New zipline adventure has opened in Maui with Hawaii’s longest zipline – 2800′ long at over 500′ high. It’s called Piiholo Ranch Zipline and they have four adventures to choose from: 5-line adventure, 4-line adventure, Tango tower with 7 unique challenges, and walk along adventure. They also have a line where you can zip up to four side by side. They are located near Makawao and should have great views of Maui. See their website for more information, pricing and phone number to call.
Written on May 21st, 2009
Today was our anniversary so we decided to check out the new 5 line zipline at Piiholo Ranch. We got there at 10:30am for the 11:00am zip. After getting fitted, we crossed a long suspension bridge and climbed our first tower. There are 4 lines from this tower and 4 went together. It’s neat watching your friends from a couple of feet away while zipping. After the first tower, the next 3 got longer and longer. They were all tandem so we went 2 at a time. After the 3rd line, we got a snack of granola bars, chips, etc and juice/water. The 4th line was across a valley with pools. Very nice!! Then they picked us up in a truck for the ride up to the top of a hill overlooking the valley. You could see both sides of Maui from there. This last tandem line was 2800′ long and over 500′ above the valley. The ride lasted over a minute. It was really neat.
This zipline design is like the Kapalua zipline and totally differant from the two Skyline Eco Adventure ziplines on Maui. With Piiholo Ranch’s system, there is sort of a bucket seat harness you put on. Then you carry your own 12 pound sled/roller to each line. After climbing a 4 flights of stairs or a suspension ramp up 40-50′ (not easy if your balance is a little shaky), you are clipped into a safety rope while the zip attendant takes your sled, fastens it to the line and clips your bucket harness onto the sled. In a couple of minutes, they set you free. You’ll be seated in the bucket seat with a bar to hold. First class and feels very safe.
There are weight limits and they weigh you at checkin. This helps them pick a sled that right for you. There is a chance that very light riders may not make it all the way down the line. If this occurs, they throw a line and pull you the rest of the way. We did not see that happen to anyone while we were there. But small children could be a problem which is likely why they have the 10 year old minimum age.
