Ziplining in the rain is an activity that might make some travelers wary. However, if you’re traveling in countries with wet climates, rain over ziplining courses is a fairly common occurrence.
Ziplining can be performed in light rain as long as there is not hard, high winds or thunder and lightning which might threaten the safety of the zipliners. Most ziplining companies will not cancel zipline tours for wet weather.
While ziplining is still possible in the rain, there are some extra safety precautions you should take if you plan to zipline in wet weather conditions. Keep reading to learn more about how rain affects ziplines and how you should prepare to go ziplining in the rain.
Should You Zipline in the Rain?
Even though ziplining in the rain might seem scary if you’ve never done it, there’s nothing to be worried about in most cases.
The components of a ziplining course may become slick and more treacherous to traverse in wet weather, especially high platforms, but the rain won’t cause safety issues like loose harnesses or dangerous ziplines.
Is It Safe to Zipline in the Rain?
Rainy weather on its own doesn’t constitute a safety threat for most zipline tours. However, it’s important that you look for the following in a zipline tour to ensure a safe experience:
- Zipline guides and operators with experience
- Zipline courses that are well maintained
- Zipline courses that are frequently inspected
The easiest way to find a safe zipline tour is to check online reviews and research zipline companies thoroughly before committing to a reservation.
Most reputable zipline companies are happy to present their safety qualifications online to prospective tourists.
Here’s a cool video showing someone ziplining in the rain, perfectly safe:
Here’s a link to The Zipline Kit We Have and use in our backyard, it comes with everything you need to zipline at home. Also, check out the other Quality Zipline Kits Found Here on Amazon.
Ziplines Are Designed for Wet Climates
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to ziplining safety in the rain is that ziplines are designed for wet climates.
Because these travel systems were originally designed for rainforest ecologists to efficiently study high canopy environments, they are designed to be used in biomes where it rains much of the year.
A little light or even moderate rain shouldn’t be enough to stop your ziplining tour since ziplines are resilient against wet weather. However, rain can have an effect on how ziplines operate.
How Does Rain Affect Ziplines?
Typically, rain affects ziplines by removing some of the friction between the zipline components and the zipline.
This lessened friction can cause zipline riders to move more quickly along the zipline. It’s important for riders to keep this in mind, as they’ll need to anticipate when to brake when they reach a zipline platform.
Can You Zipline in a Thunderstorm?
While ziplining is safe in the rain, chances are that if there is any thunder or lightning in the area, your ziplining company will postpone or cancel the tour. (source: margarita-adventures.com)
The reason is that high winds can potentially snap ziplines under pressure or cause ziplining components to fail.
Thunderstorms can carry the threat of electrocution if someone is struck by lightning while ziplining.
In most cases, ziplining tours will not take a chance on ziplining in stormy weather. In this case, it’s safest to reschedule your zipline tour for another time when there is no high wind or lightning present.
What Should You Not Do on a Zipline?
Even though it’s possible to go ziplining in the rain, there are still some steps you should take to ensure that your ziplining tour goes as smoothly as possible.
Follow these tips on what you should not do while ziplining:
- Don’t jump prematurely. Ziplining tours are carefully spaced out so that each zipline rider has plenty of space without the threat of running into another rider.
- Don’t zipline if you’re pregnant, over the weight limit, or have other medical conditions. Ziplines can prevent speedy medical intervention in the case of an emergency, and pushing weight limits can cause the zipline to fail.
- Don’t hold your phone. As tempting as it is to shoot a sky selfie while ziplining, you’ll feel pretty dumb if you drop your cellphone 150 feet to the forest floor in the process.
- Don’t wear the wrong clothes. Choose long pants for ziplining and try to avoid carrying too many accessories that might get caught in the lines or harnesses.
- Don’t wear the wrong shoes. Closed-toe shoes with plenty of traction are the best option for ziplining safety. (source: koloazipline.com)
Following these tips for what not to do can help prevent you from running into trouble on your ziplining tour, even if it rains.
How to Prepare for Ziplining in the Rain
Along with knowing what not to do, there are other ways you can prepare to go ziplining in the rain that will make the experience more pleasant for you and your tour group.
Here are some tips you can follow to go ziplining in wet weather conditions:
- Wear a poncho or other rain gear. Wearing a poncho can help keep the bulk of the rain off of you. Keep in mind that even if it stops raining, rain caught in the forest canopy on tree leaves will still get you wet on your ziplining tour as it drips down.
- Bring a spare set of clothes. Even if you get wet in the rain on a ziplining tour, that doesn’t mean that you’ll have to be soaked the rest of the day. Bring a dry set of clothes packed in a ziplock back and you’ll be able to change when your tour is over.
- Watch the weather. If you’re worried about stormy or rainy weather during your scheduled ziplining tour, watch weather forecasts and reschedule the tour for a drier day if necessary.
While ziplining in the rain is possible, it might not be the most comfortable experience for most riders. These tips can make your wet ziplining tour as comfortable as possible.
Here’s a link to The Zipline Kit We Have and use in our backyard, it comes with everything you need to zipline at home. Also, check out the other Quality Zipline Kits Found Here on Amazon.
Ziplining in the Rain Is Normal
There’s so much rain in the rainforest that ziplining tours located there wouldn’t be able to operate effectively if they couldn’t operate in wet weather.
Luckily, a little light to moderate rain shouldn’t be enough to hold up your next ziplining tour.