BONSAI: Best In Class
The Summit Bechtel Reserve covers over 10,000 acres in West Virginia’s spectacular New River Gorge region and is the newest and most dynamic adventure center owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America. The Summit is now the permanent site of the National Scout Jamboree, a pilgrimage of sorts for Scouts across the nation (and the world) to convene, celebrate, and share in the adventure of Scouting. Held every four years, the first Jamboree occurred in 1937 and was located at the Nation’s Capitol. Beginning in 1981, after being held at various locations, the Jamboree regularly took place at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. 2013 will mark the first year the Jamboree is held at its new permanent home, and the generous donation of the world-class West Virginia location has allowed for a reinvention of the National Scout Jamboree – the theme for this year’s Jamboree is “Go Big. Get Wild.”
With a new focus on extreme sports and technology, the New River Gorge region of West Virginia provides a vast playground for Scouts of all ages to push themselves to the limits of adventure. Five primary arenas of extreme sports will be showcased at the Summit:
- Watersports
- Marksmanship
- Mountain biking, skateboarding, and BMX biking
- Rock climbing and bouldering
- Zip Lining and Ropes Courses
The Boy Scouts of America searched the nation for the “Best in Class” providers for all five arenas, and chose Bonsai Design, Inc. as the leading service provider for the Zip Lining and Ropes Course programs. By far our biggest project to date, Bonsai has designed, installed, and prepared for operation the biggest Aerial Adventure Program ever conceived. Approximately 31,000 Scouts are expected to attend this year’s 9 day Jamboree, with an additional 6,000 staff members. Nearly 33,320 of these Scouts and staff will enjoy Bonsai Design activities throughout the Jamboree, sharing in the participant experience that Bonsai Design is known for creating.
As the primary designer for all of the Zip Lining and Ropes Course program development, Bonsai has added an entirely new set of dimensions to an incredible adventure center. In total, over 3,000 trees were flagged and surveyed in the design phase of the project, and a total of 77 zip lines have been installed, playing a key role in the overall development and feel of the entire site. Just as many of our programs are nestled deep in the West Virginia forests occupying the Summit, many of our programs will become iconic monuments as participants travel throughout the facility. Bonsai Design is extremely proud to have been chosen “Best in Class,” and even more thrilled to know the nearly limitless potential of experiences that can be facilitated on our programs at the Summit Bechtel Reserve for many years to come.
Bonsai Design’s Programs
12 Canopy Tours
- These tours will provide participants with 3.5 miles of aerial adventure, using almost 15 miles of cable
- The 12 Canopy Tours, with 60 individual zip lines, can host over 1,200 participants throughout an 8-hour day
- It is projected that 13,968 people will experience the Canopy Tours during the 2013 Jamboree
6 Challenge Courses – 4 Tree-Based and 2 Pole-Based
- Nearly 100 elements of various challenge levels have been installed that can challenge over 1,500 people throughout the course of an 8-hour day
- It is projected that 9,632 people will participate in the Challenge Courses during the 2013 Jamboree
2 Big Zip Rides
- One Big Zip spans a distance of over 3,000 feet, with 5 side-by-side racing zip lines
- The second Big Zip involves 10 total racing zip lines, splitting equally from a top launch tower and spanning over 1,000 feet to two separate landing platforms
- The launch and landing platforms are all custom-designed
- Together, the Big Zip rides can host almost 1,400 participants throughout an 8-hour day
- It is projected that 9,720 people will experience the Big Zip Rides during the 2013 Jamboree
AEP Tower
- The AEP Tower is a three-sided, hourglass-shaped, custom-designed vertical climbing tower nearly 50 feet tall
Tree and Zip Skills Arena
- The Tree and Zip Skills Arena will allow Scouts to learn the basics of using rope to gain tree access and other skills using Bonsai-engineered steel Atlas Beams. This area also involves a Rescue School and Zip School to allow scouts to learn the fundamentals of course facilitation and operation.
VIDEOS:
What you should know about zipline canopy tours