Firm proposes Marpi zip lines
Saipan Zip Lines, LLC is proposing to build a three-stage zip line in Marpi that will cater not just to tourists but also to the Saipan community.
According to Ron Hodges, one of the co-owners of Saipan Zip Lines, this activity is both eco-friendly and will hopefully help Saipan get branded as an adventure destination as well.
Hodges said the project went through months of deliberation on what kind of activity would help increase tourism on Saipan and would be a world-class activity for tourists to enjoy.
According to a Saipan Zip Lines representative, the activity does not require any machinery, fuel, or electricity. “We are a small impact project and we’re not building pretty big structures and cutting down trees,” he said. Construction will also have very low impact.
“That is why the Division of Fish and Wildlife has no issue because we are not doing anything to the conservation areas,” the representative said.
Hodges assured that the project would protect the pristine nature of Marpi.
“We are not going through areas where it will hurt the public. We are going through public lands and we tried to stay away from conservation lands and stay eco-friendly as much as possible,” he said.
Saipan Zip Lines eyes three destinations for the zip lines. The first zip line will be from Suicide Cliff at about 1,500 feet high and will go down toward the road leading up to Suicide Cliff. There will then be a 10-minute walk to the second zip line, which will head down about 500 feet downhill. The last segment will be from the exit point of the second zip line and will head down to the Kan Pacific area.
“We would like to have it running from the first of November or first of December and hope that it will be a great success for Saipan,” Hodges said.
The Saipan Zoning Office will hold a public hearing on the project this Thursday, July 10, at the Zoning conference room in the Joeten Dandan building.
According to Saipan Zip Lines, the project took about nine months to prepare and they have already met with DFW and the Department of Public Lands. DPL gave the project a conditional approval but it still has to go through additional permits.
Hodges noted that tourism increased in Maui by 10 percent due to zip lines and that the growing tourism numbers of the CNMI means “we need more activities.”
Marianas Visitors Authority marketing manager Bruce Bateman said it is always a good thing for Saipan to have new attractions.
Marpi Zip Lines? I thought we wanted to keep this place pristine, we don’t need/want towers and cables!
Marpi Zip Lines? Let’s keep this place pristine. We don’t want/need towers and cables going down the roadside of Suicide Cliff!
this will generate a lot of tourists as well as locals seeking the thrills of adventure, take a look at Guam Zip Line located in the Hilton Resort ( http://www.zipguam.com ) , this will be good for Saipan!!
Sounds good, but not in Marpi! Put it at a hotel. – Friends of MARPI
Another tourist activity that would be perfectly suited for Saipan would be “Zorb” ball runs. All you need are gentle slopes complete with berms to guide the balls in various turns, and the Zorb balls themselves. With the advent of artificial grass now more affodable, this would be a low cost operation utilising only gravity to work. This company is based out of New Zeland, having been in business since 1995. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Zorb balls are giant clear soft plastic or vinyl balls (I’m not sure which) that people jump into, then are sent down slopes in a human “hamster” ball type activity. It’s done either dry, or with water thrown in, riders tethered or untetherd. Great, safe and lots of fun!
I found their web site here:
http://zorb.com/world/
Here’s a tourist attraction on Tianamen Mountain in Zhangjiajie China. It is a clear glass floored walkway on the cliffside 4,000 feet from the bottom. I don’t know how would one feel having this set up in a sensitive area like the Banzai Cliffs, but it would be a great attraction for those that would dare it. Here is a link to the story from an online newspaper, “The Daily Mail.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2060023/Chinas-newest-tourist-attraction–glass-bottomed-walkway-cliff-face.html
Here is as yet another exciting cliff side hike, this time on Mount Hua, near the city of Huayin in China. Consisting of varied trails, it climaxes with a walk along the cliff face on wooden planks, with hikers holding on to chains secured to the cliff face.
Here is a link to the article from “Business Insider.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-climb-chinas-mount-hua-photos-2014-1