A Crater Lake Zipline operator named Averie is winning hearts with his impressive mix of personality, professionalism, and superhero-like agility, all while helping a woman keep her fingers intact.
In a video shared on TikTok and Instagram, Averie stands on a platform at the end of a zipline run as an older woman comes careening toward him. “Move your hand! Move your hand!” he yells, quickly grabbing and pulling on a rope to keep her from hitting the brake block. (As he explained in the caption, she had put her hand in front of her trolley, which is a no-no. That could have ended badly for her fingers.)
It’s clearly an urgent situation, and Avery acts quickly. As soon as he gets the woman stopped and safe, he immediately starts clipping himself to the line to go get her, while at the same time giving her clear instructions: “Hold position, miss. Grab the cable. Grab the cable.” But when it’s clear she’s a little panicked, he instantly shifts to reassurance, saying, “You’re good, I’m gonna get you. You’re good, mama.”
Then, out of nowhere, he Spider-Man crawls his way back up the line with her. As he gets her onto the platform, he tells her he’s going to talk to her, but first he’s going to make sure she’s someplace comfortable. He acknowledges that she likely found the experience “super scary” and then explains why it happened.
There’s so much to love in this interaction. He reads her emotional state and makes sure she feels safe before going over why her run ended the way it did. He’s clear on what she did wrong, but reassuring in his delivery. His interaction feels totally professional, yet totally personal, and it’s genuinely impressive to witness. He did it all while simultaneously doing multiple physical actions to remedy the situation and to keep his guest and himself safe.
Oh, and the “mama” moniker is just icing on the cake. Watch it here if you missed it above:
People are singing his praises
The comments are filled with people marveling at the combination of skills—safety, expertise, deescalation, reassurance, education, humor, and more—that Averie exhibited in a single minute:
“I have done a lifetime of guided outdoor adventures and extreme sports like this. You have to be one of the most professional and collected people in the business. Being respectful, deliberate, competent, and calm under pressure is not something most people can do.”
“My eyes teared up this was handled so damn well. Tried to correct her first but immediately knew she couldnt comprehend the danger, came and got her, and calmed her feelings of embarassment and shame of getting yelled at by saying he isnt mad at her and that he just didnt want her hurt but he understands what she was feeling. 10/10.”
“Bro,..very professional, skill, safety, alertness, personal, informative, you alone are an excellent ad campaign. This Zipline business has a G.O.A.T of an employee.”
“Hell he just made me feel safe on my sofa.”
“‘That’s all you need to do mama’ and then took off like spiderman ❤️”
“Him calling her mama and being so sweet! He deserves some serious pay raises and tips!”
“I’m a 6ft, 250lb man and I need him to comfort me and call me mama too.”
“Can we get about 7 million more of you please? 🤔 Imagine how cool the world would be if we had folks like this dude running around! All these comments have summed it up. You’re good people. ❤️”
It’s not just that video. Here’s Averie in action with another guest in a similar situation:
The influence of his family running a mission-driven company
Many people in the comments said Averie must have been raised by good parents. In fact, his parents are Darren and Jenifer Roe, the people who founded the Crater Lake Zipline business.
The company’s About Us page says Averie went on his first zipline at age 7. Since then, he’s clocked over 2000 hours on zipline courses and has served as a guide for five years. No wonder his sense of safety and competence in handling this situation seem instinctual.
But it’s not just Averie’s zipline skills that impress. In every video, his soft skills with people also seem instinctual, which all makes sense when you read the family-run company’s mission statement:
“Our mission is to inspire adventure, laughter, and meaningful connections with nature and one another. We offer exhilarating outdoor experiences that encourage guests to embrace new challenges, create lasting memories, and share the joy of adventure in the mountains of Southern Oregon.”
Mission accomplished on every level, judging by this video. Kudos to Averie and his family for providing an amazing example of what humans are capable of.
(You can learn more about Crater Lake Zipline on their website here.)
