individuals, not through mass sales pitches. But retrofitting our oneway advertising instincts to a two-way conversation has taken time.

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So, how are we doing? We checked in with a few operators to see what was working—and what wasn’t.

I. Tell a Story, Sell Your Tour Since the days of our earliest ancestors, humans have communicated by way of stories. When we hear stories, our brains issue a powerful response.

Studies have found that stories increase our cortisol and oxytocin levels, which enhance our focus and sense of empa-

thy. This increased attention span and emotion creates a valuable tool marketers can use to persuade people to act.

Fortunately, your zip tour or adventure park works with several happy people every day, and each one develops a different story about the experience you offer. These stories can help you sell.

Don’t let opportunities slip through your fingers. Document and highlight these stories wherever you can: websites, social media profiles—even paid ads can tell a story.

Josh Sears, general manager of ZipZone Adventure Park in Peachland, British Columbia, speaks in the earnest and specific style of a professor, with a visionary’s endless appetite for the next big thing. And he’s got a hot story to tell.

“Given how much complexity there is in the marketplace, I want a simple, funny, awesome message that people can grab onto and compel them to make a purchase decision,” he says.

Problem is, while he has found some clever copy, he hasn’t quite nailed down the story, or pinpointed ZipZone’s one or two iconic images that garner an emotional reaction from people. “I want the story we tell about the ZipZone experience, the images and videos that we present, to all be the same,” says Sears.

With a clear story, Sears believes he’ll eliminate a lot of the confusion that still exists around his adventure park.

“We’re six years in business and people still say, ‘I didn’t know there was a zip line there [in Peachland],’” he says.

A clear story will help people understand what the ZipZone experience is all about, and ultimately purchase a ticket.

One thing he’s sure of, though: discounting isn’t part of the narrative. “Our customers don’t want a 25-percent-off coupon,” he explains. “We can get the sale if we can get them excited.”

DO FOCUS ON YOUR UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION A ZipZone tour, according to Sears, bundles excitement, exhilaration, and fear all together. Customers laugh with the personable and professional guides, and feel safe on Canada’s highest zip line. Therein lies the key to ZipZone’s “unique value proposition,” or UVP. A UVP is a clear statement that describes the benefit of your offer, how you meet your customer’s needs, and what distinguishes you from the competition. It should form the focal point of your marketing campaign, and be showcased on the homepage of your website, if space and design allow.

Ideally, a UVP captures the benefits in one fell swoop, as the specialized travel

^ ZipZone Peachland’s testimonial page showcases its biggest fans, and it’s easy to find on the website’s main navigation.

Zicasso puts its unique value proposition front and center on the homepage of its website.

^

DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PHOTO (OR VIDEO) OP You know what would be even better than seven top-notch paragraphs from customers? Seven video testimonials.

At the end of your zip tour or adventure park experience, include a photo or video station where people can record their immediate reactions right when they’re most excited. You might also prepare some fun questions that will help bring out your customers’ stories:

“Perfect your dream vacation” speaks directly to the aspirations of Zicasso’s potential customers. To reinforce that message, the subhead promises to save travelers time: “Travel to the four corners of the world, without going in circles.” This is a great example of how to tell a story. Don’t simply use a cliché to convey the benefit.

To nail your story, and your UVP, put your website copy to this benefits test: We help (who?) do (what?) by (how?).

Then, find creative ways to express this in words and pictures.

DO HIGHLIGHT CUSTOMER STORIES ON YOUR WEBSITE Marketers commonly make the mistake of alluding to the story without actually

telling it. For example, plenty of zip tour and adventure park websites proudly don TripAdvisor badges. What many sites don’t have, however, is a dedicated “Testimonials” page full of outstanding reviews. ZipZone Peachland is a notable exception.

ZipZone has a testimonial page, and it’s easy to find—it’s on the site’s primary navigation. Here, customers take center stage. There’s plenty of real estate to fit several glowing reviews written by some of the park’s biggest fans.

The page also displays a “TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” which is well worth boasting about. A word of caution, though: current awards carry more clout than older ones. While a 2013 award still has value—especially when coupled with supporting reviews—it will soon start to lose its luster.

• How did you feel when you were about to zip off the first platform?

• Were you scared, excited, or both?

• What was the most memorable part of your visit and why?

If you can, try to set up your photo/video station in a well-lit, scenic, and quiet place to help improve the quality of the content. And remember, not everyone is great on-camera, which is OK! Even if most of these testimonials never make it into the final cut, you’re bound to capture some amazing endorsements.

Edit the best ones down to a short 60to 90-second video and you’ll have the most compelling marketing asset in your arsenal. Use it time and again on your website, in social profiles, digital ad campaigns—you name it. Capturing your customer’s genuine excitement on

55 Winter 2017 

company Zicasso has done successfully on its homepage (above).

^ ZipZone Peachland’s Facebook cover image is bold and engaging, and helps tell a story to its customers.

^ After an unsuccessful Facebook photo contest, ZipZone in Columbus, Ohio, learned that users like, comment, and share, but rarely look at tabs on a Facebook page.

video will always pay off.

DO CAPTURE GUESTS’ IMAGINATIONS WITH COLORFUL COPY What ZipZone lacks in visual content, it makes up for with rich language.

Stories are captivating because as we’re listening to the words, we’re painting a picture of the action in our mind’s eye.

Use evocative messaging that stands out from the everyday noise. The more emotion you spark, the more your message will resonate. ZipZone is successful at this, particularly with its Facebook cover photo: “Bring clean underwear.

You’ll thank us later.” Sounds exciting.

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DO KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN AND FOCUS There’s no shortage of places where you can tell your story. Spread yourself too thin, and your message will suffer.

Spearfish, don’t just cast a net.

Moving forward, Sears wants to scale back ZipZone’s number of marketing channels and focus on the quality of his output. “We want to move to three to four main channels that are social media-driven with a lot of video content and image content,” he says.

II. Facebook: Contests and Simplicity Lori Pingle, owner of ZipZone Canopy Tours in Columbus, Ohio (no relation to ZipZone in Peachland), has many things

on her mind other than what to post next on Facebook. She is cautiously optimistic about the value of her efforts, but it can be bewildering.

“Anecdotally, I know we’re getting Facebook reviews and that people who engage with us on social media eventually come zip with us, but it’s really hard for us to understand whether social media was part of that person’s purchase decision,” she says.

Inconsistent results can also be discouraging. “It’s frustrating to get participation with one program, only to have it flop the next time,” she laments.

Those are natural responses for someone strapped for time to spend on social media. It’s hard to hit every post out of the park when her full-time responsibilities include guest safety, course maintenance, and guide training. Facebook might cross her mind once in a busy week.

If you’re like Pingle, take these dos and don’ts from her experience to heart.

DO STIR EXCITEMENT WITH A LOW-MAINTENANCE CONTEST Leading up to the 4th of July, Pingle engaged her followers with a simple Facebook challenge. The post invited users to like ZipZone’s page, like the post, and comment on the post by naming who they would like to take on a zip tour.

She spent one minute writing the post, and a couple more minutes to boost it with a $25 budget—and, presto! For the

cost of two zip tours plus a $25 boost, this uncomplicated call to action scored 92 likes, 14 shares, and a whopping 85 comments in the week leading up to one of her busiest times of the year.

Even former customers offered ringing endorsements, reassuring those hoping to nab the two free passes. That’s the kind of customer advocacy (i.e., wordof-mouth advertising) that all marketers dream of. “That’s the goal,” says Pingle, “for people to see that chatter and get excited to come to ZipZone.”

DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED One unsuccessful gambit was a Facebook photo contest. The complication?

You had to go to a special tab on ZipZone’s profile to even see or participate in the photo contest. Problem is, Facebook users don’t engage with tabs— they comment, like, and post.

“Next time, I’m going to keep it simple,” Pingle promises. “We want to make it easy for people to participate, and that means thinking about their natural behavior on Facebook.”

DON’T IGNORE THE OBVIOUS Marketers need to be scientists: constant experimentation will help discover what message or what medium works for a target audience. And, as a person who wears many hats, you have to reach your conclusions even faster than most. If one of your efforts on Facebook gets zero likes, comments or shares, it’s time to change your approach.

It is important to measure your marketing campaign to gauge its success, and see if it’s making (or losing) money.

Yet, most zip tours and adventure parks skimp on their tracking and analytics activities. It’s true that managing a highly profitable advertising strategy and understanding all the metrics behind it takes time, and can be a little intimidating—but it’s worth it.

The good news is, you don’t have to go it alone. There are countless experts who can guide you through it, or set it up entirely for you. They aren’t free, but the return on investment can be remarkable.

So, whether you’re taking it on yourself or hiring an expert, start making data-driven decisions in your advertising strategy. Thanks to the ease and sophistication of digital ad tracking these days, you can easily witness the financial impact of changing the copy, imagery, or audience for an ad. The world of marketing doesn’t always afford such transparency.

The most successful marketers keep up with the latest tools and best practices, and routinely tinker with campaigns to generate maximum returns. If you or your marketing agency can’t commit to such demands, digital advertising could quickly drain your budget without much to show for itself.

Tom Kratsch, who represents Skyline Eco-Adventures in Hawaii, is the Billy Beane of zip line marketing. His TRK Creative Group uses tracking and analytics tools to monitor the performance of every advertising campaign.

“Marketing is a science, it’s data-driven.

We base every decision we make on the return on investment or return on ad spend,” Kratsch says. “We have a baseline that we’re not willing to fall under.”

Just like it did for Beane’s Oakland A’s, this data-first approach has paid off for Skyline. It consistently makes five times what it spends on Google AdWords each month, and its Facebook ads and

remarketing campaigns bring in ten times what Skyline spends.

This is an advanced approach that is often tackled by an agency. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting so everyone knows what’s possible.

DO PLAN AHEAD Not long ago, Kratsch remodeled his home. It dawned on him that marketing is a lot like construction: “You have to make sure you’ve got your plumbing and electrical systems in order before you put in the shiny stuff,” he says.

Similarly, before you launch a marketing campaign, you need to set up tracking mechanisms that allow you to analyze your success, and course-correct if necessary. For Kratsch, that means ensuring that all the following tracking tools are functioning properly on Skyline’s website:

DO CRAFT KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) Tracking and analytics tools produce lots of statistics, which need to be interpreted. Before you launch your campaign, establish KPIs that objectively judge your efforts.

“Since we want to drive booking revenue with every marketing initiative, we only want to target people that actually have buying intent,” Kratsch says.

Skyline has courses on Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island, so Kratsch markets to people who search these destinations online. By looking at specific traffic segments, like the number of people searching for “Maui” that ultimately book a tour with Skyline, Kratsch measures performance with precision.

Admittedly, it’s not easy to run this kind of advertising program. But by keeping

“Since we want to drive booking revenue with every marketing initiative, we only want to target people that actually have buying intent.” —Tom Kratsch • Google Analytics • Google AdWords linking • Google Search Console • Tracking Pixels Skyline manages its reservations through booking software, which interfaces with the tracking tools. That’s key; if the software can’t tell Google Analytics which marketing channel was responsible for an online booking, it will throw off Kratsch’s ROI calculations.

Fortunately, a lot of this tracking technology is either free or very affordable for small businesses. But wrapping your head around what these things are and how they work takes time and patience.

That’s why Skyline invested in hiring outside help. Depending on your goals, a similar investment could be wise.

your marketing goals clearly in mind and tying them to KPIs, you can make actionable decisions from your data.

CLOSING THOUGHTS Marketing starts with having a story to tell. Formulate your tale and establish your unique value proposition. Your promotions, events, and special offers can help you spread the word and reinforce the message.

The media you choose are the means through which you communicate your story to potential guests. And each medium allows you to tell your story in a different way. Stay open to new means of expression and stay current as social media evolve. And finally, use data analytics—to the extent you or an outside contractor can do the work—to help you get the greatest return for your advertising dollars.

57 Winter 2017

III. D ominating Digital Ads with Data

BY PETER OLIVER

Via ferratas typically involve drilling metal anchors and rungs into rock faces to create assisted rock climbing routes.

Photo: Adventure Partners

^

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^

THE IRON WAY THE GROWING APPEAL OF VIA FERRATAS

The via ferrata at Amangiri, Utah, allows non-technical climbers to experience an extraordinary landscape up close and personal.

Not surprisingly, the concept migrated to North America, where a handful of recreational via ferratas now exist, most of them guided activities on traditional cable-and-rung routes.

Historically, via ferratas were true to their iron-clad name: routes composed of fixed iron cables, rungs, and suspension bridges to assist climbers scaling steep, rocky terrain. While variations on the theme date back to the 19th century, it’s generally considered that via ferratas were born during World War I to aid the movement of soldiers through mountainous regions such as Italy’s Dolomites.

Jackson Hole, Wyo., is jumping onto the growing trend by installing the largest known U.S.-based via ferrata complex.

In the mix in the $400,000 project are two practice areas and four major routes, with a 120-foot suspension bridge included, on 500 vertical feet of rock. The site is at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, above the top terminal of the Bridger Gondola and the Rendezvous Lodge. Guests latch onto cables anchored to the rock, with energy absorption systems used to limit and cushion any falls. Located in the Teton range, which is renowned rock climbing terrain, via ferratas make total sense.

Italian alpinists began restoring and expanding early military via ferratas in the mid 20th century. A real boom in recreational via ferratas arrived in the 1990s, primarily in France, where ski resorts were looking for an activity to offer to summer guests. By the mid2000s, it’s estimated that more than 100 had been installed in Europe, with close to 200 today.

THE APPEAL The appeal of the via ferrata concept is that it allows adventurers with no climbing experience to ascend steep, potentially dangerous routes safely, because climbers are always secured via harnesses to the fixed cable. The risk of injury or falls is miniscule. “It is adventure, but everything is safe,” says Yannick Berger-Sabattel, technical man-

ager at Prisme, a Canadian via ferrata builder. And with the growth in popularity comes additional convenience innovations. CLiC-iT, for example, manufactures a continuous belay system designed specifically for via ferratas.

Still, the via ferrata concept is evolving and expanding. Some North American via ferrata operators apply the term to almost any safe, assisted rock climbing. They are tapping into the allure of what had been a “hot trigger word in the ’90s,” according to Chris Pearson, owner and manager of Peak Expeditions, which runs via ferrata programs in Vermont and Massachusetts.

Peak Expeditions actually uses no iron at all in its approach to the concept, and no fixed elements. Instead, it relies on “eco-friendly rope systems.” Its Vermont location, for example, employs horizontal Tyrolean traverses, rope bridges, rappelling, and other rope techniques.

Compared with a full-fledged via ferrata, a rope system comes at a fraction of the cost. And with no fixed elements left behind on rocks or trees, permitting is usually a relative breeze.

Bretton Woods in New Hampshire has taken an intermediate approach,

59 Winter 59 February 2017 2015

The literal translation of the Italian term “via ferrata” is a bit ominous, summoning images of rigid, military marching orders. The iron way. However, today’s recreational via ferratas—essentially, assisted rock climbing routes—are a bit more inviting, and have increased in popularity as an outdoor activity at ski areas and other rocky spaces in North America.

THE IRON WAY THE GROWING APPEAL OF VIA FERRATAS installing fixed steel bolts on a 400-vertical-foot series of slabs on the north face of Mt. Oscar, providing anchors for rope-assisted climbing. It is an experience that the resort’s climbing program director Steve Nichipor calls “via ferrata inspired”—a safe ascent up a near-vertical face for novice rock climbers.

Bretton Woods recognizes that climbing, via ferrata-assisted or otherwise, is not likely to appeal to the great majority of its guests. Hence, it has kept its via ferrata program relatively small. The resort maintains a three-person-perguide ratio, with three guides and two tours a day.

There are several other considerations aside from the materials used. Via ferratas can be expensive to install and, depending on where they are being installed (federal, state, or private land), they can be subject to rigorous per-

mitting and regulation. They also can’t be installed just anywhere. You need extended, vertical rock; some classic via ferratas in the Dolomites cover more than 3,000 vertical feet, but 400 vertical feet is a good starting number. That rules out flatland locales (although Mike Friedman, managing partner at Adventure Partners, a via ferrata builder, says that installing a route on a city building might be possible, even if it has yet to be tried anywhere in the world).

BUT WHY? Adventure seekers today have a choice of gravity assisted options—zip lines, downhill mountain biking, water-park slides, and more. Why would someone pay to hang off of a vertical face, doing battle with gravity and often (depending on the length and complexity of the via ferrata) spending more than three hours doing so?

Via ferratas are a decidedly niche activity and don’t necessarily aim to capture the potential client base of a zip line or a canopy tour. Consider the via ferratas that Adventure Partners has installed

on sandstone towers at Amangiri, an ultra-high-end resort in southern Utah.

According to Friedman, the resort’s 8,000 annual guests sign up for only about 400 guided climbs. That’s just 5 percent.

One reason for the relatively low numbers is logistical. Pearson says that Peak Expeditions abides by a six-to-one client-to-guide ratio, so with three guides, that maxes out to 18 guests for a two-or-more-hour period. At via ferratas in Quebec, says Berger-Sabattel, guest numbers top out somewhere around 100 a day, still relatively small.

Another limitation is that, while most via ferratas are not exceptionally demanding physically, they still require a certain degree of fitness. A rule of thumb, says Berger-Sabattel, is that “if you are able to climb a ladder, you can climb a via ferrata.” Simple enough for most people, but certainly not for everybody.

Nichipor sets an age range of about seven to 70, but that might be optimistic, with the length and complexity of a route obviously being major determining factors.

VIA FERRATA SUPPLIERS ADVENTURE PARTNERS (970) 596-4025 Mike Friedman mikef@adventurepartners.com PRISME (450) 973-2226 Yannick Berger-Sabattel yannick.berger@prisme-sa.com

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TREE-MENDOUS (518) 288-2920 Gerhard Komenda gerhard@tree-mendous.net AERIAL ADVENTURE TECH (828) 264-0751 Alicia Green alicia@aerialadventuretech.com

The West Wall Climb at Bretton Woods Resort, N.H., is part of its “via ferrata inspired” climbing program.

CLIC-IT (571) 732-5291 Philip McCharen philip.mccharen@clic-it.eu

If guest numbers are relatively small, so, for the most part, are the costs. According to Alexa Bernotavicz, Bretton Woods assistant director of ski operations, the resort’s via ferrata-inspired installation cost less than $5,000. But install costs can vary dramatically. Friedman says that a via ferrata that Adventure Partners’ Jackson Hole installation will cost around $400,000, inflated by the high cost of helicopter assistance. Berger-Sabattel throws out an average figure of C$600 per meter.

Once installation is complete, operating costs are relatively low, with big-ticket line items being guide salaries and carabiners, ropes, harnesses, and energy absorbing systems to cushion falls. The latter need to be replaced from time to time, but the fixed via ferrata components are essentially maintenance-free.

THE PAY OFF PAYOFF Can a via ferrata be a profit center?

Operators need first to determine how a via ferrata might fit into their overall activity mix. At a place like Bretton Woods, says Bernotavicz, or at Amangiri, the main goal is to have something different to offer summer guests. Within that context, marginal profitability—or perhaps no profit at all—might be acceptable, if it attracts more room bookings through the offering of a comprehensive activities package.

Pricing can also be a limiting factor. Because via ferratas are a relatively new activity in North America, no standard price range has been established. Per-person ticket costs vary widely, from less than $50 to as much as $400, although $80 to $100 seems a common number.

Berger-Sabattel estimates that the via ferratas his company has installed in Canada yield a return on investment in a three- to four-year range. He says the possibility of combining a via ferrata with other activities increases appeal. At Parc des Chutes Coulonges in Quebec, for example, a short via ferrata has been combined with a zip line for the post-climb descent.

Although via ferratas have a very good safety record, the cost of liability insurance remains unclear. Part of that is due to the fact that via-ferrata-specific safety standards, from guide certification to equipment standards (size of the cables, weight-bearing capacity of rungs and anchors, etc.) haven’t been established. Bernotavicz says that the Bretton Woods via ferrata is covered under the resort’s umbrella liability package.

Because of the inherently smaller participation numbers when compared with other adventure activities, via ferratas are not likely to be big revenue generators in a stand-alone context. Still, Friedman is optimistic about “a huge short-term growth potential, especially at ski areas.”

What Friedman likes is that this is an activity that fills out an overall adventure offering, providing a more physical (and for some, mental) challenge than other activities. Unlike a zip line, “you don’t just shove off and scream,” he says. “It is an earned experience.”

Mt. Norquay’s three via ferratas overlook Banff, Alberta’s spectacular Canadian Rockies. The longest route stretches more than 2 kilometers (nearly 1.5 miles).

Jackson Hole’s via ferrata (above), shown under construction last fall, will have four routes spread across a 500-vertical-foot face when it opens for summer 2017. It will complement hiking, climbing, and high alpine running at the resort’s mid-mountain center of activities near the top terminus of the Bridger Gondola.

61 Winter 2017

Some, however, come away with a reward far different from the quick adrenal rush of a zip line or the communion with nature of a canopy tour. The reward of a via ferrata is perhaps more introspective, a sense of accomplishment that comes with conquering the fear of heights or, as Friedman puts it, coming to grips with “the exposed positions you encounter on a rock climb.”

BY ROB MANSON

Rob Manson is market manager responsible for the life safety rope division at Teufelberger Fiber Rope Corporation (A.K.A. New England Ropes). He is an avid outdoorsman, certified BSA climbing instructor, and AMC guide.

LOOK AND FEEL

THE IMPORTANCE OF ROPE INSPECTION

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Cuts. These are the most serious area of concern. A cut indicates direct and immediate loss of strength and/or exposure of the core yarns. Ropes with cuts should be retired immediately.

^

Inspection of fiber ropes is one of the most important jobs at any aerial park or ropes course. The condition of your life safety ropes—belay lines, lanyards, evac and rescue ropes, and even ropes that support elements at your operation—directly impacts the safety of your guests. However, inspecting these ropes is not the most fun job, and is often done begrudgingly, at the end of a long day or early in the morning before one.

Excessive wear on the rope fibers can be caused by dirt, glazing, or overuse, among other factors.

^

Having spent 25 years working in IT management, I know that a 100 percent success rate takes effort to achieve.

The gold standard for the availability of any good IT system is 99.999 percent uptime, and that is rarely achieved.

That same level of success in the aerial adventure park world, though, would be disastrous: one out of every 100,000 participants would not make it home.

Modern life-safety ropes are highly engineered tools designed to defy gravity with the least amount of impact to the user. For the most part, ropes are built for use in a specific situation. Many factors determine the performance of these ropes: the type of fiber used to make the rope, the amount of twist used in the rope, and the construction of the rope. In this article, we are going to assume that you are well aware of the types of ropes used in your specific applications, and that you have chosen the proper ropes for each use.

Over time, even the best ropes will gradually begin to deteriorate and lose some of their initial qualities. Eventually, this will reach a point where the loss is great enough to warrant retirement of the ropes. The maximum life span for life safety ropes is ten years from date of manufacture, or five years from the date of first use—whichever comes first.

Remember, that is the maximum life of a rope. Some need to be retired earlier,

Evidence of broken fibers in the rope, which can often occur during normal use.

and inspection is the only way to know when a rope’s performance has been impacted to the point where it needs to be replaced.

The ANSI/ACCT 03-2016 standard leaves a lot of decision-making authority in the hands of the person performing the inspection. To guide your efforts, let’s dig into the specifics of the process.

KEEP TRACK The first step is to establish procedures and retirement criteria by which the ropes will be measured. These will vary: they are based on the activities the ropes are used for and the types of ropes used.

To start, it’s best practice for rope inspections to be performed before and after each use. The procedures for inspection must be site specific and written by, or following the advice of, a knowledgeable and qualified person.

Once procedures have been established, the qualified person should then train the staff who will be performing the inspections so they know what to look for, how to look for it, and what to do if they find an issue.

Tracking is done by compiling a “rope log.” Most rope companies include a version of a rope log with their user instructions, but if not, your friend Google can help you find a template rather

quickly. A good rope log will include ways to identify the rope (manufacturer, type, diameter, length, lot number, or other specific ID), the manufacture date, the date it was put into service, and any fabrication that was added to the rope (splicing, sewing, hardware, etc.).

In addition, there should be a line-byline inspection and incident history of the rope. The inspection portion should contain a line for every inspection, and everything of note that was found during the inspection (if anything). The incident portion should note any potentially damaging events, such as major falls, high abrasion situations, significant environmental factors, etc. These rope logs should be maintained religiously throughout the life of the rope.

They are a major safeguard for your business in the event of an incident.

TAKE A CLOSE LOOK Now, the fun part: performing a thorough inspection of every inch of the rope, by section. To do this, pull an arm’s length of the rope with one hand, while keeping your dominant hand on the rope and feeling it as it pulls through. This is called a tactile inspection. Note any anomalies: high spots, stiff sections, hard spots, glazing, low spots, changes in diameter, sheath damage, etc. You should be able to >> continued on page 70

63 Winter 2017

Rope inspection deserves your full attention. Visitors entrust you with their lives on a daily basis, and your goal must be a 100 percent success rate. To accomplish this, the quality and condition of the ropes you use is one of the top factors in making sure everyone gets to the ground safely.

LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER BIG The art of guest relations goes beyond simply greeting visitors with a friendly smile when they arrive at your park.

By Paul Cummings, Strategic Adventures

In the world of adventure parks, everything is based around selling an experience. Several factors play a role in this experience, not just the physical elements guests pay to enjoy. As such, one of the most critical aspects of your business is how you handle guest relations. For an adventure park or zip line tour, the quality

of guest relations impacts just about everything, including the perceived safety of your attraction.

Most people hear guest relations and think specifically about what happens when guests arrive on-site.

However, it is so much more than

that. Every interaction that people have with your brand—from when they first hear of you to when they write a review after their visit—is part of the guest relations experience. We’ve broken it down into three, easy-to-manage phases of guest relations: before the visit, during the visit, after the visit.

1.

BEFORE THE VISIT

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Let’s start at the beginning. The very first impression of your business is going to be your marketing system, starting with your website. In many ways, your online presence is a reflection of your quality of service.

First off, does your website look professional, or does it look like it was built on software from the 1990s? Before visitors even look for information, they will want to make sure you are indeed a reputable company, and that perception starts with having an up-to-date website. Not just the look of it, but the overall user experience. How easy is it to navigate?

A good site should have tabs for FAQs and contact information, among other things, on every page so users don’t have to go searching.

Here are a few other factors you may want to consider on your website in order to improve the guest experience: Is it mobile friendly? The majority of web traffic today takes place on mobile devices, and this is particularly relevant in tourist markets where people do most of their research on their phones or tablets. If you don’t have a mobile site or a site with responsive design, stop what you are doing, go talk to your web designer, and come back when you’re done.

Are the photos professionally done and technically accurate? We have come across photos of participants not clipped into their safety systems while at height, which is a dangerous message. You may also want to address certain safety practices that may be considered “unorthodox.” For example, if you have images of participants going upside-down, explain that the harnesses are specifically designed for that purpose. If your adventure park does not use helmets, explain the rationale behind this.

Is your FAQ list accurate and up to date? We’ve encountered more than a few FAQs that don’t match the policies or facilities of the park. Make sure you and your web designer don’t just copy a

FAQ from another park’s site. Done well, your FAQ can provide a script for phone staff (more on them in a moment).

If you take reservations, how easy is it to reserve a spot? If it’s too complex, they’ll go elsewhere. This can be particularly problematic on mobile sites where third-party software is integrated.

What is communicated after booking? Everyone should get an email confirmation after they book online.

Take this opportunity to provide helpful information, including “what to bring” and/or “what to wear” so guests arrive properly prepared.

How the phones are answered is another key service issue that needs to be addressed. Often an afterthought, the

person answering the phones and how they handle inquiries can have a huge impact on whether or not someone decides to come. I once called a zip line tour about a booking, and the woman on the phone was very enthusiastic, to the point that every other word out of her mouth was “awesome!” And I know that this is not an isolated case—just reading through some of the Park Spy articles in this magazine is enough to make me shudder (and also see there is still a glimmer of hope!).

Whoever answers the phone should know the basic process of the park/tour and the park/tour’s policies, and be able to answer the most frequently asked questions. They should know what clothing and shoes to recommend, and suggest bringing food/drink if it’s not

available onsite. And finally, the website info and phone info should be in sync, and updated as needed. If one doesn’t match the other, what message does that send about your operation?

Finally, your guests’ day-of experience should be positive before they even arrive at your park. For example, if Google Maps will send them to the middle of nowhere, provide specific directions on your website. In all cases, ensure the signage leading up to your park is clear, especially if the location is difficult to find. Same applies to the path from parking lot to check-in. It might be obvious to you, but will a first-timer know where to head?

2.

DURING THE VISIT

In most adventure parks and zip line tours, the check-in process is the first real on-site experience with guest relations. Short wait times are crucial in delivering a positive experience, as is handling waivers. Can they sign a waiver online in advance? Do you have paper or electronic waivers? What system is being used, and can the waiver transfer over if you operate multiple parks?

Once guests are checked in, they typically go through an orientation process. These vary by park, of course, but a good orientation should offer clear instruction and some hands-on practice with the equipment that will be operated at height.

The experience should be thorough, but succinct. Don’t make your guests feel bored or overloaded with explanation.

As a whole, staff interactions are one of the most critical factors in the guest relations experience. Hiring the right people is key, as is training your staff on

how to interact with guests.

Here are some standard protocols that should always be enforced: Language/Communication: This is particularly critical when it pertains to safety. We have heard far too many jokes like “first to ride, first to die,” and other off-message humor about the integrity of safety systems. Our general rule is: “No jokes about safety. Ever.”

There are plenty of other things to joke about. Usually self-deprecating humor works best, just make sure it doesn’t make it sound like you’re incompetent.

“I’m always forgetting to check my harness, too” doesn’t give me confidence that you’ll be checking mine, either (yes, I actually heard a guide say that).

The Weather Factor: We all know what it’s like to operate in an environment where the weather does not always cooperate. Staff attitudes can make or break a rainy day in New England or a 105-degree day in California. Additionally, staff should be clear on when to close a park in the event of inclement weather, and what the policy is for refunds in such a case. There is nothing worse than

guests getting conflicting information from staff on what happens next after a park unexpectedly closes down.

Injury/Incidents: Bumps and bruises are common, and while we all hope that further incidents do not happen, you still want your staff to be prepared. First aid kits should be easily accessible, and staff should be proactive in responding to minor injuries while maintaining a calm, positive attitude. You also want to make sure that your staff is trained on how to handle larger incidents, and what not to say in the event of an emergency (absolutely no expletives, for starters). Most importantly, the best thing staff can do in the event of an emergency, large or small, is to remain calm and not succumb to panic.

Overall Attitude: Is your staff trained to smile? Do they use participants’ names? Do they introduce themselves? >> continued on page 72

65 Winter 2017

Your on-site guest relations begin the moment visitors pull into the parking lot. How obvious is it that they’ve arrived at your park, and will they like what they see?

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Climbing Right: Indoors or outside, climbing walls are in.

By Peter Oliver

Industry” survey (see p. 46), a climbing wall is one of the top five activities operators are considering adding to their parks—with good reason. This report, from our monthly “Park 360” on adventureparkinsider.com, highlights the versatility of climbing walls, and how they can be an important element for just about any type of facility.

Imagine in one corner John Travolta, arm thrust upward with disco lights flashing and a mirrored ball spinning.

Imagine in the other corner Ansel Adams, with tripod and camera, capturing in black and white the natural grandeur of Yosemite. There are plenty of variations on the concept of a climbing wall, but in many ways, it breaks down into a kind of Travolta-Adams dichotomy. Put in simplest terms, the Travolta/ disco approach is the way to go for an interior installation, while outdoor walls are more likely to go in the Adams/Yosemite direction.

space—a space that people want to be in and stay in.” Bright colors, lights, and music are all in play, and while clinics and competitions are, as might be expected, part of the event mix, so too are purely social functions.

THE INDOOR SCENE According to Adam Koberna, president of Walltopia, interior installations represent the lion’s share of the business, and the objective is to create “a social

Redouble that concept with bouldering, which is “an extremely social version of climbing,” says Christina Frain, director of marketing and sales for Eldorado Climb Walls. Bouldering entails multiple

At Planet Granite in Portland, Ore., for example, Singles and Swingers Night gives participants a chance “to find that climbing partner.” There is also Parents Night Off, Trivia Night, and Movie Night. Rather than try to simulate an outdoor environment, says Koberna, places like Planet Granite “are embracing the indoors.”

brief attempts to solve short climbing problems. Typically, a few people are on the boulder at any given time, with onlookers supporting the climbers and awaiting their turn. The objective in a bouldering installation, then, is to create “a lounge feel,” says Frain, for all the onlookers.

WIDE OPEN SPACES A place like Epic Discovery at Heavenly Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., is, on the other hand, an entirely different concept.

Heavenly is part of the Vail Resorts family, which has been expanding Epic Discovery centers at its resorts, “adding one or two adventure activities every year,” according to Chris Eckert, Heavenly’s assistant manager of activities. Those activities include zip lines, mountain coasters, and ropes courses—all outdoors.

In 2015, Heavenly chose to build a 35-foot-tall climbing wall with 17 routes on both sides. But rather than trying to generate a bright, festive environment a la Planet Granite, Heavenly wanted its wall to blend in with its natural surroundings. The materials used were designed to simulate the color and texture of native Sierra rock.

Both the function and target audience of the wall at Heavenly are entirely differ-

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According to the preliminary results of our “State of the

ent from the kind of wall you might encounter at a typical climbing gym. Rather than sell wall-only tickets, Heavenly includes climbing as part of a multi-activity pass aimed mostly at visitors with little or no climbing experience. With this in mind, routes are generally no more than moderately challenging, with 5.9 the hardest rating, according to Eckert, and plenty of options easy enough for kids.

In some ways, the climbing wall at Heavenly functions as a holding tank to keep guests occupied as they wait for other activities to become available. It can accommodate more guests at any given time than the other Epic Discovery activities; hence, according to Eckert, around 30 to 35 percent of the resort’s visitors participate in climbing. That’s far better than having 30 to 35 percent of all guests standing in line for the zip line or mountain coaster.

But perhaps the main reason to install a wall isn’t to relieve the ennui that comes with waiting in line; it is to meet popular demand. According to Frain, “The climbing industry as a whole is booming.”

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Koberna of Walltopia agrees. In the last five years, he says, business “has grown exponentially.” Interest is high at places with little or no climbing tradition or natural opportunities to climb—places like Kansas or Ohio, according to Koberna.

INSTALLATION OPTIONS A climbing installation does not, however, come cheaply. Koberna estimates the cost of Walltopia installations range from $200,000 to $1.5 million, with about $500,000 being the average. Frain gives a more modest price range, starting at $70,000 for a fiberglass tower, $400,000 for a more elaborate structure.

To minimize installation costs, Historic Banning Mills founder Mike Holder and his team at the adventure resort in Georgia engaged in a little out-of-thebox—or off-the-wall—thinking. Rather than hire a wall-building company like Walltopia or Eldorado, Holder decided to build a climbing installation in-house.

That might not be a sensible option for

The climbing wall at Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., from Eldorado Climbing Walls, blends with its environment, and caters to experts and novices alike. many park operators, but Holder, as an experienced climber, came to the project with some expertise.

He also wanted something unique— something that would literally stand out from the crowd. The result was a freestanding climbing tower that, at more than 148 feet tall, has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest of its kind in the world. It cost a surprisingly low $320,000, according to Holder, with an ROI of just three years.

In addition, the Banning Mills crew decided to integrate the tower with other activities, including seven zip lines coming and going from the tower. It gave the resort some real marketing oomph. (One example: it graces the cover of Adventure Park Insider Spring/Summer 2016). Holder says many guests “wouldn’t come at all if we didn’t have this adventure.”

Because the tower was so unusual, insurance companies steered clear of it initially; only high-premium, we’ll-insure-anything Lloyd’s of London was willing at first. But after a safety record had been established, “all sorts of companies are in on the bidding,” Holder says.

Indeed, climbing walls have proven to be a remarkably safe activity. In two years of operation at Heavenly, there have been no wall-related injuries, according to Eckert. The safety record comes despite this being an activity with few firmly established inspection methodology or safety standards. While some states, California in particular, might insist on safety requirements, it is more likely that insurance companies are the driving force behind installation standards, regular inspections, and guide training.

The lessons to be learned here? For starters, be true to your environment. If you are planning an interior installation, embrace the indoors. If you are planning an exterior installation, try and blend in with the local surroundings.

Keep your audience in mind. The vast majority of climbing-wall participants are novices, not experts training for an ascent of El Capitan. And finally, consider an installation with a unique cachet.

Remember that climbing walls are independent, man-made structures, not installations depending on a particular environment or topography. Make of it whatever you want. Anything goes.

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>> Look and Feel: Rope Inspection continued from page 63

abrasions, glazing, high or low strands, changes in diameter, fuzzy yarns, etc.

feel any of these. If you find any issues, perform a full investigation to find the cause of what you felt, and determine if the rope should be retired.

Perform these two visual inspections in separate steps. That way, you are twice as likely to catch an issue. You don’t want to try and focus on too many things at once. As with the tactile inspection, always fully investigate any issues and determine whether to retire the rope or move on.

If the tactile inspection doesn’t produce any issues, perform a visual inspection of the same arm length. While holding the rope under manual tension, look down the length of it, similar to the way you might inspect a pool cue to see if it is straight. The first thing to look for is any change to the pick length (for kernmantle or braided ropes) or lay length (for twisted ropes) in the rope.

The pick length and lay length are natural patterns made when creating the rope. You should ignore the colors in this step, and focus on the construction.

Any changes, or “cork screwing,” could indicate areas of damage. Be sure to look over all sides of the rope.

Next, look at the color pattern and overall condition of that same section of rope.

Keep an eye out for divots, cuts, heavy

You should also inspect any fabrication (splices, sewing, and/or other components and manipulations) as you come across it. Look for rusted, cracked, or worn hardware, loose connections or splices, tears and any other notable concerns. These connection points are as critical to your systems as the rope itself, and should be given the same level of attention.

If a section of rope passes inspection, move on to the next arm length, and so on. If no issues are found, great! Have full confidence that your rope is ready to perform as intended.

If you find areas of concern and want

another qualified person to inspect it, mark the areas with a brightly colored piece of electrical tape wound tightly on each end of the issue. Obviously, the rope should be kept out of service until that second inspection takes place.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR The following are a few of the issues you may find, along with possible causes.

• Shock loading, chemical exposure, and excessive tension. Each issue can significantly reduce the performance of a rope, either suddenly (in shock loading or chemical contact) or over time (in excessive tension usage). Often, these issues can only be found by inspecting the rope’s log.

• Hockling, twisting and cork screwing.

These are examples of damage to the construction of the rope, and a telltale sign that the rope has been shock loaded.

• Cuts. These are the most serious area of concern. A cut indicates loss of strength and/or exposure of the core yarns. Ropes with cuts should be retired immediately.

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Inspect all hardware and edges in the system to identify and eliminate the root cause of the cut to prevent a recurrence.

damage to the core, usually broken core yarns. These defects should warrant immediate retirement.

• Abrasion. This is evidence of broken fibers, which often occurs during normal use. It’s important to determine when the number of broken fibers will materially impact the strength of the rope. We have tested heavily abraded ropes, with a resulting strength loss up to 80 percent, that were still in use.

• Glazing. When the surface of the rope becomes hard or black, this indicates melted fibers, a significant concern. In minor cases, black coloration indicates wear and high tension or sharp bends in the use of the rope. Hard, melted sections are a greater concern. Inspect the overall system, and add shear reduction devices or any other means of reducing the damage. This issue will also occur in highly repetitive rappel ropes that are subjected to heat through the friction with the descent devices. It is fairly normal, but can be avoided by frequently changing to a “cool” piece of hardware.

Kernmantle ropes are more likely to abrade on the outside of the rope; twisted ropes will abrade both on the outside and between the strands, where the strands rub against each other, since there is no protective sheath.

• Bumps in the rope. These typically indicate areas where the core yarns have kinked up inside the sheath. Since kinked core yarns can cut though each other with relative ease when put under tension, this is a serious issue.

• Soft spots or depressions in the rope. These are direct indications of

• Dirt. Grains of sand/dirt will create excessive wear on rope fibers. Dirty ropes should be washed as per the manufacturer’s instruction.

REACHING RETIREMENT When you find a rope that should be retired, cut it into smaller sections to make sure it does not accidently find its

way back into use. For a longer belay or evac rope, cut it into 20-foot sections and use these for knot training, fencing, or elements where the rope is not relied upon for the safety of others.

Make inspection a regular part of your program, always thoroughly train every new employee (including temporary workers) how to inspect ropes, and keep complete rope logs. When it comes to inspecting ropes, there’s an old adage that’s still relevant: “When in doubt, throw it out.” Or even better, recycle it for some good karma points.

For more information This is an abridged version of the procedures for inspection and the causes of failures. Your rope manufacturer or the Cordage Institute can supply more detailed information. The institute has a detailed guide to fiber rope inspection, the Cordage Institute International Guideline for Fiber Rope Inspection and Retirement Criteria (CI 2001-04). You can read the standard at www.ropecord.com. The guideline has been developed by some of the most knowledgeable rope experts.

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>> Little Things That Matter Big continued from page 65 When they need to correct someone on their use of equipment, what is their approach? These are all small, minor details that can absolutely make or break the guest experience.

Equipment condition: this is another key factor. Does everything look clean and fresh, or does it smell like a locker room after football practice? Are there visible tears or blemishes that could affect the perception of safety? If your course uses gloves, what sizes do you provide? Does equipment get hung to

dry when wet? If people are strapping into equipment and trusting their lives to it, that equipment should be as immaculate and odor-free as possible.

Nothing is worse than reaching into a bin of gloves and encountering “glove soup.”

Recently, we were visiting a client and climbing on their course. It had rained earlier in the day and they had forgotten to close the lid on their glove bin. This was late in their season and the gloves were rather, well, ripe. Our hands smelled like drowned cow for days.

Do you provide closed-toe shoes for those who show up without them? If so,

make sure they are clean and appealing. And dry.

Oh, and the number one guest relations issue? Bathrooms. People do not want to use bathrooms that are gross or unkempt. These should also be in convenient locations, and directions to them should be well marked. If you are at a location where porta potties are your only option, make sure they are serviced constantly, and you may want to add a few nice touches, like sinks, hand sanitizer, or air freshener. No matter how much fun guests have climbing or zipping, they will always remember a nasty bathroom.

3.

AFTER THE VISIT The guest experience does not end just because the visit is over. As a matter of fact, you want to ensure that your guests continue to have a positive experience after they leave, because this

is when they will write their reviews.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to keep guests engaged at the conclusion of their visit:

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Follow-Up Surveys: This is one of the best ways to gather valuable feedback on your product. It’s important to remember, though, that a survey is different from a review. The responses are not for public consumption, and should be used as a resource.

As tempting as it is to give guests a survey as soon as they finish the last big zip line or complete the double black diamond course, do yourself a favor and hold off for a few days. Let the experience settle in, and then send them a follow-up survey via email. While the results may not be as glowing, they will be far more accurate and provide valuable data you need to keep improving your park.

Online Reviews: Every park and zip line tour operator seeks five-star reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor. If you are looking for public, online reviews, make the process as easy as possible. Provide QR codes at your park, send a follow-up email with an incentive to write a review, and be sure to have your website updated. Most importantly, make sure

Double the Fun under a new or existing

with a

the link you provide in all of your materials and messaging is accurate and goes to your park’s review page.

Newsletters and Promotions: I once met a park operator who was trying a new email marketing software product where he was sending out daily promotional emails to prospective clients.

That’s overkill and, frankly, annoying. A monthly or quarterly email with news and promotions is perfectly appropriate, depending on your client base.

Generally, if you work with a primarily local population, you can get away with emailing once a month, but if your database is mainly tourists, stick to quarterly or semi-annually.

This is a great chance to let them know of upcoming events, new elements that are being built, or simply to pass along basic park updates in order to remind them you’re there. If you can add value by offering some knowledge or an incentive, that’s even better.

Invite Them Back: There is nothing wrong with inviting guests back to your

park, particularly if you can offer them a new experience the second time around. Use your newsletter as a platform, or send a personalized email a day or two after their visit, letting them know of a promotion. Your existing customers are your biggest promoters, so be sure to give them an incentive to come back for more!

THE BOTTOM LINE If you are in the industry and reading this article, it’s likely that you’re already on track to make some outstanding strides in guest relations. However, the biggest misses we see typically involve the “before” and “after” experience.

Our best advice is to think of the guest relations experience as a turnkey process. Remember, it starts as soon as they hear about you, and ends only if they choose to unsubscribe from newsletters after visiting. At the end of the day, if you provide an outstanding guest experience, the entire industry benefits.

So good luck out there, and we hope to visit one of your parks soon!

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73 Winter 2017 

Terra-Maze & Skye Ropes Course - Killington, VT

AD INDEX ACCT ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������71 www.acctinfo.org 800.991.0286 Action Photo Systems ������������������������������������������������������69 www.actionphotosystems.com 831.334.4637 Adventure Gear �����������������������������������������������������������������26 www.zipline.systems 310.486.4427 Adventure Park Gear ��������������������������������������������������������22 www.advparkgear.com 518-288-2921 Adventure Park Insider Magazine ������������������������������������74 www.adventureparkinsider.com 203.263.0888 Adventure Partners Attractions ������������������������������������24 www.adventurepartners.com 970.596.4025 ADG (Aquatic Development Group, Inc.) ..................... 28 www.aquaticgroup.com 800.458.9283 Aerial Adventure Tech �����������������������������������������������������41 www.aerialadventuretech.com 828.264.0751 Aerial Designs ��������������������������������������������������������������������21 www.aerialdesigns.com 206.418.0808 Amaze’n Mazes ������������������������������������������������������������������73 www.amazenmazes.com 970.531.5334 American Adventure Park Systems �������������������������������31 www.americanadventurepark.com 770.214.1390 Bonsai Design ��������������������������������������������������������������������66 www.bonsai-design.com 970.255.7393 Challenge Design Innovations ����������������������������������������29 www.challengedesigninnovations.com 828.737.6850 Challenges Unlimited �������������������������������������������������������38 www.challengesunlimited.com 800.480.3867 Challenge Towers ��������������������������������������������������������������15 www.challengetowers.com 828.265.0602 CLiC-iT North America ��������������������������������������������������������5 www.clic-it.eu 571.732.5291

WINTER 2017

EBL ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������33 www.EBL.org 815.637.2969 Experiential Systems, Inc. ���������������������������� 13, 4th Cover www.experientialsystems.com 877.206.8967 Fareharbor �������������������������������������������������������������������������17 www.fareharbor.com 808.495.0244 Fehr Bros Industries, Inc. ������������������������������������������������44 www.fehr.com 800.431.3095, ext 219 Fotaflo ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������19 www.fotaflo.com 855.368.2123 High Peaks Group ��������������������������������������������������������������72 www.highpeaksgroup.com 267.566.8985 Horan Adventure Development �������������������������������������12 www.horandevelopment.com 203.444.9844 Hubbard Merrell Engineering �����������������������������������������42 www.hubbardmerrell.com 928.526.6174 Idaho Sewing for Sports ���������������������������������������������������11 www.idsewing.com 208.983.0988 ISC ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 www.iscwales.com 216.276.1581 Kanopeo GmbH ������������������������������������������������������������������70 www.kanopeo.com +41 79 285 66 38 Koala Equipment �����������������������������������������������������������������3 www.koala-equipment.com +33 4 50 97 50 18 Kong USA ����������������������������������������������������������������������������10 www.kongusa.com 401.253.3759 Neveplast ���������������������������������������������������������������������������27 www.neveplast.com 540.798.6955 New England Ropes ����������������������������������������������������������30 Robert.Manson@teufelberger.com 508.730.4512 Outplay Adventures �������������������������������������������� 3rd Cover www.outplayadventures.com 201.446.1146

Peak Trading ����������������������������������������������������������������������32 www.peaktrading.com 845.338.1325 Ropes Park Equipment �����������������������������������������������70, 72 www.ropesparkequipment.com 203.260.4111 Snapsportz, Inc. �����������������������������������������������������������������25 www.snapsportz.com 949.291.8817 Star Lifts Summer World �������������������������������������������������73 www.starlifts.com 603.863.0241 Strategic Adventures �������������������������������������������������������40 www.strategic-adventures.com 888-553-0167 SYNERGO ��������������������������������������������������������������������������4,16 www.teamsynergo.com 503.746.6646 The Flybook ������������������������������������������������������������������������37 www.theflybook.com 855.909.2665m Terra Nova LLC of Utah ����������������������������������������������������43 www.ziprider.com 435.336.8800 Tree-Mendous Aerial Adventures ���������������������2nd Cover www.tree-mendous.net 518.288.2920 Treetop Quest ��������������������������������������������������������������������72 www.treetopquest.com/construction 404.863.9733 Vertical Trek Innovations ������������������������������������������������23 www.vertvoltigeinnovation.com +33 9 83 63 69 33 Wiegand Sports USA ���������������������������������������������������������45 www.wiegandsports usa.com 866.377.2169 Worldwide Enterprises, Inc. ��������������������������������������������14 www.wwewirerope.com 888.297.3900 Xola ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 www.xola.com 415.404.9652 Zip-Flyer LLC ����������������������������������������������������������������������39 www.zip-flyer.com 212.971.9780

74 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]

CLASSIFIEDS

ADVENTURE PARK MANAGER: Outdoor Ventures is looking for a qualified candidate to join The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium as Adventure Park Manager. Send resume and three professional references to micah@inthetreetops.com.

CMA OPERATIONS MANAGER: Camelback Mountain Adventures is hiring for an Operations Manager to manage all aspects of CMA and the snowtubing park. To apply, visit www.camelback.com and click on “We’re Hiring”.

ADVENTURE PARK MANAGER: Outdoor Ventures is looking for a qualified candidate to join The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School as Adventure Park Manager.

Send resume and three professional references to micah@inthetreetops.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SUBMIT YOUR CLASSIFIED LISTING VISIT ADVENTUREPARKINSIDER.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

We take inspections and maintenance seriously.

Lives depend on it.

When it comes to the safety and reliability of your adventure park, you need a team you can trust. ESI has the knowledge and expertise you can count on. Our inspectors stay up to date on the current safety standards. And with over 30 years of experience, we are a leader in the industry. We provide quality inspections on zip lines, aerial adventure parks, challenge courses and climbing structures. Protect your participants and safeguard your investment by hiring one of our certified inspectors today.

• • • • • •

Book your next inspection!

877-206-8967

www.experientialsystems.com

Annual Inspections Third Party Inspections Maintenance and Repairs Skills Verification NAARSO and ACCT Certified 30 Years Experience