The Flying Ox

Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort town that sits five miles from the northern entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in East Tennessee and hosts more than 10 million visitors per year. The town’s rich history and storied past supplements the narrative behind many of the tourist attractions. One of those attractions is Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show and Adventure Park.

The Park, inspired by lumberjacks and the history of the local logging industry, is home to many family friendly attractions like obstacle courses, competitions, and a treetop free fall. The newest attraction, the Flying Ox, is the world’s first cable-to-rail zip line roller coaster. At 1,000 feet long and 80 feet high, the Flying Ox dominates the landscape of Lumberjack Square. This one-of-a-kind project was born through collaborative efforts from Climbworks Design, Holmes Solutions, and Steelworks Supply. Charlie Deathridge of Climbworks Design said he and the owners knew from the beginning they wanted to utilize hot-dip galvanizing to limit the challenges and costs associated with maintaining such a structure.

The complex and intricate design features provided new challenges for the fabrication, galvanizing, and erection crews. In addition to making sure the ride functioned as advertised, the teams were tasked with turning the structure into a work of art that would attract families to the park for years to come. This goal was achieved by combining hot-dip galvanizing with paint, also known as a duplex system. The duplex finish combines the long-term corrosion resistance of galvanizing with the barrier protection and aesthetic options of paint resulting in a finished product with 2.3 times the life expectancy than the sum of its parts.

With the success of this project and the high visibility of the finished product, fabricators, galvanizers, and erectors for recreation and entertainment projects can leverage The Flying Ox to positively impact the overall market. The corrosion protection and aesthetics achieved from combining hot-dip galvanizing with paint have enhanced this project so without a doubt families can enjoy the Flying Ox for years to come.

This project was powered by a CIC Pittsburgh Galvanizing furnace.