When it opened to the public on Thursday (1st Feb), the Jebel Jais Flight zip line in Ras al Khaimah leapt into the record books as the World’s Longest.

Who is now second?

Well, the zip line business is full of superlatives – Fastest, Biggest drop, Highest (above sea level), and of course Longest, and then subdivided into regions, continents & countries – but the head honcho has to be the “World’s Longest”. It was The Monster at 2.5 kilometres in the Toroverde Eco Park in Puerto Rico, followed by Zip 2000 at Sun City in South Africa, at 2 kilometres long. Jebel Jais Flight has jumped to the lead at 2.8 kilometres.

The multi-million dollar tourism project in Ras al Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates, starts at the top of Jebel Jais, the UAE’s largest mountain peak at over 1,680 metres above sea level. Its 6 ton cable enables thrill-seekers to fly horizontally (“Superman style”) at speeds up to 150 kph for approximately two to three minutes, to a landing platform suspended over the valley floor, at which they are transfered to a second, 1 kilometre line to complete their journey back to the ground.

How do you demonstrate its safety?

By getting your ruler, HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, to try it first!

How do you validate its status?

By getting Hoda Khachab, the official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, to give him a certificate.

The Ras Al Khaimah zip line is being operated by Toroverde Ras Al Khaimah, the company behind the previous record holder, The Monster. It has been in the planning phase for over a year. The process involved extensive feasibility studies, master-planning, comprehensive surveys, soil tests and construction simulations. Maintaining sustainable environmental practices within all construction acts, strong anchor holes were drilled into the rugged Hajar Mountains, and that alone took over six months.

“It actually comprises two main zip line cables, allowing friends and family members to experience and race together, adding to the fun and competitiveness of the facility. Zipline pilots will experience a flight like never before while being secure and safe. While the time and speed they complete the flight in is dependent on weight and weather conditions,” says Jorge Jorge, CEO of Toro Verde RAK. “We anticipate the attraction accommodating a rider every five minutes on the two zip lines, equating to approximately 200 people per day, and around 100,000 per year. We also believe given its location in Jebel Jais, which is traditionally 10 degrees cooler than average UAE temperatures, we can operate during the summer months,” he adds.

There are no age restrictions on ‘pilots’ but the requirements are a maximum weight of (150 kg) and minimum weight of (45 kg) for ‘fliers’ who must be at least 120 cm tall. The price is AED650 per rider.

There are many zip line experiences around the world… which for some unfathomable reason are also called ‘flying foxes’. I have a list of them here.

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