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Round the World Travel Guide

Fear Factor: Riding the World’s Highest Swing

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Posing for the Shotover Canyon Swing camera

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

Jump # 1 - Backwards

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About Dave

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking. For more of his adventures, follow him on Instagram or Twitter.

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Comments

  1. Stu says

    January 2, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    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 =)

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 8:37 am

      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!

  2. Stu says

    January 2, 2008 at 8:37 am

    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 =)

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 3:37 am

      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!

  5. Mike says

    January 2, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    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.

  6. Mike says

    January 2, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    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.

  7. Ames says

    January 2, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    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:

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 8:40 am

      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.

  8. Ames says

    January 2, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    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:

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 3:40 am

      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.

  9. crambox says

    January 3, 2008 at 4:42 am

    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..

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 8:41 am

      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.

  10. crambox says

    January 2, 2008 at 11:42 pm

    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..

    • Dave says

      January 3, 2008 at 3:41 am

      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.

  11. Laura says

    January 3, 2008 at 10:53 am

    Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:

  12. Laura says

    January 3, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:

  13. Laura says

    January 3, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Fun! You’re a good sport! And I feel so much closer to you now that I know of your bowel movements! :oops:

  14. Summer says

    January 4, 2008 at 7:16 pm

    You are insane!!!!! OMG!!! :shock:

    :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

    Wow!!!

    Take care,

    Summer

  15. Summer says

    January 4, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    You are insane!!!!! OMG!!! :shock:

    :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

    Wow!!!

    Take care,

    Summer

  16. Leo says

    January 7, 2008 at 4:01 pm

    **Bows** indeed!! that jump just looks simply insane! I would think it’s more scary going forward then backwards actually.

    Leo

  17. Leo says

    January 7, 2008 at 11:01 am

    **Bows** indeed!! that jump just looks simply insane! I would think it’s more scary going forward then backwards actually.

    Leo