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Montana Zipline Adventures, the newest zipline park in the Treasure State, boasts seven action-packed courses and more than 9,300 feet of cable. e third run, dubbed the Anaconda Line, comes in at 2,100 feet and is the longest public run in Montana. You'll find yourself about 95 feet above the ground as you zing down that one! Another course, the Swiss Alps, pays homage to owner Andre Graa's home country of Switzerland, but his plan to open a zipline araction was sparked in a very different mountainous area. He and his wife, Mianne, were ziplining on Hawaii's Big Island when they realized their property's natural elevation would be a prime location for a park of their own. ey began working on the project in 2017 with the help of their two adult sons. In May, they sent their first visitors rocketing down the mountainside. Gear-lugging zipliners with huge smiles on their faces have been showing up back at their visitor center several times per day ever since. "People come up and they have a great time," Andre says. "ey love the scenery and they love how our course is running. I mean, we have people who have been all over ziplining and they're telling us this is the best course they've ever been on, so that makes us feel great!" e eight-member Montana Zipline Adventures team has loved geing to know their adventurous clientele – both locals and travelers alike. "We feel very fortunate that they all want to come experience our zipline," Andre says, noting that they have already been seeing repeat customers. "We're prey happy about how things are going." Montana Zipline Adventures is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tours depart daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and a sunset run departs at 7 p.m. e crew may be able to accommodate additional times upon request. Reservations can be made online at www.montanazip.com and are strongly recommended. "We usually run three tours per day and four on the weekends and they have all prey much been full," Andre says. "We get calls every day to book for that same day, and most of the time, there is no room, so we encourage people to try to plan ahead and make reservations if they can." e courses take between 2 ½ and 3 ½ hours to complete, depending on the size of the group. Groups are limited to 14, but larger parties can book together and run through the course back-to-back. Zipliners must be at least seven years of age, weigh between 60 and 230 pounds, and need to be physically capable of ziplining and climbing about 300 yards with their gear. Close-toed shoes are also required. Discounts are offered for active and veteran members of the military, groups of 10 or more, and local residents of Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Powell, Jefferson, and Granite counties. Andre says the courses will remain open until the snow shuts them down for the season. Learn more about Montana Zipline Adventures by visiting their website or calling (406) 560-3115. You can also check them out on Facebook and Instagram. S MT Holly Matkin is a native Montanan who lives with her husband at the foot of the Elkhorn Mountains. She covers a wide variety of topics as a freelance writer for multiple local and national publications, and especially enjoys writing travel, history, and human interest pieces. DAY TRIP SIGNATURE MONTANA | 37 Excited zipliners make their way to the next thrilling run.

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