3 minute read
Winter Ziplining
BY DAVID ROGERS
If a combination of speed, exhilaration and scenic beauty are your thing, winter ziplining at Hawksnest in the High Country could be just the ticket.
Located just outside of Boone, there’s no better way to adventure in the North Carolina mountains than a visit to Hawksnest Zipline, offering two full-tour options. The tours stretch over four miles worth of ziplining fun, featuring 20 ziplines in total. Both tour options include their own MEGA ZIPS – ziplines more than 1,500 feet long.
Enjoy heights of more than 200 feet and speeds up to 40 mph while ziplining over the treetops, through the canopy, and over lakes and creeks. This is all while taking in the spectacular panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Choose between the Hawk Tour, Eagle Tour, and Snow Bird Tour, each with their own features and characteristics.
The attraction that eventually came to be known as Hawksnest opened its doors to the public in 1964, originally as a ski resort. A few years later, a golf course was added and, in 1968, the ski resort’s name was officially changed to Ski Hawksnest.
Hawksnest’s current owners, the Cottom Family, assumed ownership of the golf course in 1991 and eventually took over full ownership of both the golf course and ski resort, changing the name to Hawksnest Golf & Ski Resort.
The attraction officially stopped skiing and snowboarding in 2008 upon switching its focus to creating the East Coast’s largest snow tubing park. Then, in 2009, it began construction of the original zipline course and welcomed their first zippers later that summer.
While Hawksnest has transitioned over the years, it still enjoys hearing visitors’ stories of late-night, “Nighthawk” skiing & snowboarding shenanigans, or the occasional misguided call for a tee time. Lots of great memories and still plenty more to come await those who visit Hawksnest.
The Hawk is an 11-cable zipline tour featuring 1.5 miles of ziplining, with two cables more than 1,500 feet long, and two swinging bridges. This tour is the more scenic and more popular of the two tour options. It’s a great tour option for families, adventure seekers of all ages young and old, and even first time zipliners!
Reservations are required and participants must arrive 30 minutes prior to their scheduled tour time.
The Eagle is a nine-cable tour featuring almost three miles of ziplining, with two cables longer than 2,000 feet, three more greater than 1,200 feet, and a suspension bridge. This tour is higher, faster and longer than the original Hawk Tour. It’s a great tour option for thrill seekers and repeat zipliners.
It is recommended that riders have some previous zipline experience, are relatively physically fit, and are comfortable with heights the Eagle Tour heights. Reservations are required and participants must arrive 30 minutes in advance of their scheduled tour time.
The Snow Bird is fourcable tour that is the perfect zipline adventure for the chillier winter months! The Snow Bird Tour is a combination of the Hawk and Eagle Tours and features one of the longest ziplines on the Hawksnest property – more than 2,000 feet long. Zipline over the canopy with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Reservations are required and participants must arrive 30 minutes prior to their scheduled tour time.
For more information, click to hawksnestzipline.com, call (828) 963-6561 or email info@hawksnesttubing.com.
FILE PHOTO Ziplining is a winter sport as well as a summer sport in the High Country, with gear available year-round at some of the outfitters throughout the area.
