Bungee Climbing
Created | Updated Feb 6, 2002
The popularity of "X-treme sports"* is ever rising, particularly in the U.S. of A. where it seems people are willing to try almost anything to get their bodies in shape and their faces on the picture box. The methods now used to achieve these goals are becoming gradually more dire.
Setting aside the category of self-mutilation which technically can be classed as sport (E.g. Alligator-wrestling, coal-walking, post-office-queue-waiting, etc.), consider the trendier of the X-treme sports. White-water rafting is a sure way to build character - being hurled towards a bank of sharp rocks not only helps to improve muscle tone and reflexes, but also makes the hurlee reconsider his/her lifestyle. Hang-gliding allows much room for variety, either giving a peaceful aerial view extending for miles or a rapidly expanding view of the ground.
There are countless sports which, although may seem pointlessly risky to some, are certain to get the adrenaline pumping and the lungs gasping, while still endless fun and exercise. Of course, how much exercise one gains depends how seriously the sport is taken.
The best example of this is in rock climbing. This sport stretches to cover from cautiously picking your way up a rock face in Wales to pulling yourself unharnessed up a sheer vertical cliff in Arizona. As in many X-treme sports, there will often come a point when a climber has climbed what (s)he considers to be the hardest mountains and, now addicted to only the strongest thrills, seeks ways to make climbing more exciting. Tried and tested methods involve:
Climbing while blindfolded
Climbing while carrying copiously large amount of equipment
Climbing while under the influence of alcohol
Climbing while under the influence of recreational drugs
Climbing while under the influence of a Voodoo curse
Climbing in a straitjacket
Oddly enough, those few who have tried the above methods (and the even fewer who have survived) still feel unfulfilled and seek bigger and better thrills. At this points, I shall momentarily digress from climbing to talk of another X-treme sport, bungee jumping.
Bungee jumping, as we all know, consists chiefly of finding a tall cliff, edifice or construction attaching oneself to a long piece of elastic, and throwing oneself off the top of said cliff, edifice or construction. Strangely enough, people do this. In their own time. For fun. I have no doubt it is exciting - in the same way being shot out of a cannon is exciting. Yet, bungee jumpers have never really been considered true X-treme sportsmen. Perhaps this is because they do nothing more physically involving than clenching their teeth and stepping forwards. Perhaps it is to do with the silly name of their sports. Or perhaps the others are just jealous.
My solution to both the above problems is the obvious combination of the two sports - bungee climbing. The basic principle is thus:
The climber is attached to a standard bungee cord.
The other end of the aforementioned cord is attached to ground at base (yes, that's the bottom) of cliff.
The climber must then endeavour to pull him/herself up the cliff and reach the top, whereupon someone will disconnect him/her from the bungee cord.
The obvious drawback (no pun intended) to this is that, should the climber falter and lose his/her grip, (s)he will be pulled towards the ground at a high velocity, where (s)he is likely to remain. Well, mostly. In fact, some people will undoubtedly find just the tension of the cord to much strain to take and will simply be plucked off the cliff. Unsurprisingly, this sport is likely to have a relatively high fatality rate. But if that isn't an X-treme sport, I don't know what is.
Any further contributions would be welcome and appreciated, so please feel free to discuss this entry.
*Using the letter X makes it sound cool, modern and really mysterious. Honestly, it does. No, seriously, I really mean it. Well, maybe not entirely...
Setting aside the category of self-mutilation which technically can be classed as sport (E.g. Alligator-wrestling, coal-walking, post-office-queue-waiting, etc.), consider the trendier of the X-treme sports. White-water rafting is a sure way to build character - being hurled towards a bank of sharp rocks not only helps to improve muscle tone and reflexes, but also makes the hurlee reconsider his/her lifestyle. Hang-gliding allows much room for variety, either giving a peaceful aerial view extending for miles or a rapidly expanding view of the ground.
There are countless sports which, although may seem pointlessly risky to some, are certain to get the adrenaline pumping and the lungs gasping, while still endless fun and exercise. Of course, how much exercise one gains depends how seriously the sport is taken.
The best example of this is in rock climbing. This sport stretches to cover from cautiously picking your way up a rock face in Wales to pulling yourself unharnessed up a sheer vertical cliff in Arizona. As in many X-treme sports, there will often come a point when a climber has climbed what (s)he considers to be the hardest mountains and, now addicted to only the strongest thrills, seeks ways to make climbing more exciting. Tried and tested methods involve:
Climbing while blindfolded
Climbing while carrying copiously large amount of equipment
Climbing while under the influence of alcohol
Climbing while under the influence of recreational drugs
Climbing while under the influence of a Voodoo curse
Climbing in a straitjacket
Oddly enough, those few who have tried the above methods (and the even fewer who have survived) still feel unfulfilled and seek bigger and better thrills. At this points, I shall momentarily digress from climbing to talk of another X-treme sport, bungee jumping.
Bungee jumping, as we all know, consists chiefly of finding a tall cliff, edifice or construction attaching oneself to a long piece of elastic, and throwing oneself off the top of said cliff, edifice or construction. Strangely enough, people do this. In their own time. For fun. I have no doubt it is exciting - in the same way being shot out of a cannon is exciting. Yet, bungee jumpers have never really been considered true X-treme sportsmen. Perhaps this is because they do nothing more physically involving than clenching their teeth and stepping forwards. Perhaps it is to do with the silly name of their sports. Or perhaps the others are just jealous.
My solution to both the above problems is the obvious combination of the two sports - bungee climbing. The basic principle is thus:
The climber is attached to a standard bungee cord.
The other end of the aforementioned cord is attached to ground at base (yes, that's the bottom) of cliff.
The climber must then endeavour to pull him/herself up the cliff and reach the top, whereupon someone will disconnect him/her from the bungee cord.
The obvious drawback (no pun intended) to this is that, should the climber falter and lose his/her grip, (s)he will be pulled towards the ground at a high velocity, where (s)he is likely to remain. Well, mostly. In fact, some people will undoubtedly find just the tension of the cord to much strain to take and will simply be plucked off the cliff. Unsurprisingly, this sport is likely to have a relatively high fatality rate. But if that isn't an X-treme sport, I don't know what is.
Any further contributions would be welcome and appreciated, so please feel free to discuss this entry.
*Using the letter X makes it sound cool, modern and really mysterious. Honestly, it does. No, seriously, I really mean it. Well, maybe not entirely...
