From the beginning, Eric and Sarah Cylvick have been pioneers in the adventure zip line business. The automatic braking system in the original ZipRider and the dynamic braking system of the newer ZipTour make steep, long, single- and multi-zip lines possible. The technology, though, has applications beyond mere adventure: NASA is using a variation on the ZipTour for the last-minute emergency escape system for its new manned launch program. This system can evacuate 20 personnel to a point 1,000 feet from the launch tower in as little as 35 seconds.

SAM: Tell us how you became inspired to design and build zip lines. How did you get into it? What was your background?

Eric Cylvick: I received my electrical and computer engineering degree from Clarkson University, and worked for my father’s defense electronics firm. In 1989 I left New York and headed out west, destined for Jackson Hole. But after stopping in Park City along the way, I never left. I joined the ski patrol at Park City Ski Area, and then became a river guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho during the summers. This turned into an 11-year career. I started rock climbing and mountaineering, and I learned about snow safety, and lift evacuation and rescue. I became the Snow Safety Assistant, then Snow Safety Director at Park City Mountain Resort, and was the head of lift evacuation at Park City Mountain Resort.

When I invented and developed the ZipRider with my wife, I had already had years of experience with rigging, cable riding, engineering, and adrenaline.

Who, if anyone, was your mentor in this?

Cylvick: my father and mother were the biggest inspiration to striking out on our own. They were successful entrepreneurs and always let it be known that if you want to be successful in life, you probably need to start your own business.

SAM: How did your parents influence you?

Cylvick: My father’s work ethic rubbed off on me for sure. Work your butt off for about 15 to 20 years, and then if you’re lucky, you may start making a living. There are no substitutes for taking a chance in business and working until you drop.

SAM: What went into developing your first zip line and the equipment you used?

Cylvick: Sarah and I went to Costa Rica and experienced our first canopy tour. It was a network of short zip lines zig-zagging through the cloud forest. I knew I wanted to develop something that could be brought back to the ski industry in the U.S.

I knew it would take 20 zip lines to zigzag from the top of the mountain to the base area without any braking technology. The only way to build a long zip line that could start high on a mountain and end at the base area was to develop a trolley with a braking mechanism. So that night, in a small cafe, after the canopy tour, I ran some quick math and designed the trolley technology that remains the basis of what we are still using today.

During my time at Park City Mountain as their lift evacuation coordinator and instructor, I spent some time riding down long, steep spans on aerial tramways. In doing so, I discovered certain physical characteristics that allowed me to better understand how a very simple and reliable braking zip line trolley could be designed.

SAM: What inspired you to pursue the idea?

Cylvick: The goal for me at first was primarily to increase summer business for Park City Mountain. I had worked there for a total of 14 years, and fully understood that the summer was where the true growth potential existed. After the success of our first ZipRider, which was the longest and steepest zip line in the world at that time, it became obvious that there was a larger market.

SAM: What was the business like when you started, and how has it changed?

Cylvick: Our business or industry didn't exist in 2001 when we invented the first braking zip line trolley. There wasn't a single ski resort that we approached that even knew what a zip line was. It was a huge uphill battle educating the industry. While there were a few other traditional zip lines in the country, no one had ever seriously considered building long and steep zip lines.

Our long-term goal was always to build zip line systems that could take a person from the top of a resort to the bottom in just a few spans. It just took us 10 years to develop the ZipTour product—an evolution of our original ZipRider, in which the rider can control the brake—which now does just that. Dynamic braking allows the rider to control speeds on zip lines of widely varying grades. That allows us to design huge, multi-span systems that stretch from the top of a mountain to the base. And that creates an interactive zip line experience much like skiing, which helps explain why the ZipTour has such high repeat ridership.

SAM: Explain the differences between the two products.

Cylvick: The ZipRider is our single-span zip line product. Customers walk up to the top tower, sit and buckle into our proprietary harness, and enjoy a rush down the ride. The braking is automatic, built into the trolley. It’s a very simple concept; the ZipRider doesn’t require any advance instruction, it’s just sit and go. The ZipTour is designed for a multi-span tour, where customers are first outfitted with their harness and trolley, and then embark on an epic mountain-top-to-base-area tour in small groups of 8-12, typically.

SAM: What is your favorite part of the job?

Cylvick: I really like most everything about what we do. I still love inventing new technology and running the businesses. We have a manufacturing company for our main two products, the single-span ZipRider and multi-span ZipTour, and for the ZipRescue, which is our lift evacuation product. With ZipRescue we offer lift evacuation training and have assisted resorts with their overall lift evacuation plans. We have also added Zip-Install, our installation company.

I also really enjoy looking forward one, five, and 10 years and try to structure our product development to push ourselves and the industry forward in ways no one could imagine.

SAM: OK, we’ll bite: How do you expect the zip line/zip tour business will change over the next decade or so?

Cylvick: I have my own ideas, in my opinion it's going to be huge, you will need to wait and see where we take it. Hold on!

SAM: What’s the most fun part of the job?

Cylvick: Probably riding one of our big ZipRiders or ZipTour systems, or seeing others ride one of our rides for the first time. That is fun. The other thing that I truly enjoy is making money for our customers. It’s fantastic seeing one of our ZipRiders or ZipTours change the way a resort views summer.

SAM: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

Cylvick: Business is always a challenge. I have always struggled with the sales aspect of our business. I am an engineer and an inventor, and had no sales skills. But over time I have embraced the sales aspect of the company. I am the opposite of the pushy sales guy. I'll show a customer what we can do for them, and then leave them alone until they want to do business. Whatever I'm doing, it seems to be working.

SAM: What’s your favorite work-related memory?

Cylvick: The first ride down the Park City Mountain ZipRider. It was truly unbelievable, and I still love that ride.

SAM: What has been the most gratifying aspect of your success?

Cylvick: I would say how well Sarah and I work together and made this whole thing happen. We pushed each other farther than we thought we could go, and that's what has made us successful. We are a great team and know how to divide and conquer in all aspects of our lives together.