Experience Based Learning, also known as EBL, is an

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

-based

Zip-line A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...

tour and installation company founded in 1993 by Steven Gustafson. Gustafson served on the board of directors for the standards developer for zip-lines, the Professional Ropes Course Association, as its president until 2015.

History

EBL was founded in 1993 by owner Steve Gustafson. He obtained his degrees in Recreation, Parks and Tourism and Geology from Western Illinois University. Gustafson has been participating, operating and building ropes challenge course, zip-lines and zip-line courses since 1986. He is considered by some to be the founder of the modern day zipline. EBL installed the first commercially promoted zip line tour with cables in the United States, alongside the client installing their own platforms, and has erected numerous courses since. The first went up in 2002 in Hawai'i. Part of the concept for the touring originated in Costa Rica, as an

Ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

adventure.

Operations

EBL has installed zip-line courses at numerous locations throughout the US and also has installations in South Korea and Canada. In 2014 EBL opened a zip-line in its founder's home town of

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. EBL, along with other zipline operators, has called for stricter self-policing in the light of numerous deaths from those other zip-line courses.

References

{{reflist 1993 establishments in Illinois Zip-lining