Zip Boise, Zip Line Adventure. Get Ready to Launch!
Get out of your comfort zone and check out Zip Boise, Zip Line Adventure. It is safe, fun and challenging all at the same time. Afraid of heights? Me too, but I was not going to let this stop me from having the experience of a lifetime. Trust me, once you take that first step and you are in the air, you won’t even notice the height. Your focus will be on the feeling of flying! Plus, there are amazing views all around you. Zip Boise is all about “Adventure by Choice”. No one is forced to zip line but the expert zip guides “offset any risk” through focused customer service. They answer your questions and concerns so you will feel comfortable when zipping at Zip Boise. According to Zip Boise Owner, Steve Gustafson, the goal is to “provide opportunities for people to have fun, push their limits, and learn about themselves and others in their group”. When I asked him why he chose zip lines, he told me “I didn’t choose zip lines, they chose me!”
Steve’s Story
Steve Gustafson, Owner of Zip Boise, has spent 34 years in the Adventure Education field opening EBL in 1996. His career started with canoeing and rock climbing. He moved to ropes challenge courses. and focused on building programs for corporate team building and at risk youth. Ropes course have short zips (200-300′) as part of their attraction, but nothing much longer. Life took a big turn in 2002 when Steve got a call from a Father/Son business in Hawaii asking him to build the first U.S. Zip Line Tour. There was no frame of reference for this type of build because it had never been done. Steve took on the project and decided to extend the lines to 750′, which more than doubled what was previously done with the ropes courses. He also went to a 1/2″ cable from the usual 3/8″. Some 50 builds later with over 4 million zippers, they have never looked back!
Zip Boise
Located in the beautiful Eagle Island State Park, Zip Boise marked it’s first zip patrons on December 15, 2015. Steve leases the land from the park but is independent of the park, funded solely by EBL. They do not use local tax dollars. Steve states, “we are ‘investing’ in the local community and hire locally, creating new jobs for the area.”
Zip Boise Tour Options:
- Intro Zip Tour
- Full Tour
- Night Full Tour
- Front Four Zip Tour
- Back Four Zip Tour
- Cargo Net (New)
Zip Boise has six zip lines that range from 300-1,100′ and 10-85′ off the ground. Single, dual and triple wide zip lines give a variety of “zip” options. We loved doing the dual zip lines because we got to race each other. When we didn’t have enough people to race, Jessica, Ben or Bailey rounded out the teams. Don’t forget the suspension bridge and the newly added cargo net. The suspension bridge moves you from one zip line to the next one. I love the challenge it presented but never more than we could handle. Zach and Keylee did the cargo climb and each had their own technique.
You can choose the tour that best fits your experience and sense of adventure. Plus, they are adding even more attractions that will expand the activities offered by Zip Boise. My family decided to jump in with both feet so we started with the Back 4 Zip Line Tour. This was our first zip adventure and we had a blast! Our guides, Jessica, Bailey and Ben gave us the necessary information we needed to launch safely and successfully. Experienced zip guides are truly the way to go. The first step is the hardest but they are their to encourage you and keep you safe.
Safety
EBL, is an experienced zip line company and has been in Idaho since 2006. The courses are engineered by a structural engineer and furthermore, EBL is licensed and insured based on the requirements of each state in which they operate. “Safety first” is the focus in order to provide a positive and memorable experience. Expert guides do just that, they guide you through the course. They don’t push, rather they take their time, focus on the guests, guide them through the process and before you fly, they know the equipment is in good condition. Steve has ridden every one of the over 1,000 cable rides that they have built, inspected or designed. According to Steve, “we haven’t lost anyone yet!”. If you still have questions, go to the FAQ page for more information.
Additional EBL Locations
Can’t get enough of what EBL has to offer? Here are their other locations: Zip Orlando, Chicago, Rockford and Boise. Currently Steve is working on a lease for Zip McCall. He also operates some affiliate locations which include:
- The Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dell, WI
- Berkshire East Canopy Tours in Charlemont, MA
- Skytours at Union Camp by the Dubuque YMCA in Dubuque, IA
- Off the Grid Mountain Adventures in Elizabethton, TN
- Pending locations under contract:
- Hualapai Adventures, Peach Springs, AZ (a Grand Canyon location course)
- Zip The Ducks, Mobile , AL
Wait No More
Want to see how it is done . . click here to check out our “zip adventure”. Yes, the first step is the hardest, but I will tell you that it is worth it! The moment I started the first zip, I was hooked. As a family, we all had the experience of a lifetime and something we won’t soon forget. Once you start, you will hate to see it end. We were all sad to see it end but we know we will go back to try the Night Zip Tour. “Safety First and Adventure by Choice” are not just cutsy phrases. Steve and zip guides truly live by these words. They are all about the customer experience and definitely are there for the guests. Stop making excuses to not do it . . . just get up and go do it! If Adventure Grammy can do it, so can you!