Empower Adventures and The History of the Zipline

Are you new to ziplining adventures? Or are you a zipline pro? Whichever you might be – or if you’re somewhere in the middle – you still might know exactly where ziplines came from. When was the first zipline invented? What was it for? When did it become a type of recreation? Empower Adventures can you give you a little insight into how ziplines came about and how they became what we’re familiar with today.
 

Early Ziplines

Some of the earliest mentions of ziplines, although they weren’t called that. In remote parts of China, older version of ziplines were used as a form of transportation, although they weren’t as safe as something you’d find at Empower Adventures.
 
A notorious story from Shrewsbury in England in the early 1700s saw Robert Cadman attempted to use a version of a zipline to descend from the steeple of St.Mary’s Church, only to fall to his death. Of course, much like the ziplines in China, this was a much older, much less safety-focused design that the modern Empower Adventures ziplines.
 
It wasn’t just China that people living close to or in mountainous regions were using ziplines – it was also seen through the Himalayas and the Alps.
 
The Australian outback was also somewhere that saw the use of ziplines – primarily for delivering food and supplies across rivers or wider gaps to workers. This is something that was carried over into the Australian army, with troops using ziplines to send supplies in a similar fashion.
 

As a Research Tool

In the 1970s, a surprising and unexpected source of use for the humble zipline was what led to the use of them as recreation.
 
Wildlife biologists and researchers found zipline the best way to get deeper into the rainforests they were studying without having to cut pathways and damage the environment with vehicles. It was during this period that several businessmen in South America took the idea from these researchers, realizing that it offered a pretty lucrative opportunity for a new, adventurous type of recreation.
 
They began offering zipline tours of the region, which gradually made its way back up to the US.
 

Empower Adventures and Modern Ziplines

Now, many years later, ziplines are all over the US and Empower Adventures are one of the leading providers of exhilarating and exciting zipline tree top adventures. If you’re looking for a new challenge, want to build your confidence, or create stronger bonds between co-workers, family or friends, contact Empower Adventures today!