At the Adventure Center of Asheville, we place a great emphasis on customer service and providing experiences where Guests can grow, have fun, and enjoy adventure; but our top priority is safety. Everything we do is intentionally focused on making sure our staff and our Guests are having those fun adventure activities in a safety-conscious way.

Safety & Training

At the Adventure Center of Asheville (ACA) our first priority is safety, which we are focused on every day of the year for all of our activities and adventures. 

Aerial Activities: Asheville Ziplines, Asheville Treetops Adventure Park & KidZip

Equipment Inspections- At ACA, we perform three types of inspections on our aerial activities: daily, periodic, and annually. Every day that we are open, before our first tours, Guides inspect the courses and the gear for the activity. The course inspection begins with our Guides zipping or climbing through our entire courses as if they were Guests while looking for anything that may seem unusual and assessing if it needs to be monitored. Daily Inspections also include our Guides checking the gear that will be used that day to ensure optimal performance. This daily course and gear inspection are reported to the Manager and/or Manager on Duty (MOD) and possibly taken out of rotation or closed.  

Periodic inspections are performed by an ACA Lead or Manager who has more experience and training than the average Guide. These inspections are more thorough and take more time than would be possible with a daily inspection. 

Annually, ACA brings in a 3rd party company to do an even more thorough inspection of the courses as well as any gear and equipment. This 3rd party is an Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) Professional Vendor Member (PVM). The PVM company we use is Challenge Design Innovation (CDI). The inspection process includes a stringent review that determines our adherence to ACCT Accreditation Policies and Procedures and our commitment to ACCT Standards.

Throughout the entire year, we follow those inspections up with more intense examinations, training, and scheduling for our aerial activities with the Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) current standards. 

Team Training- All of our Guides are required to complete an extensive training process that includes several hours of online training to learn our policies and procedures as well as experiential, hands-on training where they learn, practice, and demonstrate the technical skills needed for their job. For our aerial Guides at KidZip and the Treetops Adventure Park, the in-person training is three days long. For our zipline Guides, this training is four days long. After training, the Guides go through an instructional process where they shadow another Guide on the job, and then for a performance review, an experienced Guide or manager shadows them. After this extensive process, trainees become official Guides but the training doesn’t stop.

We regularly host additional training and refreshers to further develop Guides’ skills. When a Guide has shown not only exceptional skill proficiency but also leadership with the whole team, we invite them to become a Lead. This training includes an additional rescue technique, a deeper understanding of policies and procedures, and soft skills training on leadership and decision-making. 

Scheduling- With safety being the top priority, we put a great deal of energy into making sure the whole company is set up every day for any possible situation the best we can. Every day there is at least one Manager On Duty (MOD) who has been trained on every rescue technique for each department, has extensive knowledge of our Emergency Action Plan, and has the power to make judgment calls for the situation. For the Kidzip and Aerial Park, each tour has a Lead that is scheduled to oversee the park, knowing the MOD is just a radio call away if they need assistance. We schedule our staff with typical eight-hour shifts and scheduled breaks so guides are alert and aware while working. 

Kolo Bike Park

Safety is a priority at Kolo. Although mountain biking is inherently dangerous, we pride ourselves on making sure your entire family can experience mountain biking in a somewhat controlled environment. Our team INSPECTS THE TRAILS MULTIPLE TIMES each day.  Our trail maintenance crew regularly clears trails of debris and unwanted obstacles.  Features are marked by appropriate difficulty designation signs (green/blue/black) to alert riders of upcoming challenges.  Our rental fleet is inspected AFTER EACH RIDE to ensure it’s running smoothly for the next rider. As always, it is incumbent on the rider to make sure you are riding within your ability, and with good etiquette, to keep yourself safe on the trails.    

In addition to our Park, Evan Kearse, our Kolo Bike Park Manager who leads our programs including our summer camps, shred sessions, clinics, afterschool programs has received his PMBIA (Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association) Level 1 Instructor Certification.  This certification focuses on skills to teach and guide mountain biking. 

Summer Day Camps

Our Summer Camp Staff are trained knowing that they have been entrusted with their campers’ safety and well-being throughout the week. We consider safety and risk management to be our number one priority. We ensure that campers are supervised and advised throughout the day through our low counselor-to-camper ratios during and between activities.  Our goals include keeping campers active and engaged throughout the week. Whether they are growing their mountain biking skills or trying a new adventure our campers are always learning new experiences in a controlled environment.

During our pre-camp staff training sessions, our counselors learn a variety of skills and techniques to help campers have the best possible week including studying behavior management, familiarizing themselves with our bike trails and property, and mastering how to initiate and facilitate appropriate games and activities. We spend many hours both participating in activities that campers do throughout the week and working to facilitate those experiences in a safe and secure way. All of our training and procedures are in line with the American Camp Association accreditation, which is the leading set of standards for the camp industry.

Americas Best Summer Day Camps 2024

First Aid and CPR

All of our activity-based employees are required to have basic First Aid and CPR certifications.  We also post first aid stations in different areas of the Adventure Center. 

Awards, Accreditations & Continuing Education

Please scroll through our blog below and check out our Team Page for more info!