UK MAJOR THEME PARK ADDS SKY TRAIL®

UK based adventure specialist company Innovative Leisure recently completed a large Sky Trail® installation for Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire, UK.

Drayton Manor opened in 1949 and covers 280 acres of land. The park features a resort, a zoo and over 40 rides and attractions. Over 1.5 million people visit the park each year. VertiGO, the brand new, and very hard to miss, 9 pole Sky Trail® Navigator adventure ropes course sits down the hill from the on-site hotel and stands over 3 stories tall.

“The Sky Trail® will offer guests an experience unlike anything else at the amusement park. Park-goers can fully control their experience, and today’s youth really respond to that,” said Sky Trail® manufacturer, Ropes Courses, Inc. marketing manager, Lori Gunthorp.

The VertiGO ropes course consists of 28 rope and board activities that are cleverly placed for routes of varying difficulty. Another unique element the course features is the walk the plank element, a 6-inch wide beam that stretches 7-feet from the course making participants have to pivot and return hands-free. There is also a glider swing on the top level to give participants the chance to catch their breath and enjoy the view of the amusement park. The attraction also boasts two 90-foot long Sky Rail™ zip lines that participants can soar down over and over.

The award-winning family amusement park made sure the new attraction was suitable to their young visitors as well with the addition of VertiGO Tots, a ropes course for kids under 4-feet tall. With platforms less than 3-feet from the ground, the young thrill seekers get the chance to explore their adventurous side on the Sky Tykes® ropes course while their parents watch or assist as necessary.

Participants don’t have to worry about safety on the Sky Trail® either. Both ropes course attractions have the same patented, overhead tracking system, which keeps the participants’ safety harness and redundant sling lines secured. This system allows the guests to choose the direction they want on the course and go between the levels without any trouble. The course operators are trained and certified, too.

“We’re very happy that our partner, Innovative Leisure, was able to match Drayton Manor’s business needs to their specifications and provide quality service for them,” explained Gunthorp.

Innovative Leisure was founded in 2000. The 2010 partnership to sell Sky Trail® ropes courses with Ropes Courses, Inc. has fueled significant growth for the company in Europe.

For more information about Drayton Manor Theme Park and the VertiGO attraction visit www.draytonmanor.co.uk/vertigo.