As part of its effort to enhance Santa Catalina Island as a tourist destination, the Santa Catalina Island Co. has created a 3,671-foot-long zipline ride. After designer Bradd Morse inspected and tested the line, Times photographer Bob Chamberlin tried out the first leg of the attraction. The company hopes to open the zipline to the public April 14. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Zip lines have become a boom industry, particularly in California.
Brent Ng attached a special vest to the zipline cable and then zoomed down to the beach below. Riders who pay $89 per ticket will get a 90-minute hawk-eyes view as they take off from Hogsback Ridge. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Lori Schaeffer, who will teach operators how to work the zipline, streaks through the air. Each paying customer will be required to sign a waiver and weigh between 60 and 245 pounds. Young children will be required to ride with a parent. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Sheryl Allison prepares for a test run of the zipline. The history of ziplining boils down to this: After entrepreneurs discovered that scientists used the technology to study tropical forest canopies in the 1970s, it boomed. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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Bradd Morse, right, president of Canopy Tours Inc., goes over the zipline’s safety features with trainee Julie Lester, one of those who will teach how to operate the attraction. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
