The story of my 580 foot bungee jump in Switzerland
Interlaken, Switzerland: You do a lot of things on a backpack trip through Europe that you may never have anticipated, nor ever do again. For me, one experience was Bungee Jumping off a gondola attached to Mount Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps.
I had boarded a train in Milan, Italy with the intention of going to Zurich, Switzerland. On the train, as so often happens, I began talking to other backpackers that told me they were going to Interlaken. So I went with them.
The hostel didn't have beds left in dorm rooms, but they accommodated walk-ins by letting us stay on cots in the bag-storage room. Up front I saw the info on all the activities that were offered, for a fee, or course. I don't know what got into me but I signed up for bungee jumping and canyoning.
The next day I was to be picked up at the hostel in the afternoon. I had been so terrified of heights - or better said, the fear of falling - that I couldn't get my mind off what I was about to do. I paced around the quaint little city debating if I would go through with it, and in the end I decided to at least make the bus trip.
A van picked me up along with about 14 others. We began the drive up the mountain, telling stories, etc. It was pretty obvious how scared I was, and it became kind of comical - at least to the others. A little while into the ride I blurted out loud that I was just here for the ride and scenery. There was no way I could go do it.
But when we finally arrived in the valley, I somehow got on the gondola that was attached to a cable that was attached to the top of a cliff.
There were two jumps offered: 100 meters (330 feet) or 180 meters (590 feet), which at the time was considered the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. Only five of us chose the 180 jump, and we went first. I figured if it was gonna be my day to go, at least I went attempting the biggest jump. It was even a warm day, but I wore jeans in case I crapped my pants.
We were given the option of being strapped in a few different ways: attached to your back (so you can run forward), attached at your feet (which means you'd have to stand on the edge and fall forward), or attached at your chest (which meant standing on the edge and falling backwards). I decided on the back - less time to look over.
With my eyes closed and praying under my breath, my knuckles were white from my squeezing the rails as we climbed. The others couldn't stop laughing - either at my fear, or maybe it was their nervous energy.
The cable car had a cut out - a hole - on the floor in the middle. This is where the ropes are affixed to the car. They then bring the attaching end to the side door.
Halfway up the incline the gondola came to a jarring halt and began shaking. The two employees yelled something to the effect of 'oh, oh,' and began looking down the hole. My prayers got louder. My hands squeezed harder. My knees were buckling. And then, a little laughter as I heard all the others who were previously laughing begin yelling in fear. This lasted maybe 5 seconds before the employees told us they were messing with us. They are lucky no one threw them out!
I tried to keep my focus on the floor of car, not even looking at the three people that jumped before me. It was now my turn. The rest of the group started the countdown: five, four, three, two...
I don't remember if my eyes were open, but clearly the photo shows they were. I had jumped out the door, attached only to a 2-3-inch wide elastic rope. They told us the free fall was 40-50 meters (around 160 feet), falling at 100-115 km/hr (about 65 mph), for about 3 seconds. The recoil was smooth, and brought me more than halfway back up. The ground staff came running toward me to check if I was ok, explaining that they thought I may have passed out because I was frozen and hadn't even screamed.
The next day I went canyoning, which is basically white-water rafting without a raft. You're in a wet suit and the guides lead you down the mountain rivers and streams. At times you're on your back blazing through fast rapids, at other times you're repelling or jumping off cliffs into pools below. This would've been an experience on its own, but after the adrenaline rush of the bungee jump, it stays second in my memory.
A couple years later I learned that the company that I used for these activities was shut down and was being sued. One summer, a sudden downpour flooded the mountain stream and swept 21 people to their deaths. The next summer, a young man died on the shorter bungee jump - when the company had attached the longer rope.
