Shotover Canyon Swing

"Even my s**t was scared" - Canyon Swinger

What?

At 109 metres high, the world's highest cliff jump, above the Shotover river in Queenstown, New Zealand. A 60 metre free fall.  A 200 metre swing arc at speeds accelerating to over 150 kmph. And at the centre of it all was me, the pendulum! Phew! Sounds like I am abusing gravity, right? Well that's exactly what the Canyon Swing makes you feel and more!

Canyon Swing was literally invented by Mr. Hamish Emerson and Mr. Chris Russell who both were passionate rock climbers. They designed and engineered the whole concept on their own from zilch and purpose built the whole system by hand. The cable system is a dual 11 millimetre steel cable with separate rock anchors drilled 1.2 metres into the rock and held by 30 millimetres of reinforced steel rod. The platform was built by suspending the platform beams from the cable system. The entire building process took eight months of two people building full time, then followed by another six months of testing with water barrels and satisfying local government authorities and gaining the necessary paperwork. Finally on 2nd December, 2002 their first customers experienced what thousands others who followed after them would.

The cost of the first swing is $199 for a participant and each subsequent swing is then priced at a mouth watering $39. It is to be noted that a child will incur the same charge with the minimum age being 10 years and parental consent required for children under 16 years of age. The prices include transportation since there is no public access to the Canyon Swing's site.  The weight limit for a solo swing is 135 kgs and people can also undertake tandem swings where the combined weight limit should not exceed 180 kgs. The safety mechanism can be viewed here. The medical considerations can be viewed here.

As tempting as it may sound for many, there are also other options to consider before you 'jump into' booking the Canyon Swing.

The Ledge Swing

Option one: If the Canyon Swing sounds too much to handle, you can also opt for AJ Hackett Ledge Swing which is only a 47 metre fall swing. The adrenalin rush is similar to a bungy jump but works on a 'swing' principle rather than a gravitational free fall. It is situated at the same place from whence the Ledge Bungy takes place. The cost is $150 for an adult, $100 for a child (minimum age is 10 years and children under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult) and $120 for NZ students (with a valid student ID). They also offer a family package at $350 for two adults and two children.

The Nevis Swing

Option two: Similar to the Canyon Swing, you can consider the AJ Hackett Nevis Swing, which is the world's biggest swing with an arc of 300 metres; after being released from a height of 160 metres above the ground and achieving speeds in excess of 150 kmph. The cost is $180 for an adult and $160 per person for a tandem. It is $130 for a solo child and $110 per child for a tandem. The minimum age is 10 years and children under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult.  If you are a NZ student (with a valid ID) then it is $150 for a solo ride and $130 per student for a tandem.

Where?

The Canyon Swing office location on Google Maps.

The Canyon Swing's office is located on 37, Shotover Street, Queenstown. This is accessible by a 10-20 minute walk from most of the motels and hotels in town. This is where the transport vehicle picks you up from 15 minutes before the departure times. The Canyon Swing platform is located about 10 minutes drive followed by a three to five minute bush walk to the edge of a cliff overlooking the canyon of the Shotover river. Queenstown has an international airport with direct flights from some Australian cities and all major cities in New Zealand. It is about 480 kms on the State Highway 8 from Christchurch, which is a major international airport in New Zealand.

Actual photograph of Canyon Swing's office on 37, Shotover Street, Queenstown.

When?

We visited the Canyon Swing on 23rd November, 2012 as part of our Familiarisation paper of the Diploma of Adventure Tourism Management course of Queenstown Resort College. The Canyon Swing is operational throughout the year and the departure times are from 8.30 am onwards, every hour, till 5.30 pm which is their last departure. However from May to September there are fewer trips and hence it is best to check with them while booking. One trip will take about two and a half hours to and fro.      

How?

We were a group of nine students + one teacher and met at the office in town to get weighed in. It was interesting to note that unlike other operators, the Canyon Swing personnel drew drawings on our hands to indicate out weight rather than using blunt numbers. 

We were then together transported in a four wheel drive to the swing site. Once we reached there we were briefed about what we were going to do. At this point, it is important to mention that there are no bathrooms at the swing site and it is prudent to finish your business at the toilets before you commence the bush walk. We were then 'invited' over to the platform in small numbers where our jump masters were eagerly awaiting us with an evil glint in their eyes and a malevolent glee on their faces. We had heard about the Canyon Swing jump masters being infamous for 'toying' with their prey (namely us) and spooking people out before they actually jumped to heighten the sense of adrenalin and adventure. We now knew what it meant. I was second in queue and chose the 'Gimp boy goes to Hollywood' style out of their 70+ jump styles available. They classify the scariness of the jump styles by the number of 'wet underwear' that are depicted along with, with five being the highest. Yes you guessed it right, my jump style was five on five on the underwear barometer. 

I was suspended upside down on the edge of the platform, my backed arched, a shiver up my spine and then, without a warning, I was released. I swooped head first, eyeballs popped out and my voice caught in my throat as I was speeding down to the river and then swung across the canyon. It was the most incredible feeling of my life as each nerve of my body fed on undiluted adrenalin. Once I came to rest, they pulled me gently up to the platform without me having to do anything. Once back on the platform, I thanked the jump masters for pulling me out well alive and in one piece. 

After watching my classmates jump one after the other, in various styles, I proceeded to watch my video which was quite animated and turned out quite well. As the icing on the cake and a special deal, we got to keep our videos and photos for free!

A cool multi-shot phtotograph of your jump is available for purchase.

Why?

The already heightened sense of purpose, anticipation, adventure and excitement; keeps building up right from the time we get picked up to the point when it becomes almost unbearable just before you are let loose. And then you actually undertake the swing! For this experience alone, it's worth risking life and limb to muster the guts and courage to do the Canyon Swing.

Summary:

The 'To-be-desired': Nothing really except, the jump masters are quite nonchalant about using some cuss words which may put off some people.

The Good: Using symbols as weight indicators, clear instructions, lively staff, the fact that Shotover Canyon Swing has received 161 'excellent' and 15 'very good' reviews out of 180 reviews till date on TripAdvisor and ultimately; the feeling of being in Tarzan's shoes for those 10 seconds of pure thrill!

The USP: Surprisingly its actually the staff that make it here to the USP, since they push you over the edge, by their banter, from the zenith of the 'pulse-throbbing' feeling in your body to a whole new 'underwear wetting' sensation. And then, they literally push you!

PS: Do read what my classmate, Mr. Nicholas Shea, has to say about this trip in his blog.