The ziplines at Whitefish Mountain Resort proved so popular last season that the facility has added two new lines for this summer. LINDA  THOMPSON

Whitefish resort sends visitors zipping through trees

By MICHAEL JAMISON

WHITEFISH – Bigger. Higher. Faster.

That’s the word from Whitefish Mountain Resort, where two new zip lines will join the four already racing through treetops.

Last year, summertime visitors flocked to the resort to ride the zips – racing at 50 mph, 125 feet above the forest floor. The longest ride was a quarter-mile from end to end, “and our weekends were booked out a week in advance,” said resort spokesman Donnie Clapp. “It was really popular.”

This year, he said, the resort has added two new lines – both about a third of a mile long and zipping a full 300 feet off the ground.

Webbing and clips and harnesses, the metallic purr of wheel on wire. The bottom falling away, the forest racing up. More speed, a rush of cool pine, and the purr accelerates into a full-blown whine.

Sometimes riders spot a deer down below. Sometimes, they see a mountain lion or a bear.

They can always look out across huge mountain vistas, down valley to the distant haze of Flathead Lake.

Then, at the last moment, they rock back, face the sky, slam into a spring-loaded stop and bounce to their feet. Often, they look startled, with their hair wind-whipped and standing out in a shock of surprise.

The collection of cables slung through this forest guides guests from the “training hill” – a short and relatively tame intro zip – to the speedier high wires. Zippers walk from line to line, waddling a bit in their baggy-bottomed slings, wading through meadows of wildflowers and huckleberries.

If you’re not scared of heights, and if you trust the safety slings, then it’s a pleasant thrill, but not a huge rush – just right, really, for a family affair.

This year, the summer season zips off on June 18, with an opening-day party. After that, Clapp said, the lines run daily through Labor Day, and weekends through September. Tours leave every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with at least a few spots set aside for walk-ins. That’s new this year, Clapp said, because last year proved so popular.

The 2010 price is $75 per rider, up from last year’s $59 fee, due to the two new lines. This summer’s zip tours will last a full three hours, he said, “and I think people are going to love it.”

Missoulian reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .