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May is Local Appreciation Month at Navitat!

Since launching Navitat Canpoy Adventures in May of 2010, our greater Western North Carolina community has been nothing but AWESOME to us! To celebrate this wonderful support – and to provide a great opportunity for EVERYONE in WNC to be able to zipline at Navitat – we are proud to announce that May 2013 is “Local Appreciation Month” at Navitat Asheville.

Western North Carolina residents can experience Navitat’s Zipline Canopy Tour at 50% OFF Sundays through Fridays from May 5th through May 24th. 

WNC: If you’ve always wanted to zip at Navitat but just haven’t had a chance, now is a great time to come check us out! Get your family or a group of friends together and call 855-628-4828 to book and receive this discount. Valid WNC resident ID is required at check-in. Discount is valid for WNC residents’ tour price only. Hope to see you at Navitat soon!

Navitat-WNC-Appreciation-Month

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Welcome to the New Navitat.com!

Welcome to the newest version of Navitat.com! We hope you love it as much as we do!

With the goal of thrilling, educating, and inspiring our guests, we know delivering on that promise starts right here—with an online experience that is second-to-none!

So go ahead—please take a look around! Here are just a few things that are brand new to the Navitat Canopy Adventures website:

Still to come?

We’ll announce information about our newest tour—a massive mountaintop zipline experience with awesome 360-degree views, currently under construction.

There’s also a new, online “Interactive Tour” in the works, where we’ll walk you through what a day at Navitat is really like! You’ll learn what to expect, get really excited, and be fully prepared for your day of ziplining with Navitat near Asheville, NC.

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Training for the Love of Ziplining

Who wouldn’t want to make a living while ziplining past an incredible view of the NC Blue Ridge Mountains?


Training for the highly sought after position of Navitat Zipline Canopy Guide is now in progress! In fact, zipline guide training has been going on since February as Navitat will be opening on March 23rd for an amazing 2013 season!

Yes, being a zipline guide is exciting indeed, but it also requires an extensive amount of training. (In addition to the basic prequalifying skills of first aid and cpr.) In fact, Navitat canopy guides go through a rigorous 70 hour training program developed by our team of zipline industry experts. The training includes both technical safety/rescue training and environmental education training. The latter is developed by our fulltime master’s level ecologist on staff. It may sound like a lot and it is, but our guides do this because they love it and just like any other job, being prepared is everything.

We know what you must be thinking. 70 hours of safety training?! Does that mean ziplining is dangerous? Well here’s the answer. We at Navitat do everything we can to minimize risk for our guests. It wouldn’t be a thrill without a little risk involved but our guests can rest assured because our zipline canopy guides are more than prepared for every scenario, even outrageous ones. The truth is, our guides learn skills they may never need to use, but they practice them nonetheless. Also, a zipline guide at Navitat is required to log 3 additional training hours every month of the season so that all skills can remain fresh and top of mind.
If you’re interested in seeing a training session firsthand, check out this video below of the Navitat Wrightwood team training with the LA County and San Bernardino County Firemen.

 

Well trained, competent and happy staff of Navitat
Many of our zipline guides think the really fun and exciting part of training is actually the environmental education. Not to worry, there is certainly no script that our guides follow and they won’t be spouting out random facts to you throughout your tour. They simply are trained to retain a healthy knowledge about the surrounding environment including the local trees, flora and fauna, the physical and cultural history of the site itself, edible vs poisonous plants, forest sustainability practices, and effective ways to communicate with our guests. This training helps to ensure that each guest comes away knowing something about the forest that they didn’t know when they arrived.

All that being said, our guides will be ready to take you on the best zipline canopy tour you could dream of beginning March 23rd!

If you’re ready to join us on this exciting adventure…

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Not Just Any Ol’ Zip Line Tour

The zip line canopy tour industry is growing rapidly in North Carolina.  While that’s very exciting for our beautiful state, it means a bit of research is required of potential customers when deciding which tour would be the best Asheville zip line to meet their needs.  We at Navitat definitely encourage you to do some research prior to making a reservation with any zip line tour provider.

Now, we’re going to have to toot our own horn just a bit because, well, we don’t want anyone missing out on the Navitat experience.  We do tree-based adventures–and only tree-based adventures. It’s our focus, our passion, and our expertise. While other “adventure providers” are getting in on the zip line trend because it’s the “hot” thing to do right now, we were born to do tree-based adventure. Why? Because we believe that experiencing trees from a new perspective can be thrilling, educational and, ultimately, inspiring.

Here, to assist you in choosing an Asheville zip line tour for your next adventure, are a list of reasons that zip lining at Navitat exceeds guests expectiations time and time again.

OUR GUIDES

1. We have THE BEST GUIDES! No really, they are so GREAT! Aside from being just generally awesome, interesting, and exciting people, they also have some serious skills. That’s right! Our guides have to complete a rigorous 70 hour technical and educational training program before becoming guides.  Their safety training comes directly from our COO who serves on the Operations Certifications Standard Committee of the Association for Challenge Course Technology. Their ecological training comes from a Master’s Level Ecologist that works for Navitat fulltime developing our educational and environmental programming. We hear our guides being praised so often that most of their ears must be constantly on fire.  Yes, they really are that good.  Don’t believe it?  Check out the reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp.

OUR SITE

2. When you’re on a Navitat Asheville zip line tour you are immersed in nature, taking in nothing but gorgeous views and fresh air.  Sure, we’re 20 minutes North of Asheville, but trust us, that short drive is so worth it when you’re staring at a 6000 foot peak with not a building in sight.  You will see no houses or man made structures once you’re on our course… just trees and views for days.  In fact, we’re so off the grid that most people can’t even get cell phone service. But don’t worry, if you can’t go a second without updating your status, we do have a welcome center where you can stay plugged in.  All in all, this place we call Moody Cove is magical.

OUR COURSE

3.  Stats?  Oh, our stats are good.  Really good! You want height and speed?  We’ve got a lot of both and some length too! Did we mention we also have rappels and sky bridges? We have 10 zip lines, 2 sky bridges, and 2 rappels.  Our zip lines are as long as 1100 feet and as high as 200 feet off the ground.  And let’s not forget that they’re entirely tree-based.  You won’t be zipping from platforms in poles that were placed there in the last couple of years.  You’ll be zipping from platforms in large hundred plus year old trees that have withstood the test of time (and weather)!

OUR GUESTS

4. In the end, Navitat exists because of people like you–people interested in experiencing the world (and particularly trees!) from a brand new perspective. And because we love our guests, we take care of ‘em… and we do it better than anyone else in the area.

We have smaller group sizes than the other Asheville zip line tours.  Our tours have a maximum of 8 people  (rather than 10-12 like the others).  This allows for increased safety, less crowded platforms, and an overall more personalized guest experience.

Our cancellation policy is the most generous we’ve heard of in our industry.  We understand that things come up. We want you to be happy and ready for your Navitat tour, so as long as you cancel more than 72 hours in advance of your tour time, you will receive a full refund.  We do operate rain or shine here, (zipping in the rain is fun!) but if severe weather comes up, we’re sometimes forced to cancel your tour.  We wish we could wave our magic wands Harry Potter style and make every day brilliant for you, but since we can’t, we’ll offer you a rain check or full refund should we have to cancel due to severe weather.

Add all of these reasons to a longer tour with higher, faster zip lines and more course elements and you can see why Navitat is worth every penny!

Join us this season and see for yourself why we’re not afraid to claim that Navitat is the BEST zip line tour around! BOOK YOUR TOUR NOW!

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Update on Navitat’s Newest Zip Line Adventure

Dear Friends,

The word is out! There’s something new happening at Navitat, and we couldn’t be more excited! Thank you for your interest.

Navitat’s newest zip line experience (a massive mountaintop to mountaintop zip experience) is currently in the development phase, with construction scheduled to begin this year. The project is even bigger than we dreamed it could be! Building something this unprecedented takes time and lots (and we mean lots!) of planning, so be sure to keep in touch with us for all the latest news and updates.

Where can you find info?

Visit our website, “like” us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. Really into staying connected? You can also find us having fun and pinning away over on Pinterest.

Rest assured–one AMAZING adventure is in the works! In the meantime, be sure to visit (or re-visit) Navitat to experience the zip line canopy tour consistently called “one of the best in the nation” and visited by over 60,000 people in just three years’ time!

At each Navitat location, our original, 100% tree-based canopy tours will remain the experience we hang our hat on. Book your tour today to experience, in a thrilling and engaging way, the wonder and beauty of trees — the the living giants all around us.


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Navitat Partners with The American Chestnut Foundation

Navitat Asheville is proud to announce a new and growing (literally!) partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation.

On Monday, November 5, members of The American Chestnut Foundation and Navitat Canopy Adventures came together to plant a Demonstration Orchard on-site at Navitat Asheville. The orchard is designed to share the story of the decline of the American chestnut tree, decimated by a blight in the early 1900s, and show how the Foundation is working to restore this important species.

For years to come, Navitat guests will have a unique opportunity to see firsthand the Foundation’s process of breeding and reintroducing a tree that is blight resistant while retaining nearly all the traits of a pure American chestnut.

Sharing the wonder of trees with each and every guest is one of Navitat’s primary goals. Understanding the story of the American chestnut, and gaining insight into how we can help to restore it, is just one way to build connections between people and trees. Ultimately, we hope the orchard serves as a conversation starter for the more than 20,000 guests who visit Navitat Asheville annually. And, of course, we hope folks walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for trees, the living giants all around us.

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Navitat Voted Best Zip Line Tour

We are so proud to announce that the good people of Western North Carolina cast their votes for the “Best of WNC 2012″ and declared Navitat Canopy Adventures

Best Canopy Zip Line Tour

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Best Outdoor Adventure Company

We are thrilled and honored to be recognized by our friends and neighbors in our local community. Thank you!

Sharing the title of Best Outdoor Adventure Company are our good friends over at Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). We are honored to be named alongside a company that has, for more than 35 years, shown guests what excellence in outdoor recreation is all about. NOC, you set the bar high, and we’re lucky to follow your lead.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks Mountain Xpress readers for casting your vote!

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Asheville Kids Learn Wilderness Skills at Navitat!

Children First/Communities in Schools is one of Asheville’s most important non-profit organizations.  They support local children by empowering them to reach their full potential.

At Navitat, we believe that nature immersion is one of the BEST ways to learn more about yourself.  We invited Children First/CIS to spend a day with us in the woods exploring our natural environment and learning all sorts of new and exciting things. The kids practiced everything from survival skills, to plant identification, to using nature for inspiration in art.  We ended the day by planting two new trees on the Navitat property!  The kids were AWESOME and of course we learned a few new things from them as well.  It was a GREAT day all around!

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Navitat Zip Line is Best Pick for Your Asheville Adventure

There’s a reason Navitat chose Asheville, NC as our home. Simply put, it’s an awesome place to visit and to live (and to go ziplining through the trees). We love it here, and we know you’ll dig it, too. With so many places to see and things to do, you might get a little overwhelmed when planning your visit. So, to help out a bit as you’re narrowing down your choices, we thought we’d take just a moment to state our case. So, without further ado, just a few reasons:

Why Navitat’s Zip Line Canopy Tour is One of the Best Things to Do When You Visit Asheville, NC

1) You love trees. Maybe you don’t yet realize how much, but we’ll help remind you, because we love trees, too. Most of us have fond childhood memories of climbing trees, and building tree houses or tree forts. At Navitat, we take you on an adventure through the treetops that will harken back to those carefree days… and yet it will totally blow those memories out of the water. We promise. With some of the longest and highest zip lines in the Southeast, (and beyond) our totally tree-based adventure will deliver big time thrills while also making a genuine “tree-hugger” out of you.

2) You came for awesome views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Part of the draw to Asheville is, of course, our beautiful mountain scenery. Be sure to drive at least a small section of the Blue Ridge Parkway while you’re in the area, and then when zipping at Navitat you’ll feast your eyes on mountain views seen exclusively from Moody Cove. No where else can you be soaring on a zip line — high above the forest floor — and take a look to your left and see this view. It’s pretty spectacular. The combination of ziplining action coupled with jaw dropping beauty is something we’re certain you won’t soon forget.

Navitat Asheville Zip Line Fall View
3) You like the idea of ziplining, but you’re just not. quite. sure. Well, here’s the good news: The Navitat Asheville zip line canopy tour, though one of the most ambitious courses in the industry, is perfect for first-time zipliners. Our tour gradually introduces you to the experience of zipping, with shorter zip lines closer to the ground at the beginning of the tour. We pride ourselves in having the most highly trained guide staff in the industry, and we’re not new to this gig. Our core course management team has been in the industry for years prior to launching Navitat, having joined forces to create the premier tree-based adventure company in the U.S. You’re in good hands at Navitat, and you’ll enjoy your adventure even more knowing that this is the case.

4) Whatever you do, you want to know that it’s money well spent. As guests leave our Welcome Center facility, and online, we ask two very important questions: a) Did you find Navitat to be a good value, and b) Would you recommend Navitat to friends? We’re proud to say (and we’re not exaggerating) that 99% of respondents answer “YES!” to both questions. Don’t believe us? Just check out the more than 100 five-star reviews over on Trip Advisor. All this says a lot, but so that you’ll even better understand why Navitat provides the best value of all zip line experiences available, here’s what our Asheville tour includes:

  • Small, personalized groups of no more than eight guests with two highly trained guides. Other tours are known to have as many as 16 guests in one group. At Navitat, we’re committed to smaller group sizes because a lower guide-to-guest ratio increases safety AND because – simply put – you’ll have a better and more personalized experience.
  • 10 zip lines. Yes, ten. And they’re all included in this one tour. In total, you’ll zip over more than one-mile of cable (5700+ feet!). The first zips start out shorter and closer to the ground so that you can get the hang of things, but by zip five you’ll find yourself soaring 205-feet above the forest floor while taking in long-range views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  • 2 bridges and 2 rappels. Variety is the spice of life, so we keep things interesting. Navitat’s 100% tree-based adventure allows you to explore the forest like never before — from up IN the treetops. And you won’t just zip, either. You’ll cross two suspended sky bridges and experience rappelling twice. By the end, you’re guaranteed to feel like Indiana Jones, or at least a genuine tree-lovin’, tree-huggin’ ziplining expert.
  • 3 short hikes. Get those legs moving a bit, and feel the earth beneath your feet. Consider our three hikes the “warm up,” “water break” and “cool down” of your heart-pumping adventure. Each brief hike will literally bring you “back to earth” and provide moments of reflection and immersion into nature.
  • An engaging, rewarding, and educational experience. In addition to providing a thrilling adventure, Navitat is committed to delivering an engaging, nature- and education-focused experience for our guests. How committed? We’re the only zip line canopy tour to have a full-time, masters-level educated Ecologist serving as our Environmental Programming Leader.
  • All in a spectacular, secluded, 242-acre mountain cove. Let’s face it: When you come to the Asheville area, you’re coming to enjoy the raw, natural beauty. And if you’re going to zip line, why not do so in a place where you’ll get to really experience what makes the Southern Appalachians so special? Our home, Moody Cove, is that kind of place. And we can’t wait to share it with you.

So… let the trip planning begin! We sure hope you’ll plan to join us at Navitat Canopy Adventures.

Ready? Book Your Tour Now!

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The Hunger Games Cast – On the Screen, In the Trees

On Monday, March 26, the Navitat Asheville Management Team did something together that we rarely do: We sat down. For 2.5 hours. Straight. And we didn’t talk about work. We think this surely sets some kind of record. Granted, our 2012 season hadn’t started just yet, and, well… we had a good excuse:

We couldn’t wait to watch some of Navitat Canopy Adventures’ recent VIP guests hit the big screen in The Hunger Games, which opened in theaters on March 23.

Filmed at sites near Asheville, Shelby and Charlotte, NC, production of The Hunger Games pumped an estimated $60 million into North Carolina’s economy and employed approximately 5,000 people, according to an article in The News & Observer. In North Carolina, this is big news. Actually, based on the buzz, anything having to do with The Hunger Games is big news pretty much anywhere.

While filming heart-pounding scenes for the big screen, it seems cast members needed a real-life adrenaline rush — zip lines! — and so they found their way to Navitat Canopy Adventures, just 20 minutes north of downtown Asheville, NC. Josh Hutcherson, Ian Nelson, Leven Rambin, Jack Quaid, Jackie Emerson and Dayo Okeniyi, along with many crew members, enjoyed ziplining through the Blue Ridge Mountains at Navitat’s flagship location. And we’re so glad they joined us to experience the beauty of our home in a new and totally different way.

While The Hunger Games is certainly on its way to being one of the most-attention-grabbing film releases in recent memory, we at Navitat have enjoyed having a little personal connection to The Tributes.

And the Management Team’s verdict? Those of us who have read the books (okay, that would be most of us) think the film did a pretty great job of staying true to Suzanne Collins’ writing, noting that some of the nuances in books have a hard time making it to film. Two thumbs up! And two thumbs WAY up for all the young people livin’ out their dreams on the big screen. Job well done, Tributes. Job well done.

We hope to see all you Hunger Games fans zipping through the trees soon!

(And cast members, don’t forget — Navitat’s west coast location in the mountains of Los Angeles County is oh-so-very close to Hollywood! Come zip with us soon?)

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