Date: Thursday, December 27, 2007
Mission: Shotover Canyon Swing
Statistics: 360 feet high (109 meters), 200-foot freefall (60 meters), 650-foot arc (200 meters), 93 mph (150 kph)
- 6 am – Unintentionally awoken by departing dormmates
- 9:15 am – Evacuate bladder
- 9:18 am – Shower
- 9:50 am – Evacuate bowels
- 10 am – Eat light breakfast – toast w/Nutella and green tea
- 10:30 am – Check-in at activity office – tell staff I plan to say famous Bruce Willis line from “Die Hard” as I jump off (“Yippie-kay-yay, motherf*cker”)
- 11 am – Depart on shuttle to canyon (making small talk)
- 11:15 am – Evacuate bladder again (just to be safe)
- 11:17 am – Walk to on-location office, then ledge
- 11:23 am – Staff fit me with body harness
- Jump #1 – Backwards (rated at the scariest level)
- Watch video of jump #1
- Jump #2 – Forward flip
- Watch video of jump #2
- Pay the piper for extra jump, DVD’s and photos
- 1 pm – Shuttled back to downtown Queenstown
- 2 pm – Eat a triumphant lamb Fergburger
- Later – Get a beer and quietly toast life, liberty, and the pursuit of scaring yourself to death for amusement
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Dave is the author of 1526 posts on Go Backpacking.
Dave (Editor-in-Chief) blogged his way around the world from 2007-2009, and then started Travel Blog Success to teach others how to do the same. When not writing, he can be found salsa dancing in Medellin. Follow him on Twitter @rtwdave or look for him on Google+
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Categories: Adventures, New Zealand
29 Comments
mmmmmm lamb… so expensive here in usa and I miss it so! oooh lamb burgers.. lamb..
oh you jumped. ok. mm back to the lamb, was it good? :)
I dont think I could have done the canyon swing =)
The rack of lamb I got was oook….
The lamburger I had at Fergburger in Queenstown was great, though it could’ve been the sauce they put on it too.
I only did the 2nd jump because I didn’t realize how scary it was jumping forwards! I probably don’t need to do something like that again. 200+ meter bungy jumps are out there, and I have no desire to do them!
mmmmmm lamb… so expensive here in usa and I miss it so! oooh lamb burgers.. lamb..
oh you jumped. ok. mm back to the lamb, was it good? :)
I dont think I could have done the canyon swing =)
The rack of lamb I got was oook….
The lamburger I had at Fergburger in Queenstown was great, though it could’ve been the sauce they put on it too.
I only did the 2nd jump because I didn’t realize how scary it was jumping forwards! I probably don’t need to do something like that again. 200+ meter bungy jumps are out there, and I have no desire to do them!
Great jumps Dave! Looks awesome :)
Great jumps Dave! Looks awesome :)
You’re a bigger (and crazier) man than I, Dave. My bowel evacuation probably would’ve been captured about a minute in to Video #1.
Thanks Mike! I’m planning to stay on level ground for awhile now. :)
You’re a bigger (and crazier) man than I, Dave. My bowel evacuation probably would’ve been captured about a minute in to Video #1.
Thanks Mike! I’m planning to stay on level ground for awhile now. :)
oHHHHH mY gOsh!!!!! Are you serious??? You are awesome! Those guys would have had me in tears if they were messing with me like they were messing with you! You hung tough and didn’t let them rattle you. I’m hyperventilating just watching you, but I totally want to do that!!!! Thanks for sharing…. it was so cool. :razz:
They robbed me of my confidence with that BS’ing!!! I don’t think they do that on the 143 meter Nevis bungy or skydiving. I’m quite sure it must piss some people off, though I have to admit it made the experience a lot scarier for me.
oHHHHH mY gOsh!!!!! Are you serious??? You are awesome! Those guys would have had me in tears if they were messing with me like they were messing with you! You hung tough and didn’t let them rattle you. I’m hyperventilating just watching you, but I totally want to do that!!!! Thanks for sharing…. it was so cool. :razz:
They robbed me of my confidence with that BS’ing!!! I don’t think they do that on the 143 meter Nevis bungy or skydiving. I’m quite sure it must piss some people off, though I have to admit it made the experience a lot scarier for me.
Now thats living you cant do that in the states :!: So is there a little skydiving next???? I think if you can deal with that its no problem :lol: enjoy that food I agree with stu mmmmm lamb..
Skydiving I’ve actually done in Virginia – about age 23 – so I’m skipping it for now, though I might have to do it again at some point because I still remember the big rush and how much I enjoyed it.
Now thats living you cant do that in the states :!: So is there a little skydiving next???? I think if you can deal with that its no problem :lol: enjoy that food I agree with stu mmmmm lamb..
Skydiving I’ve actually done in Virginia – about age 23 – so I’m skipping it for now, though I might have to do it again at some point because I still remember the big rush and how much I enjoyed it.
Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:
Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:
Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:
You are insane!!!!! OMG!!! :shock:
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
Wow!!!
Take care,
Summer
**Bows**
:razz:
You are insane!!!!! OMG!!! :shock:
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
Wow!!!
Take care,
Summer
**Bows**
:razz:
**Bows** indeed!! that jump just looks simply insane! I would think it’s more scary going forward then backwards actually.
Leo
Yep – much scary going forward. It’s good to know your brain’s instinct is NOT to jump!
**Bows** indeed!! that jump just looks simply insane! I would think it’s more scary going forward then backwards actually.
Leo
Yep – much scary going forward. It’s good to know your brain’s instinct is NOT to jump!