Zorbing
Zorbing is a leisure activity in which one or more people roll down a slope or on a flat track inside an inflatable, mostly transparent, double-hulled PVC ball . This form of movement also exists on water, snow and ice.
description
The device called Zorb consists of a round, net-like metal support structure (more than a thousand short ropes of the same length), which is covered inside and outside with durable and transparent plastic material. Both surfaces are connected by an entry channel. With hydrozorbing, a small, transparent ball corresponding to the diameter of the entry channel is inserted into the channel for sealing. The inner sphere has a diameter of about 1.90 meters and is located in the larger sphere with a diameter of 3.20 meters (values of New Zealand products). The space in between is filled with around 14 cubic meters of air. Entry is through a slightly tapered tunnel leading through the two covers.
A ready-to-use Zorb weighs an average of 80–90 kg .
There are several types of zorbing possible, a distinction is made between hydro-zorbing (either water inside - mocked as a washing cycle - or movement on the water) and rolling down slopes or on beaches, this results in summer and winter fun. Usually there are handles and straps inside, which the Zorbonaut, called the Zorbonaut , can hold on to. But there are also beltless models in which the user can move around like in a jogging ball or running bike. Due to the large static buoyancy , this is also possible on the water. Other zorbs, filled with a little water, create a feeling of being in a water slide rotating around the zorbonaut when rolling downhill .
history
The device and activity were invented around 1984 in New Zealand by scientists Dwane van der Sluis and Andrew Akers , who were both inspired by Da Vinci's depiction of a person in a circle. After several months of experimentation, they created a spherical structure called ZORB and patented it in August 1985 under this name with the addition of double skin sphere . The developers comment on their product like this: “that's a nice beach ball lad”.
Van der Sluis and Akers are planning the extreme zorbing sport discipline .
Distribution and manufacture of the zorbs
Good marketing ensured the rapid spread of zorbing all over the world, on grass or snow slopes, on the beach, on the water.
The balls are also manufactured there by a subsidiary of Zorb Limited in New Zealand. The musician Peter Gabriel built a Zorb in the 2003 stage show of his Growing Up - tour and showed up with it in public places, for example in advance of his concert in downtown Milan . In 2005, 20 years after the development, the Zorb homepage indicated places in 23 countries in which Zorbing is carried out. In the 21st century, zorbing activities are mainly found in New Zealand, Australia, Europe , China and Argentina . In the USA , zorbing is so far (as of 2018) little represented.
The Zorbs can be bought or are available on the facilities operated by franchisees , they can also be rented together with staff for events.
In Europe, the Zorb was redeveloped by a special Austrian sporting goods company (ntc - new technology) as an extreme sports device for mountain slopes, even snow-covered ones. The provider's motto is: "Enjoy the new feeling of turning in weightlessness!"
In Germany there is a ZORB center in Unteraltenbernheim (Schulstr. 10, D-91619). In the state of Bavaria, other clubs or travel companies are offering this new outdoor activity.
safety
As with comparable sports and entertainment, precautions must be taken to minimize the dangers even if you deviate from the intended route.
Insufficient protection can lead to fatal accidents, as shown by a case in the Russian ski resort of Dombai in the North Caucasus, in which one person died while zorbing and another was seriously injured after the zorb went off the piste and rolled uncontrollably over rocks towards the valley . A fatal zorbing accident had previously occurred in the Czech Republic in June 2009.
Web links
- www.zorbsouth.co.uk , pictures and contact details
- www.ntc-sport.com
- Homepage Zorb Rotorua
- Water zorbing on Lake Constance at www.youtube.com (42 seconds)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Homepage , accessed around 2010.
- ↑ ProSieben : Galileo , January 10, 2013.
- ↑ Zorbing in the plastic ball on www.nordbayern.de, accessed on November 10, 2019.
- ↑ Russia Today : Zorb gone wrong: 2 Russian tourists carried 1km in creek, 1 killed (English), January 9, 2013, accessed January 10, 2013
- ↑ YouTube : Deadly zorb tragedy at Russian ski resort caught on camera , accessed January 10, 2013
- ↑ Le Monde : [1] (French), June 5, 2009, accessed January 29, 2013