MONEY TALKS EXTREME SPORT TRAVEL GUIDE

Money Talks present extreme sports: Bungee Jumping

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Money Talks present extreme sports: Bungee Jumping

It’s an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that has the ability to hover over one spot on the ground. The thrill comes as much from the free-falling as from the rebounds.

When the person jumps, the cord stretches to absorb the energy of the fall, then the jumper flies upwards again as the cord snaps back. The jumper oscillates up and down until all the energy is used up.

What do we know about Bungee jumping history?

The word bungee (pronounced /ˈbʌndʒi:/) first appeared around 1930 and was the name for a rubber eraser. The word bungy, as used by A.J. Hackett, is said to be “Kiwi slang for an Elastic Strap”. Cloth-covered rubber cords with hooks on the ends have been available for decades under the generic name bungee cords.

The first modern bungee jumps were made on 1 April 1979 from the 250-foot Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, by David Kirke, Chris Baker, Simon Keeling, Ed Hulton and Alan Weston of the Dangerous Sports Club. The jumpers were arrested shortly after, but continued with jumps in the US from the Golden Gate and Royal Gorge bridges, (this last jump sponsored by and televised on the American program Thta’s Incredible) spreading the concept worldwide. By 1982 they were jumping from mobile cranes and hot air balloons, and putting on commercial displays.

Commercial bungee jumping began with the New Zealander, A.J. Hackett, who made his first jump from Aucland’s Greenhithe Bridge in 1986. During the following years Hackett performed a number of jumps from bridges and other structures (including the Eiffel Tower), building public interest in the sport, and opening the world’s first permanent commercial bungee site; the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand. Hackett remains one of the largest commercial operators, with concerns in several countries.

Do you know anything about the highest ever jump?

The Guiness Book of World Records states the highest commercial bungee jump is off of the Bloukrans River Bridge, 40 kilometers east of Plettenberg Bay in South Africa. This jump takes place from a platform below the roadway of the bridge, and the height from the platform to the valley floor is 216 meters (710 ft). There is another commercial bungee jump currently in operation which claims to be slightly higher, at 220 meters (720 ft). This jump is located near Locarno, Switzerland and takes place from the top of the Verzasca Dam. This jump was prominently featured in the opening scene of the James Bond film Goldeneye. In December 2006, AJ Hackett added bungee jumping to his Macau Tower facility in Macau S.A.R. China, making it the world’s highest commercial jump at 233 meters (760 ft).The latter of these higher jumps does not qualify as the world’s highest bungee as it is not strictly speaking pure bungee, but instead what is referred to as a ‘Decelerator-Descent’ jump. The bridge at Bloukrans and the Verzasca Dam jumps are pure freefall swinging bungee from a single cord, while the Macau Tower jump has a secondary cable which controls descent and trajectory, thereby failing to take the place in the record books.

Guinness only records jumps from fixed objects to guarantee the accuracy of the measurement. John Kockleman however recorded a 2,200-foot (670 m) bungee jump from a hot air balloon in California in 1989. In 1991 Andrew Salisbury jumped from 9,000 feet (2,700 m) from a helicopter over Cancun for a television program and with Reebok sponsorship. The full stretch was recorded at 3,157 feet (962 m). He landed safely under parachute.

One commercial jump higher than all others is at the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. The height of the platform is 321 meters (1,053 ft). However, this jump is rarely available, as part of the Royal Gorge Go Fast Games—first in 2005, then again in 2007.