Now that the Winter Solstice is past, Valentine’s day is rapidly approaching. Got plans yet?
How about naked bungy jumping in tandem with a really close friend? Or even on a first date….
It’s a Valentine’s weekend tradition at the Bungy Zone in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. This year, that’s February 11-12. So make your plans quickly… it’s only five weeks away. In years past, jumpers who go naked also go free (only on this weekend), so it can be a bargain, apart from travel costs.
As the company says,
You can bungee jump “classic style” or join the growing group of naked bungee jumpers that gather annually to “let it all hang out” as they bungee jump in the buff.
Think you’d be scared shitless to try this? Yeah, probably. But having this “ultimate adrenaline rush” appears to be the main point. And maybe the ultimate bonding experience as well. Of course, you could always just make the trip to Nanaimo to watch, and wait to see (and let lots of others see) whether you have the (ahem) balls to go through with it.
That’s what Seattle reporter Kristin Dizon did several years ago:
Free Falling! A stripped-down version of bungee jumping
Who knows what brought these jumpers to Nanaimo, a logging and fishing town of about 70,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Overcoming fear, trying something new, exhibiting one’s body or perhaps some deeper existential search for meaning drew them to the Bungy Zone.
Kristin notes that not all couples who do the naked tandem thing are in a serious relationship:
Alison Behrner and Wade Anderson, both of Campbell River, B.C., are no exception. Fused together, chins nuzzled into shoulders, their arms tightly clasp each other for a tandem jump.
“Are we a couple?” Behrner, 28, ponders when asked. “I don’t know.”
“This is like our first date. We’re just getting to know each other,” Anderson, 25, chimes in.
But then, maybe the guy was just being flippant. Despite her reluctance, Kristin eventually allowed herself to be talked into stripping and jumping. Even so, it was anything but easy, and there was an audience:
Clad in nothing but hiking boots, I think of leaping feet first, but that seems so spineless. A minute ticks by, then another.
I don’t notice the people watching and wondering, will she or won’t she?
Clearly, Kristin (who jumped alone) lived to tell about it, with no injury other than the indignity of being fished out of the water and being released from the cord, where “Legs up in the air, I look like a baby during a diaper change.”
Here’s another report, from another year, by writer Kimberlee Jensen:
Naked tandem bungy jumping
For our first Valentine’s Day together, my partner and I wanted our celebration to truly reflect our relationship, so naked tandem bungy jumping sounded just right.
This is a popular event, so you may have to wait some time in line — about three hours Kimberlee reports. But the experience was romantic enough to make up for that:
As we spun upside-down we shared a thrilling kiss. While embraced he reached around and pinched my bottom. We were bare and it was there, so I hardly blame him. The jump was over within minutes, but we both wanted it to last longer.
Originally published January 7, 2006
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More info:
Video: here
Still pictures: here