ROCKVILLE, MD–Go Ape, a treetop forest adventure company, announced today that it will open its first location in the U.S. in May 2010 in the D.C. Metro Area. Since its launch in the UK eight years ago, nearly 2 million people have monkeyed around in the trees of Go Ape courses. Last year alone, one percent of the entire population in the UK tapped into their adventurous spirits and went swinging through the trees at one of the 26 Go Ape courses throughout the country.
Go Ape, the first of its kind in the U.S., is a highly interactive treetop adventure where participants are equipped with harnesses, pulleys and carabineers and receive a 30-minute training session before they are turned loose into the forest canopy. Spanning a length of more than seven football fields and with obstacles 40 feet above the ground, the course features a series of ziplines, Tarzan swings, rope ladders, bridges, swings, and trapezes among the treetops of Rock Creek Regional Park, located in Rockville, MD.
Catering to all skill levels, Go Ape is ideal for friend and family outings, corporate team building, birthday parties, date nights, bachelor/bachelorette parties, scout events, and church groups – basically anyone who is looking for a fun and exciting activity that gets them into nature. Approximately, eighty percent of Go Ape visitors come from personal referrals, showing that the Go Ape experience leaves a lasting impression on its tribe.
The origins of the American species of Go Ape began when D.C. natives, Dan and Jenny D’Agostino, experienced a Go Ape course while living abroad in London on corporate assignments. They were immediately inspired to do something more in keeping with their own aspirations of living an adventurous life closer to nature, rather than in front of a computer screen. Together, they decided to launch Go Ape USA.
“Go Ape encourages people to live life adventurously! It takes participants beyond a traditional canopy tour or ropes course by empowering them with the skills needed to complete the course and then giving them the freedom to manage their own adventure,” said Dan D’Agostino, managing director of Go Ape USA. “The course provides people with a unique outdoor adventure where they can let loose, see the park from a whole new vantage point and surprise themselves by what they were able to accomplish. We are thrilled to be opening our first location in the U.S. and anticipate opening additional courses throughout the country in the near future.”
“We are delighted to welcome Go Ape to our community,” said Mary R. Bradford, Director of Parks, Montgomery County Department of Parks. “Nothing like Go Ape is currently available for Montgomery County residents. Others who live and vacation in the Metro area can try something new and experience the thrill of a lifetime with this attraction.”
To learn more about Go Ape or to book your visit to the course, please visit www.goape.com. To see images, join the fan page of Go Ape USA on Facebook or receive construction updates via Go Ape USA on Twitter. To see video of the Go Ape experience, visit the YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/goapeusa.
About Go Ape USA (www.goape.com)
Go Ape is a highly interactive treetop adventure where participants are equipped with harnesses, pulleys and carabineers and receive a 30-minute training session before they are turned loose into the forest canopy. The courses, which can be completed in two to three hours, feature a series of ziplines, Tarzan swings, rope ladders, bridges, swings, and trapezes. Catering to all skill levels, participants are encouraged to live life adventurously, push themselves and turn I can’t into I can.
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