Trip Recommender
Our Via Ferrata courses were constructed with guest safety as our main priority and have undergone extensive safety inspections before opening, yet, as with any outdoor adventure, there are still risks involved. It is crucial to follow safety instructions from your guides, utilize proper equipment, and technique, and be aware of weather conditions and personal limitations before beginning.
AVA Rafting & Zipline only offers guided Via Ferratta trips. Our guides go through extensive training, with the number of training hours completed surpassing industry standards. Guides are CPR and First Aid Certified, as well as trained in the proper use of all safety equipment. Training for guides additionally includes guiding under supervision of a more experienced guide before leading a trip themselves.
Both of AVA Rafting & Zipline's Via Ferrata tours require a guide and a reservation prior to your tour. We suggest booking in as much advance as possible, as our trips tend to fill up quickly, and we want to ensure we can accommodate your entire party on the date and time of your choosing!
On AVA's Via Ferrata tour, our equipment functions on a 2 carabiner system to ensure you remain hooked to the cable at all times. You will utilize the two carabiners connected to your harness to clip in and out of the course as you traverse across the cliff. It is impossible to clip out of both carabineers simultaneously, thus keeping you safe and connect during the entire course. With this system, you will have the opportunity to climb across ladders, steel rungs, and cables, as well as soar on our ziplines!
For the Via Ferrata course, you must wear closed toed shoes that will stay securely on your feet, as well as comfortable clothing that will not get in the way of equipment. Please avoid wearing skirts, short shorts, jeans, and long necklaces, and tie long hair back away from harnesses and cables. You may also bring a small backpack to carry water or sunscreen, and we recommend dressing in layers, as well as bringing a raincoat, as Colorado weather can change drastically during the day.
AVA provides all the necessary gear for you for your Via Ferrata experience, including helmets, gloves, harnesses and carabiners. This gear is safety inspected regularly, and your guide will help fit your gear to you, as well as provide any necessary instructions.
No, you may not use your own equipment on our Via Ferrata courses. Our equipment is specifically designed for our courses and is standardized for safety purposes.
To undertake a Via Ferrata, you will need to be at least 12 years old. Our weight minimum for our Granite course in Buena Vista is 75 pounds and 50 pounds for our Mount Evans course in Idaho Springs. The weight maximum for both is 250 pounds.
If you meet the age and weight requirements, about anybody can join in on the Via Ferrata! It is a bit more demanding than the classic zipline course, so we recommend that those wishing to undertake a Via Ferrata are physically fit enough to climb ladders and stay moving for 3.5 hours.
Our Granite Via Ferrata at our Buena Vista outpost is open from May through September, with trips running at 8:30am, 11:30am, and 2:30pm. At our Idaho Springs outpost, trips run 9:30am, 12:30pm, and 3:30pm April through October. Trips are available daily throughout the summertime, and during the fall and spring, we offer trips Friday through Sunday. Please check our trip pages for current booking information.
Between traversing the cliffside via iron rungs, crossing multiple suspended bridges, rappelling down a rock face, and concluding your adventure with a few ziplines, our guided Via Ferrata tours provide up to 3.5 hours of adventure!
For all single day trips, AVA offers a 90% refund to any guest who needs to cancel their adventure until 7:00 PM MT the night before the trip date. Trip changes after 7:00 PM will result in a 15% change fee and are subject to availability. If you do cancel your reservation after 7:00 PM the night before the trip, your reservation will be converted to an open credit equal 85% of the total cost of your adventure. The credit is valid for the current season only. AVA reserves the right to cancel any trip due to an insufficient number of bookings. Should we need to cancel your trip, the full cost will be refunded or credited to another trip according to your wishes.
Our Via Ferrata tours will take place in rain, snow or shine! Whether you're planning a tour at AVA’s outpost in Idaho Springs or Buena Vista, it is best to come prepared for the weather. However, AVA's via ferrata management team reserves the right to cancel tours due to unsafe weather conditions, such as heavy winds and lightning. If your tour has been cancelled because of weather by management, we will contact you to refund or reschedule your reservation. AVA reserves the right to postpone or delay your trip up to one hour to wait out inclement weather and then resume once conditions are deemed safe by management. If the trip is started and less than 50% of the course is completed, you will be refunded 50% of the cost of the trip. If the trip is started and more than 50% of the course is completed, you will not be refunded.
Explore Colorado from a new angle, and see where a Via Ferrata adventure can take you! Our Adventure Specialists are here to help you choose the perfect experience for you and your group. Read our top 5 answers to questions about the Via Ferrata to learn more about the this exciting climbing adventure and its origins!