Catamount Ski Area's New Aerial Adventure Park
Zip Lines, High Rope Courses at Berkshire County Aerial Forest Park
May 16, 2009
Catamount Ski Area's aerial adventure park is an addition to Berkshire County's already long list of summer tourist attractions for families. The four-acre forest park, billed the largest of its kind in North America, features eight different courses containing aerial obstacles such as zip-lines and swinging bridges.
Bringing an Adventure Course to Berkshire County
Catamount sits on the southwestern corner of Berkshire County, a popular vacation destination located just over a two hour-drive from New York City, and within three hours of most of New England's larger cities.
The course is the brainchild of Swiss-educated Bahman Azarm, a Connecticut-based construction company owner, who came up with the idea while at a school reunion in Switzerland.
During a tour of the park, Azarm explained, “This kind of park was one of the activities at the reunion. I wanted to bring the idea to North America, so I started looking for a partner. A ski area was good choice because it has the space, and Catamount had a good location, with enough trees.”
Azarm built the course, which was designed by a team of Swiss mountaineers who have developed and managed adventure parks in Europe. The mountaineers also trained Catamount's staff in the use of the equipment, in safety and rescue techniques, and in park and visitor management.
Learning Basic Techniques for the Zip Line and High Ropes Course
Visitors begin at Catamount's main lodge, where they buy a three-hour ticket, are fitted for a harness, and are shown the basics of using caribiners and pulleys. During the orientation, visitors learn to clip into the “life-lines” (safety cables), and to never detach more than one caribiner at a time. They also learn the basics of zip-lining: Clipping and holding the pulleys that allow them to slide on the cables, starting in a sitting position on a platform, and sliding gently into the air.
Elements of Catamount's Adventure Courses
Elements range in difficulty from easy (suitable for 8 and 9 year olds) to “Commando” (ages 16 and up). Altogether, the eight courses contain 115 separate elements. With the exception of the ever-popular zip lines, none of the elements are duplicated. .
Elements include rope-and-wood swinging bridges, swinging tubes and tunnels to crawl through, ladders with varying degrees of challenges (one climbing wall has handholds and footholds that spin), and a variety of other obstacles ranging from 8 to more than 50 feet off the ground. Two other notable features: First, it took five miles of cable to build the course. And second, no machinery or fuel is used in the operation of the park, making it a truly “green” attraction.
Getting on the High Ropes Courses at Catamount Adventure Park
Visitors start at an introductory platform, where they review how to safely clip in and out of the lifelines. Five staffers help with skill instruction, watch for safety issues, and keep things moving.
The park's courses are divided into five levels, some of which literally criss-cross over lower elements, so a spectator might watch one person zip-lining above another person who is trying to make his way across a series of swinging trapezes. Visitors are allowed on the different levels of the course according to the visitors' ages; and each person must progress through an easy level and an intermediate level before moving on to the most advanced levels. In addition, younger children are restricted to the easier levels, and must be supervised; or accompanied by an adult (depending on the age and the level of the course).
After finishing a course, visitors can rest, or go onto another one. A ticket to the park is good for 3 hours, after which most visitors will be ready to stop in for a snack at Catamount's Main Lodge.
For more information: Safety on Ziplines; Berkshire County Attractions, Berkshire East Canopy Tours.
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