Challenge - Learn - Inspire - Master - Believe

Ziplining on our longest of 6 dual lines (1650 feet long)
Group of Guides on our new Mountain Top Course
Weekend Trips to Max Patch (our favorite sunset spot)
Driving guests in our ATVs up and down the mountain
Sunset Zip with all the summer guides
Hanging out with guides on the zipline

CLIMB Works

An important component in helping us carry out our mission is combining adventure and nature in our activities. Adventure can bring excitement and fear, while nature can relax and calm. While adventure gets a bad reputation for being dangerous, it doesn’t have to be. For us it’s not about pushing to the extreme, it’s about pushing beyond the comfortable.

Located In the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee right across the street from the Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountain National Park. 15 minutes drive to Gatlinburg and 15 minutes drive from employee housing.

Location
Tennessee
Season
Spring, Summer, and Fall
Staff size
60-80
Housing
Whether included in the compensation package or provided at a cost, housing is provided for staff.
Housing details
2 Story, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Apartments
Family housing available
No
Single occupancy housing available
Yes
Pet friendly
No
Meals
Some meals / discounts
Cell phone service
Yes, most carriers
Internet access
Good

About CLIMB Works

CLIMB Works is a zippin' little family in the Smoky Mountains. Our guides work hard and have a good time doing it. As a local, family-owned and operated business, we strive to develop close relationships with our employees and guests.

Our staff's favorite parts of working at CLIMB Works are meeting people from all over the world, creating lasting friendships with fellow employees and participants, and spending time in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. CLIMB Works Zipline is located right across the street from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and our course is located 20 feet from the entrance to the National Park. You can't get much closer than that! Our season is short and intense! Tours are operated Monday through Saturday, all day, in just about all weather, with our busiest times being spring, summer, and fall.

Not to toot our own horn, but we have been ranked the #1 outdoor activity in Tennessee by Tripadvisor for 14+ years and CLIMB Works has been ranked the top zipline company in the country since 2017. Our guides love what they do and it shows in our reviews. We designed our own, in-house point-of-sale software, and our own, in-house braking system that is now the premier braking system in the world.

The Employee Experience

You have the rest of your life to have that office job in the big city. There is no better time to explore than right now and no better place to start than the heart of the Smoky Mountains while getting paid to share your experience with others. We encourage our employees to be their best selves while on the clock. Our employees are always down for hard work. Punctuality is a huge part of what keeps our company in business. In the summer, we work long hours, but with hard work comes great reward. CLIMB Works believes that you deserve to keep what you earn by splitting any tips received between you and the guides on your tour. 

Ideal Candidate

Success in this role looks something like this: You show up to work on time, fully clothed in your CLIMB Works gear looking professional. Once at work, you engage with customers in a friendly and encouraging manner. You also help them with their safety harness, helmet, and other gear before safely taking them through our 2 hour zipline course where you will entertain and share your knowledge about the Smoky Mountains. Along the way, you learn their names, where they are from, interests, and fears. You help them overcome personal challenges. You encourage them and probably tell some corny jokes. You are sincere and genuine in your conversations. By the end of the season, we hope that you leave us with a sense of accomplishment knowing that you fully experienced the length and width of your summer here at CLIMB Works.

Room and Board

Our employee housing is located approximately 15 minutes from CLIMB Works and is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. After the apartments are full, it is the guide's responsibility to find housing in the area. The apartments are 2 bedrooms, one and a half bath apartments with a full kitchen (utensils, pots, and pans, glassware, stove, microwave), dishwasher, and a washing machine and dryer in every unit. The bedrooms will have anywhere from 2 to 4 people in each room, with a max of 6 people to an apartment. The beds are twin XL mattresses and each room has a closet and a chest of drawers. Guides will be responsible for their own sheets. All of the apartments have living room furniture and a 28 inch smart TV and free wifi. There is a small town located about 15 minutes away from the apartments called Newport, Tennessee that has a Walmart and a few chain restaurants. 

Employee housing is $250/month with a $250 deposit. At the end of the summer, $200 will be returned once you have moved out and the apartment has been inspected by management and clear of damages. $50 is used as a cleaning fee. Guides will be responsible for keeping their area clean throughout the summer. 

Employee Perks

CLIMB Works partners with a large number of companies in the area that allow you to experience their facilities for a huge discount or completely free, such as whitewater rafting, museums, theatre shows, mountain lifts, and much more! We also offer pro deal discounts to our employees as well as employee activities throughout the summer. Our kickball tournament is a staff favorite year after year along with our 4th of July party. 

Getting Here and Getting Around

Reimbursement for your travel to and from our location is available if you bring your own means of transportation for the whole summer. We will pay for your gas + any food and hotel up to $100 to come here and leaving to go back home. Your own vehicle is recommended, but since the majority of our staff live at our employee housing, carpooling is always an option. There is no public transportation in our area. The closest airport is located about an hour away in Knoxville. 

For Fun

The Smoky Mountains alone have endless events happening throughout the summer and have over 800 miles of hikes to explore for free right in our backyard. We are lucky to be an hour from Knoxville, Tennessee and an hour from Asheville, North Carolina which both bring in awesome concerts and activities throughout the summer. Our staff has been known to go on road trips on days off, have days spent on the lakes and rivers in the area, and there are endless places to enjoy a sunset. There is almost always something going on and someone on staff to go with. 

Loading video...
Loading video...

Current Job Openings

    Tour Guide

    Sender

    $12.00 / hour + tips
    Gatlinburg

    As a sender, you are responsible for the hooking up of participants to the zip line. You will learn every participant's name that is on your tour and engage in conversation with them from the start to the finish of the tour. You will also be responsible for taking photographs throughout each tour so that your guest will have memories to take home with them after they leave.

    The sender's job is a little less physically demanding than a receiver's, but is just as critical when it comes to SAFETY, as well as communicating with your tour. You will be instructing each tour with educational tidbits about both the history of the Smoky Mountains and the natural surroundings.

    Before the tour starts, both senders and receivers are responsible for the inspection of equipment being used for their tour, i.e. harnesses, helmets, trolleys, handlebars, etc. Throughout the busy months of summer guides may be asked to do other tasks throughout the work day to help the day go by a little smoother. 

    Their is no prior experience necessary to apply for this position. We will train you to CLIMB Works standards and make sure you you are 110% comfortable with all tasks before allowing you on course or in a vehicle with participants. 

    Tour Guide

    Receiver

    $13.00 / hour + tips
    Gatlinburg

    Our Guides are the bread and butter of our company. Receiver's primary job is to catch participants at the end of each line using our patented braking systems known as "ZIPKEA and AUTOPRUSIK". Receivers are responsible for maintaining tour times and making sure tours are going up and brought down in a SAFE and TIMELY manner.

    Although your main priority as a receiver is to catch each individual guest at the end of each line, you are also responsible for leading the tours, communicating with your tour, and will be instructing each tour with educational tidbits about both the history of the Smoky Mountains and the natural surroundings.

    SAFETY is the #1 priority in everything that we do at CLIMB Works. Before the tour starts, both senders and receivers are responsible for the inspection of equipment being used for their tour, i.e. harnesses, helmets, trolleys, handlebars, etc. Throughout the busy months of summer guides may be asked to do other tasks throughout the work day to help the day go by a little smoother. 

    A receivers job is more physically demanding than that of a sender. As a receiver, there are instances throughout each day that might require you to do what we call a "retrieval". To do a retrieval you will hook yourself up to the line, ride out to the stuck individual, and muscle them back in to the landing platform.

    Their is no prior experience necessary to apply for this position. We will train you to CLIMB Works standards and make sure you you are 110% comfortable with all tasks before allowing you on course or in a vehicle with participants. 

    Transportation

    Driver

    $12.00 / hour
    Gatlinburg

    As a driver you will be responsible for the transportation of participants to and from both our Mountain Top and Tree Top courses. Drivers are also responsible for fueling, cleaning, and routine maintenance of our fleet of side by side UTV's. 

    Although a driver with a mechanical mindset would be an awesome attribute, you do not need prior experience turning wrenches or working on UTV's to apply for this position. We can train you to do simple maintenance such as changing oil, replacing axles, changing tires, swapping break pads, etc. All of the major mechanic work is completed through factory warranties at a certified shop.

How to Apply

Click APPLY HERE to fill out our online application and upload a résumé.

Start dates are March 1st for Spring applicants and May for Summer applicants.

We will review applications and résumés and contact prospective employees.

Apply Now

Contact Info

About CoolWorks

Since 1995, CoolWorks has connected adventure-seekers with job opportunities in amazing places—from national parks to ski resorts, summer camps to dude ranches. We help people trade screen time for real time—meaningful experiences that spark connection and growth. Your next great adventure is waiting. More About CoolWorks

Need Help?

Check out our Help Center for FAQ's and helpful articles on how to use CoolWorks. For more in-depth information on how to navigate the world of Jobs in Great Places®, whether you're a Job Seeker or an Employer, visit our Resources page.
Scroll Less. Live More.