
Sky Tours Zipline
Clip: Season 3 Episode 302 | 5m 5sVideo has Closed Captions
Soar through the tree tops at Sky Tours Zipline in Dubuque.
Soar through the tree tops at Sky Tours Zipline in Dubuque.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Road Trip Iowa is a local public television program presented by Iowa PBS

Sky Tours Zipline
Clip: Season 3 Episode 302 | 5m 5sVideo has Closed Captions
Soar through the tree tops at Sky Tours Zipline in Dubuque.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Pull off highway 20 in Dubuque for a high flying adventure.
Sky Tours Zipline, located in the historic Union Park, gives visitors a bird's eye view of the northeast Iowa landscape.
It's a thrilling outdoor experience that doesn't require any special training, just a willingness to make the leap.
One of our guides today, Joel Smith, is an expert in soaring between the treetops.
He'll tell us what it takes to get off the ground.
[Joel Smith] We have a nine line zip line course.
We like to say it's progressive, meaning that it starts off a little bit lower and slower than the lines get higher, longer, faster as you go.
Predominantly ground to ground zip lines.
But we also have one platform where you zip out and land at about 45 feet of elevation, then zip off of that afterwards.
We take groups anywhere from 2 to 12 on a tour with a full tour of 12 people.
It takes about two hours.
We have a minimum age limit of ten.
In my time here, I've had up to 93 years old, so we see everything in between.
[Kohlsdorf] What do you say to people who come and are excited but are maybe a little afraid of heights?
[Joel Smith] With our first couple lines being again a little bit lower and slower, they're almost like bunny hills at a ski slope, so you get a chance to get comfortable in the equipment and get a feel for it before we do anything too wild and crazy.
[Kohlsdorf] What's the fun of zip lining?
[Joel Smith] It's a safe way to experience heights.
You get to be up in the air.
You get to fly through the wind.
It feels a little bit like you're riding a bicycle, except the wheels are above your head instead of underneath your feet.
[Kohlsdorf] That's a good way to describe it.
[Joel Smith] My favorite part is the people that are a little bit nervous when they come out, and just getting to see them conquer their fears and overcome any trepidation they might have about it.
I think it's good to get out of your comfort zone a little bit.
It is a really unique experience.
There's nothing really else quite like this one.
[Kohlsdorf] Do you encourage people to get out of their comfort zones, right, to give this a try.
So I'm going to do it today.
[Joel Smith] All right.
Let's go get geared up.
[Kohlsdorf] Okay.
Let's go.
♪♪ [Jillian Mootz] The first thing we're going to do is take your harness off the hook and hold it like this in front of you.
You can sit down.
You can step through the waist into the legs, and then you're gonna stand up and pull it up above your belly button.
[Kohlsdorf] Like a pair of pants.
[Jillian Mootz] Like a pair of pants.
You're gonna want this as tight as possible because all of your weight is gonna hang from here.
So then we take the lanyard, we put the yellow loop through the blue loop and all of the metal through this.
[Kohlsdorf] So this is the thing that holds me on the zip line.
[Jillian Mootz] Yes, this lanyard, these carabiners will attach to the trolley.
And the trolley is what hooks you to the zip line.
Last is the helmet.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Am I gonna have helmet head?
[Jillian Mootz] I think it depends on how much you sweat.
Okay, then we'll tighten it first and then.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Ta da!
I'm ready.
[Joel Smith] If you're ready, you can step up on the box and just watch your head there as you walk in.
♪♪ [Joel Smith] Put the trolley on the cable here.
[Kohlsdorf] Okay.
[Joel Smith] Carabiner.
♪♪ [Joel Smith] Harness looks good and the helmet is on and we are ready to roll here.
[Kohlsdorf] Just sit back.
[Joel Smith] Just sit back and pick your feet up like you're riding on wheels.
[Kohlsdorf] I am a little nervous now.
Okay, okay, I can do this.
Here we go.
♪♪ [screaming] [Kohlsdorf] Oh my gosh.
[screaming] ♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Oh my God.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] I did it!
[Jillian Mootz] Ready zip.
[Joel Smith] Zip is clear.
[Jillian Mootz] Zipping.
[Joel Smith] Zip away.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Whoa!
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Oh my God.
Oh my gosh.
Oh wow.
This is really high.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] That's quick.
That's an adrenaline rush right there.
♪♪ [Joel Smith] There we go.
Whenever you're ready.
[Kohlsdorf] So just sort of -- [Joel Smith] Just kind of step down.
If you're nervous, just look straight ahead at Jillian.
Just kind of sit back into your harness and kick your feet up, okay?
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Oh my God.
Okay.
Not scared.
Not scared at all.
Just having fun.
♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Oh, I did it.
[Jillian Mootz] You did it!
[Kohlsdorf] Yay!
I was sky high.
[Jillian Mootz] Sky high at Sky Tours.
[Kohlsdorf] That is tuly scary.
Okay, I did it.
Okay.
♪♪
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