Outdoor adventure: Zorbing

Neal Taflinger

September 17, 2008 by Neal Taflinger

0 votes

"It's like a 10-foot plastic ball that you get inside of, and you can either be strapped down or you can run, jump, sit inside the ball," said Kathryn Lucas.

"It" is the Zorb, a bizarre form of entertainment expanding outward from New Zealand around the globe.

Lucas was introduced to the Zorb while studying in New Zealand this past summer.

Zorbers are sealed inside a ball that's 12 feet in diameter. A small amount of water is added, and the Zorb is sent down a mountain. It looks like a blast, but Lucas doesn't know: She didn't go Zorbing overseas.

So, this fall, Lucas is leading a group of intrepid adventurers to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., home to the only Zorbing site in North America, where she and fellow Indiana University students will go asses over elbows down a mountainside.

Tennessee is a long way to drive for an afternoon of amusement, but IU Outdoor Adventures is making a weekend of it.

"It's a two-day trip," said Lucas. "One of the days we'll be hiking in the Smokies, the other day is dedicated to Zorbing."

IU Outdoor Adventures Zorbing Trip

When: 2 p.m. Oct. 3 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5. (Note: There is a mandatory planning meeting from 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 29.)

Info: katlucas@indiana.edu, iuoa.encumpus.com. IU Adventures is at 900 E. Seventh St., Bloomington.

Tickets: $200.

Wanna Zorb solo? Book your own trip by calling (865) 428-2422 or visit www.zorb.com.

Forum: Talk

Tags: 

Outdoor Activities, outdoor adventures, zorbing

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2 comments

Jon Silpayamanant
Jon Silpayamanant, September 17
0 votes

So that's what they are calling it. I just saw a commercial with a family doing that.

bridgetid
bridgetid, September 18
0 votes

I would love to try that! It sounds like a lot of fun!

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