Safety & Policies

Every cable, platform and bridge is inspected each day before tours begin. More extensive course inspections are completed weekly and monthly by Buffalo Mountain Ziplines, with a comprehensive annual course inspection performed by a licensed inspector. An annual inspection of the trees associated with the course is also performed by a certified arborist.

All safety equipment is regularly inspected, including an inspection before and after each use.

Two certified zipline guides accompany every group—a sending guide and a receiving guide.

All participants, including guides, wear safety equipment provided by Buffalo Mountain Ziplines. Personal safety equipment is not permitted. Participants remain connected to the safety system at all times while on the course, including on platforms and skybridges. While riding the ziplines, each participant is connected to the cable at a minimum of two points using safety lines, carabiners and pulleys.

Before beginning the course, every participant receives required safety and riding instruction on our demonstration line outside the office, including proper riding position, braking technique, hand signals and course procedures.

The tour begins with the “Bunny Hop,” a short, slower zipline that allows guests to get comfortable with riding and braking. Guides review riding and braking techniques with each guest before they ride and provide additional coaching when needed. The Bunny Hop is followed by two additional acclimation lines that gradually increase in length and speed, allowing guests to build confidence and experience before progressing to the longer and faster ziplines.

Participants must follow all safety rules and guide instructions throughout the tour.

Age

Minimum age is 3. All minors ages 3–15 must be accompanied on the tour by a responsible adult. The accompanying adult may be a parent, legal guardian, relative, teacher, scout leader, or other responsible adult.

Weight Restrictions

Maximum weight is 275 lbs. There is no minimum weight.

Physical Restrictions

Participants must be physically able to safely navigate the course and operate required safety equipment. Participants must be able to walk up a flight of stairs and have sufficient mobility and upper-body strength to raise at least one hand to the braking system and apply the downward pressure necessary to brake.

Pregnant guests and guests with current seizure disorders are prohibited from participating.

Guests with injuries, physical limitations, medical conditions, or other special needs should call or text 540-200-5234 before booking so we can discuss the participant’s individual abilities and determine whether reasonable accommodations can be made while maintaining safety. We strive to be as inclusive as possible while maintaining a safe experience for everyone.

Participants who use the braking system must demonstrate the ability to use it safely before progressing to the longer and faster ziplines. If a participant is unable to safely master the required braking technique, they may be required to exit the course.

Waiver Requirements

An online waiver/release form is required for every participant each time they take a tour. The waiver link is provided in the booking confirmation email and may be forwarded to other participants included in the booking.  Everyone in each booking uses the same waiver link which is specifically for that booking.

Only a parent or court-appointed legal guardian may sign the waiver for a minor. Stepparents, foster parents, relatives, teachers, scout leaders, or other accompanying adults who are not the minor’s parent or court-appointed legal guardian cannot sign on the minor’s behalf.

If the parent or court-appointed legal guardian will not be accompanying the minor, the waiver may be completed online in advance. A copy of the photo ID of the parent or legal guardian who completed the waiver must be shown at check-in. A photo of the ID on a smartphone is acceptable.

Communication

Participants must be able to understand and follow safety instructions in English or be accompanied by someone who can interpret for them.

Dress Code & What You Can Bring on Tour

Secure, closed-toe shoes are required. No flip-flops.

Participants wear a full-body harness, so please dress accordingly. Clothing should cover the shoulders, and shorts should reach approximately mid-thigh, as harness straps resting directly against bare skin can be uncomfortable while riding.

Extremely loose, baggy or oversized clothing may not be permitted if it could interfere with the harness or become caught in zipline equipment. This includes tops with excessively large neck openings or sleeves and shirts or other garments worn open or unbuttoned. Loose clothing may need to be secured, covered or replaced before participating. Buffalo Mountain Ziplines has T-shirts and sweaters available to loan when needed.

If wearing a dress, shorts or tights should be worn underneath.

Backpacks, fanny packs, belt holsters and similar items are not compatible with the harness and cannot be worn on the course. Items also cannot be clipped or attached to the inside or outside of pockets or clothing.

Tobacco and vaping products are not permitted on the tour and must be left behind before entering the course.

We provide a mesh gear pouch for carrying a limited number of small personal items. Items that may be carried include cell phones, small water bottles, regular wallets without sharp edges or clips, sunglasses, and medically necessary devices such as EpiPens or inhalers. Items with sharp edges, clips or other parts that could snag or damage the mesh pouch are not permitted.

Cameras are discouraged because most are too heavy for the mesh gear pouches and often have parts that can snag the mesh. Cameras and cell phones cannot be worn around the neck or attached to the chest while on the course.

Cell phones may be carried in the mesh gear pouch and used while on a platform or on the ground. They must be secured in the pouch before traveling on a zipline.

A GoPro or similar action camera may be used while ziplining only when securely mounted to the participant’s helmet and turned on before traveling on the line. Selfie sticks are not permitted.

Hands must remain free while riding for braking and maintaining proper riding position.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Participants will be immediately removed from the tour for any of the following:

• Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Smoking or vaping
• Refusing to follow guide safety instructions
• Unclipping carabiners or tampering with safety equipment
• Abusive behavior toward guides or other guests
• Deliberately engaging in unsafe actions, including jumping from platforms, riding upside down, intentionally spinning, riding without the required hand position, or using a phone while traveling on a zipline

Safety is our top priority, and these rules are strictly enforced.

Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled tour time with your entire party ready to check in together at the office. Your tour time is when the group begins the required safety and riding orientation—not your arrival or check-in time.

Please do not remain in the parking lot, take photos, or otherwise delay coming to the office after you arrive. We check in the entire group together and need everyone present for important pre-harnessing instructions. During check-in, we verify that each participant has the appropriate waiver completed by the correct person, weigh each participant, review participant requirements, check footwear, and provide instructions such as using the restroom before harnessing, securing long hair, and removing or securing personal items.

After check-in and pre-harnessing instructions, participants are fitted with harnesses and helmets and equipment safety checks are completed before the required group orientation begins.

Once the group orientation has started, late arrivals cannot join the tour. Delaying check-in can delay the entire group and potentially affect later tours. Late arrivals who are unable to participate are not eligible for a refund or voucher.

At Buffalo Mountain Ziplines, we understand that young children may need a little extra time and encouragement to get comfortable with ziplining. The tour begins with our gentle “Bunny Hop,” followed by two additional acclimation lines that gradually increase in length and speed. Our certified guides provide support and encouragement along the way, including tandem rides with a guide when needed.

We recommend that parents explain the experience to their children in a calm, matter-of-fact way to help build confidence and excitement. Children may also try the demonstration line outside the office before the tour begins. For the first few lines, we recommend having one parent or familiar adult zip ahead of the child and another follow behind whenever possible, so the child has someone they know and trust with them on each platform.

To maintain a safe and consistent experience, only guides may provide ziplining and braking instruction during orientation and while on the course. Parents or other adults who interfere with guide instructions or otherwise disrupt the safe operation of the tour may be required to exit the course with their child.

Guests under approximately 75 lbs. will generally need to ride tandem with a certified guide on our longest line because sufficient weight and momentum are needed to travel the length of the cable. For safety reasons, tandem rides on our course are only permitted with a certified guide. Our course and equipment are not designed for parent-child or guest-to-guest tandem riding. While some zipline courses use equipment and systems designed for that type of tandem ride, parents, family members and other guests may not ride tandem with a child or another participant at Buffalo Mountain Ziplines.

A child close to 75 lbs. who follows instructions, demonstrates safe riding and braking on the earlier lines, and has sufficient strength to pull themselves along the cable if needed may be permitted to ride the longest line solo. The guides make this determination based on the individual child, wind and course conditions.

If Buffalo Mountain Ziplines cancels your tour because of weather conditions or an internal issue that prevents us from providing the tour, you may reschedule or receive a full refund.

We have a 48-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel more than 48 hours before your scheduled tour time, you may receive a voucher for the full amount paid if you plan to rebook soon, or a refund less a $10 per-person cancellation fee.

The cancellation fee also applies to cancellations resulting from guest booking errors, including accidental or duplicate bookings. Third-party booking and payment processing fees are charged when a reservation is made and are not refunded to Buffalo Mountain Ziplines when the reservation is canceled.

Cancellations made within 48 hours of the scheduled tour time are not eligible for a refund or voucher.

Guests who arrive too late to participate in their tour are not eligible for a refund or voucher and cannot join the group once the group orientation has started.

Our maximum participant weight is 275 lbs. Guests who exceed the course weight limit are not eligible for a refund or voucher. Please review participant requirements before booking.

Tour capacity is limited, and staffing and other expenses are committed in advance based on bookings. Short-notice cancellations are often difficult to refill, and your booking may have prevented us from accepting other guests who wanted to book that tour time. For these reasons, we are unable to make exceptions to the cancellation policy.

Mountain weather can be unpredictable, particularly during the spring and fall, but tours often still operate in light to moderate rain, cold temperatures, non-accumulating snow, and moderate winds. Please dress appropriately for changing mountain weather conditions.

We closely monitor the weather and notify guests the day before their tour if there are concerns. We typically wait until the evening before, when forecasts provide more reliable information about the timing, amount, and type of precipitation and other weather conditions. When appropriate, we may discuss adjusting the tour time or other options, including rescheduling.

Despite concerning forecasts, the majority of tours are still able to proceed as planned. We use professional radar and local weather monitoring to track conditions in real time. When possible, we may slightly delay a tour to allow a rain shower or other weather to pass, but drizzle/light rain that cannot be avoided is generally not a reason to cancel a tour. We also rely heavily on forecasts and forecast discussions from the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg and contact their office directly for additional guidance when needed.

We reserve the right to delay the start of a tour or temporarily pause a tour for up to one hour to allow unsafe or unsuitable conditions to pass. This may include heavy fog during early morning tours or isolated afternoon thunderstorms that develop and move through the area during the summer. Once conditions improve, tours may proceed or resume.

Management reserves the right to cancel tours because of unsafe weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rain, accumulating snow, lightning, or sustained thunderstorms. If Buffalo Mountain Ziplines cancels a tour because of weather before the tour begins, guests may reschedule or receive a full refund.

If weather conditions become unsafe while a tour is in progress, the group may be temporarily paused in a safe location or evacuated from the course and escorted back to the office, depending on the conditions. If conditions improve within a reasonable period—for example, after an isolated thunderstorm has passed with no additional inclement weather approaching—the tour may resume. If conditions do not improve enough to safely resume the tour, management may offer a rescheduled tour or partial refund depending on how much of the course was completed.

Buffalo Mountain Ziplines has dog runner lines with leads where dogs may remain while their owners are on tour. Space is limited to three dogs at a time, and advance booking is required. The runner lines are located along the treeline but may be in direct sunlight during the afternoon. A water bowl can be provided. Buffalo Mountain Ziplines staff do not supervise dogs while guests are on the tour.

The dog runner option can be added during the online booking process. A dog tether agreement/waiver must be signed upon arrival. Please allow an additional 10 minutes for checking in your dog(s) and arrive 40 minutes before your tour start time.

Dogs must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a current rabies vaccination.
2. Weigh 125 lbs. or less.
3. Wear a properly fitted collar that the dog cannot slip out of.
4. Be able to remain safely tethered for the duration of the tour.
5. Be friendly with people and other dogs and have no history of biting.
6. Not have separation anxiety or other behavior that makes tethering unsafe. Dogs that aggressively pull on the lead or repeatedly wrap the lead around the post will need to be removed from the runner line.

Buffalo Mountain Ziplines reserves the right to refuse or discontinue use of the dog runner line if we determine that a dog cannot be safely tethered. If your dog must be removed from the runner line, someone in your party will be required to remain with the dog, even if that person must leave or be unable to participate in the tour.