JACKSON, Wyo. — On March 24, the U.S. Forest Service approved Snow King Mountain Resort’s (SKMR) request to relocate its demonstration (demo) zip line.
Due to the resort’s location on National Forest System lands within Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF), the Forest Service must approve all projects that occur on these lands.
Snow King previously submitted a request for its relocation citing safety concerns, adding that guests will experience a more logical and enjoyable progression with the new demo before riding the steep zip line 1,275 feet down the mountain.
Jackson District Ranger Todd Stiles authorized the relocation of the demo zipline to “increase the safety and efficiency of year-round operations by alleviating emerging hazards on the mountain,” among other factors.
The project will relocate the demo zip line from the summit of Snow King Mountain to a location immediately above the Rafferty lift mid-station. After completing the demo zip line, guests would progress to a segment that extends from the Rafferty mid-station to the base area. This segment of the tour is not as long or as steep, and much less intimidating than the zip line from the summit.
After completing the middle zipline segment, guests will ride the gondola to the summit to ride the upper span followed by an alpine slide or Rafferty lift download to the base. The changed order of the zip line will allow guests to progress from the easiest to most difficult segments. SKMR believes guest safety and the guest experience on the zip line tour will be greatly enhanced.
The new location for the demo zip line is a previously disturbed site where a segment of the old Rafferty chair lift used to sit. No tree clearing is necessary for this relocation and only minor earth grading with an excavator or bull dozer will be required to level the site. As part of the demo zip relocation, the current site of the demo zip would be graded flat, the area revegetated and all existing hardware will be relocated to the new location.
According to a Forest Service document, the project can now be implemented immediately following the signature date on March 24.
Readers can view the Forest Service’s “Snow King Mountain Resort Demo Zip Line Relocation” document below.
