Zip Lining: The hottest new thing in Ruidoso
Zip lining. You’ve seen it, maybe have wanted to try it. But where can you go to do it? Turns out you don’t have to go to the deepest jungle of the Amazon or even Freemont Street in Las Vegas. All you have to do is walk just across the street from Midtown in Ruidoso or drive down the road to the Inn of the Mountain Gods.
There is a zipline at Ruidoso Winter Park on Ski Run Road north of town. That ride – only open during the ski season – has rides for $8 ($5 with the purchase of a snowtubing ticket) or a “three-ride zip” for $22.
If a longer ride with some truly spectacular views are more your speed, there’s two lines run by Ski Apache and the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Both open for a little more than a year, they’ve already become a go-to attraction for families visiting the area.
The Wind Rider ZipTour® is the longer of the two, located at Ski Apache. With a top speed of 65 mph, the ride takes one hour to complete and travels approximately 9,000 feet from the top to the bottom of the ski course with views of Sierra Blanca. This is also the more expensive of the two, $84 per adult.
A shorter – and less expensive – ride is the Apache Eagle ZipRider® at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. It travels just over 2,600 feet and takes riders over Lake Mescalero for $48 per adult in just three minutes.
—Todd Fuqua
