500 Adrenaline Adventures (Frommer's) - Lois Friedland [14]
The brainchild of two avid rock climbers, the Shotover Canyon Swing is the highest rope swing in the world—with its launch platform attached to a cliff’s edge 109m (360 ft.) above the Shotover River. It was designed by innovative structural and mechanical engineers, carefully constructed over several years, repeatedly tested and modified, and finally opened to the public in December 2002. Today, you can swing in 1 of 10 positions (being suspended and then dropped by a pin-release system is the so-called easiest option, but you can avoid looking down if you go backward).
Whatever style you choose, remember to invoke your inner superman powers. The swing takes you straight down for 60m (200 ft.), a stomach-dropping freefall just meters away from the cliff’s vertical face toward a deep canyon, during which you reach speeds of 150kmph (93 mph) and scream like you’ve never screamed before. As you finally glide into a 200m (656 ft.) arc, and then swing back and forth, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you’re still alive. Now it’s time to simply let your pulse slow and appreciate the sensation of having land beneath your feet—unless, of course, you signed up for two jumps. In that case, get ready to sail through the air again.
The swing is a 15-minute drive from Queenstown, and the company will drive you there in one of its four-wheel-drive vehicles. After a short walk through the bush, you reach the launch area and are fitted into a seat and chest harness attached to ropes that are strong enough to lift four cars. All of the ropes, attachments, harnesses, and safety devices used here are regularly checked, maintained, and upgraded. But knowing that everything’s secure won’t be enough to quiet your nerves once you’re about to swing. Some trepidation is the whole point here. Queenstown has a reputation to live up to, after all. —JS
The Shotover Canyon Swing in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Shotover Canyon Swing, 37 Shotover St., Queenstown ( 64/03-442-6990;www.canyonswing.co.nz).
When to Go: Anytime.
Queenstown airport.
$$ The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel, on the corner of Brecon and Isle sts. ( 64/03-442-5164;www.thedairy.co.nz). $$ Heritage Hotel, 91 Fernhill Rd. ( 64/03-442-4988;www.heritagehotels.co.nz).
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Flying over Florida
Skydiving in Orlando
Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
The world looks different from 11,000 feet (3,353m) above the ground, especially when the airplane door opens and there’s nothing between you and the ground below but 2 miles of thin air. And when you’re about to make your first solo free-fall jump, the wind rushing past the airplane is drowned out only by the adrenaline rushing through your head.
For visitors to Florida, Orlando has established itself as ground zero for skydiving adventures, with several schools and centers near that entertainment capital. Those who’ve never tried skydiving may opt for a tandem flight, in which the diver is strapped to a professional instructor who controls the equipment and the descent—all the diver has to do is enjoy the scenery. (Some training centers dismiss those untrained dives as “an amusement park attraction.”)
For real thrill jockeys, however, the fun that comes from a solo dive can’t be beat. Some schools offer both kinds of dives, while others pride themselves on catering to those who want to take the classes needed to earn the right to an AFF, or accelerated freefall. It takes a little class time before you can jump out of an airplane, so expect to spend some time on the ground reviewing stability, forward movement, loops and turns, and radio-guided landings.
And if, by some chance, you’re just not ready to leap out of an airplane, you can still capture the thrill of skydiving by trying indoor skydiving at SkyVenture. A collection of fans forces air at 100 mph (161kmph) through a wind tunnel, which lifts visitors above the ground,