Fear Factor: Riding the World’s Highest Swing

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 the 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 the shuttle to the 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 a 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 the amusement

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio, a food blog. He's been to 65 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Originally from New York, Dave now calls Austin, TX home. Read the complete story of how he became a pro travel blogger.