Bungee jumping is the act of jumping off a tall structure with elastic cables secured around your ankles or waist. You fall toward the ground until the length of the bungee cord is reached. Then you are is sprung back through the air several times until the elastic cord finally comes to rest.
Natives of the Vanuatu islands, east of Australia, started bungee jumping. Attached to vines, they would jump off stick structures they built, leaping nearly 100 feet to the ground. AJ Hackett of New Zealand helped mainstream bungee jumping and make it what it is today. Virginia offers several places to practice the sport.
Catapult is similar to the bungee jump, except you start on the ground, the cord is stretched away from you and you are released, catapulting you into the air. In twin tower bungee, two towers with elastic cords connected at your waist pull you up, similar to a slingshot. The bungee run involves two elastic cords attached to your waist. You run as far away as you can, then the elastic cords pull you back.
XtremeFest is a one-day yearly event in May, which was set up by the Waynesboro, Virginia, Department of Parks and Recreation. The XtremeFest promotes a healthy, active lifestyle; some of the activities at the festival include kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing and bungee jumping. For more information on bungee jumping at the XtremeFest, contact Waynesboro Parks and Recreation at (540) 942-6735.
King's Dominon is a large amusement park in Doswell, Virginia. To enter the park, you need to buy a ticket and the bungee jump ride is another fee. On the Xtreme SkyFlyer, you will be fitted into a harness and then lifted up to 200 feet in the air above the amusement park. Once you reach the top, you dangle there for 10 to 20 seconds before plummeting to the ground. Once you reach the maximum cord length, you then a sprung back up several times. For more information on King's Dominon, call (804) 876-5000
The company Luxergy offers several types of adventures, one of which is bungee jumping. This company bungee jumps from bridges, cliffs, hot air balloons and other structures. The areas that they serve in Virginia are Alexandria, Chesapeake, Hampton, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. For more information, call Luxergy at (888) 589-3749.
Wintergreen Resort is a ski lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It offers bungee jumping to all ages. The Out of Bounds Adventure Center offers a bungee trampoline that you are attached to by a harness. It connects you to two side bungees, allowing you to jump as high as 25 feet off the trampoline. Contact the resort at (434) 325-8505.
