Even My Sh*t Was Scared!

Following on from the bungy escapade came our next adrenaline busting feat of craziness, the "Canyon Swing" - the largest swing in the world and this time both of us got involved.

So let's start with the basic stats - it's 109m high, you experience 60m of freefall and then fall into a smooth 200m arc at 150kph (93mph). For the record, it was a great deal scarier than the bungy jumps that both of us have done, probably because it's so much higher but also because the jump masters are really cruel up on the platform.

We'd both fancied this for a while, it looked great fun, everyone we met who'd done it raved about it, the idea that you fell into such a huge arc above the enormous Shotover Canyon and as rumour had it, felt like you were going to swing into the canyon wall didn't sway us away one bit. We were ready fo the thrill of fear!

The Canyon Swing is still a fairly recent addition to the various fear inducing activities in Queenstown. It is still a massive crowd puller and is well marketed in the town so it becomes hard to resist its draw. We booked in adavnce and headed up to the swing platform (accessed across private land) on a very windy day which only served to make us more jittery pre-swing. We'd hoped to have shared the day with a few other of our QT friends but all backed out before the event (wimps!) so it was just myself and the Chairman facing the drop.

Laura was first up and opted for the Backwards Jump from the Jump Styles available. This is a high "shit scarey" factor jump with the jumper positioned facing the platform which flies away after the pin is pulled and the fall begins. A fair bit of pre-jump banter only served to increase Lau's anxiety and her twitchy shaking leg. She was brave though and let out only a small yelp as she dropped into the canyon, a much better performance than a number of the blokes who swung befor her and screamed like big wimps.

I was next up and chose to follow in Jack Osbourne's footsteps and attempt the Indian Rope Trick - another high fear factor style that involved hanging from a piece of rope by your own arm strength knowing that as soon as your grip went you were going to plunge into the ravine. Pre-jump the jump masters warned me that Jack had only managed half a second and that holding both your own body weight and the weight of the metal wires dangling below you, was no simple task but I was ready to show the Young Osbourne that there's strength in them there Hornsea arms. For nearly ten seconds I held on before I chose (and note the word chose) to let go. I could have held on longer but you have to decide to let go eventually and I didn't want to be there all day. My grip was good, probably too good in fact as my hands actaully bled slightly from the rope chafing! On my return to the platform I had already decided I would go again, taking up the opportunity to do a second swing at a much reduced rate...

My second jump should have been easier but I was pumped full of adrenaline from the first, which only made me more edgy and shaky. I chose to let the jump master choose my fate - a dangerous decision as those people who I knew had made a similar decision, had often found themselves strapped to a chair with a bucket over their head. My master was less severe and selected a backwards jump with a John Travolta twist. My backwards effort was to have me doing the Travolta pointy arm routine whilst attempting to chant "Night Fever, Night Fever....". Watch the video and you'll see I did try but my attempt was met with a very girly high-pitched vocal effort which leaves me feeling a little embarrassed. In my defence, the Backwards approach is ten times more scarey and the jump master agreed with me. My jump master was suitably impressed with my efforts - I simply buzzed with the natural high of the big A, for hours afterwards!

Check out the videos by clicking on the icons at the top of this entry (next to our profile picture).

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Videos from "Even My Sh*t Was Scared!":

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