EDITOR’S NOTE: Some students’ last names have been withheld from this article to protect them from potential university sanctions.
Although people typically take to parks or exotic vacation spots to experience the thrill of zip-lining, three students hope to bring the experience right to the campus – as long as it’s legal.
Last weekend, some students eagerly crowded around a carefully constructed zip line that ran from a railing outside South Campus Dining Hall to a light post near Commons Building 5. Three students – sophomore physics major Roger, sophomore computer engineering major Ilya and freshman computer science major Stephen – designed the line by using rock climbing equipment to protect students from any potential injury and a 100-foot static rope so anyone could safely ride down the line.
“We had climbing gear, and, well, we got pulleys one day and we thought, ‘Well, we should zipline with them,'” Roger said.The idea originated after Ilya mentioned the idea to his friends several months ago. He had zip-lined in Costa Rica and believed he could provide students with the same exciting experience on the campus by using his computer engineering and rock climbing background to design a completely safe line.
“I finally have enough knowledge that I feel that I can do this safely,” he said.
The three students then spent time evaluating multiple locations on the campus before realizing the area outside the diner was the perfect location.
“The main reason why we went here is this is one of the places that’s pretty much designed for it, almost,” Ilya said. “We can engineer everything and ensure everything is sufficiently sturdy.”
While the students said they would like to continue offering their peers the opportunity to zip line on and off the campus, they are unsure whether it is against university safety regulations.
But the three said they didn’t overlook safety when creating the line. Although they were looking to provide students with a good time, they built the line with great caution, Ilya said, because they knew it wasn’t a project to take on “unless you have experience.”
The rope and rock climbing equipment are designed to comfortably hold at least 5,000 pounds of weight, the students said, and Stephen said he understands the proper knot-tying techniques to secure the ropes.
Several students who rode the zip line said they would gladly do it again.
“It is incredible – I wish they did this more often,” said sophomore architecture major Sean Konig, who is also friends with the three students. “I heard them talking about making it … I trust these guys to design something safe.”
Although Ilya said he does not know why the university would ban him and his friends from continuing to offer the zip line and is unclear on what the policy is, he said the group does not plan to violate any rules.
amenabar@umdbk.com
