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Zip lining, zombie paintball just another day on the job for Henderson residents

At the base of Bootleg Canyon, Jeffrey Grasso slings an 18-pound, metal zip line trolley over his back and begins his march to the top of the mountain. A 1,200-foot-long zip line awaits.

He is joined by nine others following his lead and listening to his commands. But this isn’t another hike for him — it’s his job.

Around the Las Vegas Valley, people are working jobs you wouldn’t necessarily think about. For Grasso and the other instructors of Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon, there is no other job they would rather have.

“It is an awesome job,” he said. “I could have easily chosen a desk job, but you never get over a view like this. The hike and heavy equipment you might get over but never the view. It’s always an adventure.”

The morning starts for them at 8 a.m. In Boulder City, another zip line operator, Gary Black, pulls up to Flightlinez, 1644 Nevada Highway, about a half-hour earlier than his first group is supposed to arrive. He is joined by Grasso, Justin Klanderud and Levi Roy. They are planning to take a group of nine — mostly locals — to the top of the mountain for another zip-lining session.

Flightlinez opened eight years ago to allow people to zip line over Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City. Starting at the top of the mountain, guests zig-zag their way through the canyon on lines that vary from 1,145 to 1,864 feet long.

For many of the instructors, the job is a dream come true. When Grasso moved to Las Vegas from Oregon last year, he applied to become a zip line operator for Flightlinez.

“I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie,” Grasso said. “I’ve done all kinds of extreme sports.”

Black, a six-year employee, had similar thoughts.

“I always liked hiking and being outdoors,” he said.

But it takes a lot to become an instructor, starting with a grueling test of physical stamina and strength. It includes — but is not limited to — hiking up and down the mountain with two or three zip line trolleys on their backs.

If applicants haven’t passed out or thrown up from the first round, they can proceed to a few more exercises.

“Sometimes if they throw up but still power through, we might give them another shot,” Black said.

Instructors are required to carry the trolleys — each weighing about 18 pounds — that attach to the lines and be in good enough physical shape to pull any person who might get stuck on the zip line. It happens a few times every month.

“It really tests your upper-body strength,” Grasso said.

The operators also have backpacks filled with water bottles and other gear to carry, “so we usually have about 50 pounds going up,” Grasso said.

The company might get a dozen applicants, but in the end, only one or two make it through.

Sometimes instructors also have to carry trolleys up for customers, which Klanderud, who has been at Flightlinez since April, said can total four at a time.

Grasso said even though he loves the view and the adventure, his favorite part of the job is meeting people from around the world. Before they get to the top of the mountain, instructors tell each guest about the zip line, including safety policies and how to place their legs — zip-liners should spread their legs at the end of the ride so they don’t hurt their feet. Grasso even wears a T-shirt with a basic part of the instruction: “When in doubt, legs out.”

Following the brief instruction, each person grabs a harness and piles into the company van, which drives 3 miles to the base of the mountain. With gear in hand, they hike about a quarter-mile to the top.

Then the fun begins.

One by one, Grasso straps people in, going over the instructions one final time, then sends them on their way.

Even after nearly a year of going on the zip lines at least twice a day several days a week, every once in a while, Grasso has a twinge of fear.

“Just a little,” he said. “It’s in the back of my mind, what if I fall? But if you follow directions and aren’t doing anything wrong, that’s not going to happen.”

Every day’s a zombie apocalypse for Combat Zone Paintball actors

While some jobs start in the morning, the crew of actors at the Zombie Apocalypse Experience at Combat Zone Paintball, 12300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, aren’t starting their shifts until about 7 p.m. on a Friday.

The company has been putting on the zombie experience for about three years. In the last year, it also added the zombie escape room, which gives participants 45 minutes to escape a maze while outwitting “super zombies.”

Armed with a paintball gun that has about 15 bullets per section, groups of survivors enter the infected area, which is a large outdoor course made to look post-apocalyptic. Around every corner, hordes of zombies are prepared to jump out.

Under layers of protective clothing and blood-colored paint is an actor trying to create a new scare for the group.

“It’s always fun to see big guys scream like a bunch of girls,” said Garry Novak, who operates the business. He also plays Sgt. Doom, a military character who gives participants an introduction to the zombie apocalypse course.

“Each weekend,” he said, “you always get a good scare out of someone.”

In order to run the course, Novak said they need committed actors to portray the zombies.

“These are a great group of kids,” he said, referring to the personnel of various ages. “We are looking for kids who give 100 percent. We want people who are energetic and full of life.”

Novak said about half of them are paintball enthusiasts while the other half are zombie aficionados. “I think with shows like ‘The Walking Dead,’ people have come to love all things zombies,” he added.

But all his weekend actors are doing this as a part-time job. Every Friday and Saturday evening, the actors play their same roles.

“It’s all about repetition,” Novak said.

When actors show up, they do makeup, put on padding and go to their assigned zone in the field to begin a night of scares and fun.

“Everyone here loves what they do,” Novak said.

To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.

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