Ziptrek Ecotours basks in Superbowl hype

8 February 2012

Ziptrek Ecotours basks in Superbowl hype

Zipping across building tops and crowded streets in the Indianapolis Superbowl Village seems world’s away from the Ziptrek Ecotours Queenstown forest experience, but the two are inextricably intertwined.

The Ziptrek Ecotours urban zipline hit USA headlines last week as NFL celebrity player Cris Carter harnessed up then decided he couldn’t make the jump, describing his refusal to step off the platform as ‘time to pass the ball to a teammate’. TV celebrity late night host Jimmy Fallon took the leap though, describing the ride as “so awesome, crazy ... I don't know why you guys use zip lines here, we use subways in New York City… It felt like Peyton Manning throwing you 500 yards."

The urban zipline was set up by Ziptrek Ecotours Whistler – the parent company of Ziptrek Ecotours Queenstown, taking the fun and excitement of ziplining, and its ecological messages, down from the trees and into the city.

Four ziplines were set up in the Superbowl Village and were tagged the ‘toughest ticket in town’ by Indiana’s Daily Journal newspaper which commented that “it would be easier to get a ticket to the game on Sunday than the zipline.”

Ziptrek Ecotours Queenstown General Manager Stu Cordelle says the experience offered at the Superbowl Village is pretty similar to that offered in Queenstown’s beautiful back yard.

“We zip tree to tree, rather than building to building and the only waiting anyone will do will be hanging about in our gorgeous tree huts, taking in the stunning lake and mountain views between ziplines. It’s a huge amount of fun – we’ll be offering an invite to Mr Carter to have another go - our natural environment here makes it all a bit more relaxed I think.”

And the attention is striking a chord with some of the company’s admirers. The following came from a post to Ziptrek Ecotour’s website:

‘I just wanted to write and say how cool I think the company is. I haven't had a chance to try Ziptrek yet, but I did love the set up when I saw it in Queenstown. I saw a little while ago there was a temporary set up in San Francisco and now you have set up something in Superbowl village. I have been working with high ropes and zip lines with kids for a few years and was very impressed with the company and their priority towards eco matters and sustainability. It's a bit of an inspiration and for what it's worth I just wanted to pop in and say well done, keep up the good work.’ – Declan Mc Namee from Ireland.

You Tube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hEM8bGhsuA

More about Ziptrek Ecotours

Ziptrek Ecotours was founded in 2001 in Whistler, Canada by Charles Steele and David Udow. Their goal was to provide a unique experience combining nature-based learning with a rush of adrenaline.

Ziptrek has now become a must-do, award-winning adventure ecotourism business renowned for delivering awareness and appreciation of the natural environment along with a good dose of adventure.

Trent Yeo joined the company as an employee and soon committed to a partnership to open the first global Ziptrek operation in Queenstown, New Zealand in December 2009. His background in sustainable architecture with outdoor education was a perfect fit for the business. Due to its success and growth Ziptrek appointed Stu Cordelle 15 months later as General Manager to assist with the day to day running of the operation. Stu bought a wealth of knowledge to the business having been involved in a number of tourism operations in New Zealand over the past two decades.

When the business was first established on Bobs Peak they launched a four line tour later to be called the Moa tour. This tour incorporated four flying foxes/ziplines through the forest canopy connecting aerial tree top platforms (tree houses) that descended one third of the way down the mountain. In November 2010, Ziptrek launched the Kea 6 line Tour which saw guests travelling all the way to the bottom of the mountain, including a beautiful walk through native beech forest. This tour can now claim the steepest tree to tree zipline ride in the world.

Ziptrek's eco-credentials are rapidly developing momentum and within 18 months of opening they won the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Award and received the Qualmark Enviro Gold award. Most recently, they won the Marketplace category at the Fairfax Media Sustainable 60 Awards. They also work closely with the local community and are a patron of the Wakatipu Trails Trust, in partnership with the Queenstown Lakes Biodiesel Consortium and working with Otago Polytechnic on their Sustainable 360 business program. They run a remote solar panel power system to run all the operational systems including a wireless network in the trees and have extensive native tree planting program, which has seen over 2000 saplings planted on Bobs Peak to date. Ziptrek also contributes to various sustainable and social charities, locally and internationally.

Since launching Ziptrek Ecotours has caught the attention of national and international television and print media which has put them in front of millions across countries such as Brazil, Australia, UK, New Zealand and USA.

Stay tuned to the conversation via social media on www.ziptrek.com

ENDS

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