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59-585: Located between the Leventina and the Valle Maggia valleys, Valle Verzasca extends over a length of 25 kilometres (16 mi) in north–south direction and is situated in the north of the Lago Maggiore . The valley floor is at about 500 metres (1,640 ft) to 900 metres (2,953 ft) above sea level. The surrounding mountain passes respectively have an average altitude of 2,400 metres (7,874 ft). The valley

118-652: A Sass di Striöi (literally: witches stone) is situated on a hiking trail. The shell rock most likely dates from around 600–700 BC; there are about 90 such carved rocks in the Verzasca Valley. Although initially free farmers, the valley was alternately ruled by the Swiss Confederacy, Savoy, Leventia and the Rusca family from about 1410 onwards. In the European Middle Ages, the population were mainly farmers, and since

177-471: A body harness , if only as a backup for an ankle attachment. Body harnesses generally derive from climbing equipment rather than parachute equipment. Milad tower bungee jumping with a height of 280 meters is the highest jumping platform in the world In August 2005, AJ Hackett added a SkyJump to the Macau Tower , making it the world's highest jump at 233 metres (764 ft). The SkyJump did not qualify as

236-519: A "Guide cable" system that limits swing (the jump is very close to the structure of the tower itself) but does not have any effect on the speed of descent, so this still qualifies the jump for the World Record. Kushma Bungee Jump is the world's second-highest bungee jump with a height of 228 metres (748 ft). It is located in the gorge of Kaligandaki River and world-first natural canyon bungee jump. Another commercial bungee jump currently in operation

295-451: A dozen mountain huts provide accommodation and meals. The Verzasca is popular to canoeists and divers, but considered to be dangerous and difficult. The Verzasca Dam is also well known for its 220 m height jump, which is one of the highest jumps in the world and also the most famous bungy jump , as it was used in the James Bond film GoldenEye . The only valley access for road traffic and

354-624: A four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 325 students in the two-year middle school and 9 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 110 students were in the four-year advanced program. The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as

413-631: A full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 97 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 193 who attend part-time. The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 25 students in the professional program. 1,578 2,823 2,869 1,557 46°29′0″N 8°48′0″E  /  46.48333°N 8.80000°E  / 46.48333; 8.80000 Bungy jump Bungee jumping ( / ˈ b ʌ n dʒ i / ), also spelled bungy jumping ,

472-436: A harness. Those bungee cords are linked to steel cables along which they can slide due to stainless pulleys. The participants bicycle, sled or ski before jumping. SCAD diving (Suspended Catch Air Device) is similar to bungee jumping in that the participant is dropped from a height, but in this variation there is no cord; instead the participant free-falls into a net. Untrained SCAD divers use a special free fall harness to ensure

531-401: A large tree at the top of the 210 m (700 ft) wall, above a severely overhanging climb appropriately named "Diving Board", and tied one end of the rope into the tree. With a piece of flat seat belt webbing around his waist and some homemade leg loops, Mike tied into the other end of the rope and, after no small amount of trepidation, he jumped. He then ascended the rope mechanically to

590-579: A system to drop a "car" suspended by a cable of "best rubber" was proposed for the Chicago World Fair, 1892–1893. The car, seating two hundred people, would have been shoved from a platform on the tower and then would have bounced to a stop. The designer engineer suggested that for safety the ground below "be covered with eight feet of feather bedding". The proposal was declined by the Fair's organizers. The word "bungee" originates from West Country dialect of

649-488: A test of their courage and passage into manhood. Unlike in modern bungee-jumping, land-divers intentionally hit the ground, but the vines absorb sufficient force to make the impact non-lethal. The land-diving ritual on Pentecost has been claimed as an inspiration by A. J. Hackett , prompting calls from the islanders' representatives for compensation for what they view as the unauthorised appropriation of their cultural property . A tower 1,200 metres (4,000 ft) high with

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708-659: A total of 6,292 registered voters in the Leventina District, of which 4,599 or 73.1% voted. 54 blank ballots and 4 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,541 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD +GenGiova which received 1,334 or 29.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 1,113 or 24.5%), the SSI (with 756 or 16.6%) and the PS (with 582 or 12.8%). In

767-422: A tower crane at the same time, something that he has done hundreds of times since 2017. The elastic rope first used in bungee jumping, and still used by many commercial operators, is factory-produced braided shock cord. This special bungee cord consists of many latex strands enclosed in a tough outer cover. The outer cover may be applied when the latex is pre-stressed, so that the cord's resistance to extension

826-420: A world's record for the longest bungee jump from a fixed structure. In "Catapult" (Reverse Bungee or Bungee Rocket), the jumper starts on the ground. The jumper is secured and the cord is stretched, then released and shooting the jumper up into the air. This is often achieved using either a crane or a hoist attached to a (semi-)perma structure. This simplifies the action of stretching the cord and later lowering

885-403: Is 1,204 people or 12.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 845 people or 8.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 708 people or 7.2% who are over 80. In 2000 there were 8,691 single family homes (or 63.4% of the total) out of a total of 13,704 inhabited buildings. There were 1,860 two family buildings (13.6%) and 2,373 multi-family buildings (17.3%). There were also 780 buildings in

944-432: Is already significant at the cord's natural length. This gives a harder, sharper bounce. The braided cover also provides significant durability benefits. Other operators, including A. J. Hackett and most southern-hemisphere operators, use unbraided cords with exposed latex strands. These give a softer, longer bounce and can be home-produced. Accidents where participants became detached led many commercial operators to use

1003-450: Is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord . The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a bridge across a deep ravine , or on a natural geographic feature such as a cliff. It is also possible to jump from a type of aircraft that has the ability to hover above the ground, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter . The thrill comes from

1062-716: Is at the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. The height of the platform is 321 metres (1,053 ft). However, this jump is rarely available, as part of the Royal Gorge Go Fast Games—first in 2005, then again in 2007. Previous to this the record was held in West Virginia, USA, by New Zealander Chris Allum, who bungee jumped 251 metres (823 ft) from the New River Gorge Bridge on "Bridge Day" 1992 to set

1121-604: Is crossed by the Verzasca which is dammed at the southernly outlet of the valley, forming the Lago di Vogorno , before it flows in the Magadino plain in the vicinity of the Ticino in the Lago Maggiore . The Valle Verzasca includes the geographical centre of Ticino, which is located at Mergoscia , near the lower end of the valley. Due to the different altitudes, all climate zones are combined in

1180-590: Is divided into four sub-districts, termed ' circles ' ( Italian : circoli ), and a total area of 479.57 km (185.16 sq mi) with a population of 8,827 (as of 31 December 2020). Its capital is the municipality ( Italian : comune ) of Faido . The valley became part of Switzerland on 5 March 1480, following the treaty of Lucerne with the Duchy of Milan . The Leventina District has an area, as of 1997 , of 479.57 square kilometers (185.16 sq mi). Of this area, 20.05 km (7.74 sq mi) or 4.2%

1239-597: Is given in the following table: In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 33.52% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (26.59%), the Ticino League (15.64%) and the SP (15.38%). In the federal election, a total of 3,468 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 56.6%. In the 2007 Ticino Gran Consiglio election, there were

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1298-513: Is in the southern part of the valley, below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), the dominant species. It is no longer actively cultivated, but favors the further diffusion, and studies suggest taking advantage of the valuable wood of chestnut as a valuable wood. In the Valle Verzasca the endemic Nera Verzasca goat has been preserved, which looks very much like the ancient Roman goat. This medieval durable goat has short hair, because it's not stuck in

1357-565: Is just 13 metres (43 ft) smaller, at 220 metres (720 ft). This jump, made without guide ropes, is from the top of the Verzasca Dam near Locarno, Switzerland. It appears in the opening scene of the James Bond film GoldenEye . The 216-metre (709 ft) Bloukrans Bridge Bungy in South Africa and the Verzasca Dam jumps are pure freefall swinging bungee from a single cord. Guinness only records jumps from fixed objects to guarantee

1416-635: Is one of the eight districts of the largely Italian -speaking canton of Ticino in Switzerland . The capital of the district is Faido but the largest town is Airolo on the southern flank of the Gotthard Pass . Situated to the north of the canton, its territory covers the area of the river Ticino as far south as Biasca , in particular the Bedretto Valley and the Leventina Valley . Leventina

1475-525: Is the highest commercial bridge bungy in the world. In 2008, Carl Dionisio of Durban performed a 30 meter bungy jump attached to a cord made of 18,500 condoms. He currently runs the only Ocean Touch bungy jump in the World at Calheta Beach in Madeira, Portugal, and claims to be the only person operating in the bungy industry single-handed. He holds the world record for being the only person to bungy jump while driving

1534-426: Is the most frequently reported complication. Impaired eyesight secondary to retinal haemorrhage may be transient or take several weeks to resolve. In one case, a 26-year-old woman's eyesight was still impaired after 7 months. Whiplash injuries may occur as the jumper is jolted on the bungee cord and in at least one case, this has led to quadriplegia secondary to a broken neck. Very serious injury can also occur if

1593-562: Is the usual spelling in New Zealand and other countries. In 1963, Jim Tyson, a Sydney, Australia commando , slid down a catenary rope, from a cliff, across a Sydney-area river, braking with carpet, releasing mid-river, and swimming to an accessible river bank. The first modern bungee jumps were made on 1 April 1979 from the 76-metre (250 ft) Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol , England, by David Kirke and Simon Keeling, members of

1652-401: Is to use a cord that is too long. The cord should be substantially shorter than the height of the jumping platform to allow it room to stretch. When the cord becomes taut and then is stretched, the tension in the cord progressively increases, building up its potential energy . Initially the tension is less than the jumper's weight and the jumper continues to accelerate downwards. At some point,

1711-466: Is used for agricultural purposes, while 175.08 km (67.60 sq mi) or 36.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 13.59 km (5.25 sq mi) or 2.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 9.26 km (3.58 sq mi) or 1.9% is either rivers or lakes and 175.23 km (67.66 sq mi) or 36.5% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.4%. Out of

1770-535: The Alpine climate (over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft)). The diversity benefits among other things, the cultivation of vines, and it flourish chestnut forests and palm trees thrive. Due to differences in soil type and amounts, almost all flora occurring in the Ticino and fauna of the various environmental zones are found in the Verzasca Valley. The Romans introduced and comparable to the tropical wood species, Castanea sativa

1829-594: The Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club , and Geoff Tabin, a professional climber who tied the ropes for the jump. The students had come up with the idea after discussing the " vine jumping " ritual of Vanuatu . The jumpers were arrested shortly after, but continued with jumps in the US from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Royal Gorge Bridge . The last jump was sponsored by and televised on

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1888-558: The Postauto buses are bounded from Tenero or Gordola. The starting on the left side of the valley road (built from 1866 to 1871) crosses Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco and ends in Sonogno; a short road leads to Corippo. On the right side of the valley, the road and post road trips from Locarno ends in Mergoscia . Leventina The Leventina District

1947-472: The Swiss Reformed Church . There are 1,197 individuals (or about 12.60% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 279 individuals (or about 2.94% of the population) did not answer the question. In the Leventina District there was a total of 1,351 students (as of 2009 ). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten and in

2006-451: The free-falling and the rebound. When the person jumps, the cord stretches and the jumper flies upwards again as the cord recoils, and continues to oscillate up and down until all the kinetic energy is dissipated. The land diving ( Sa : Gol ) of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu is an ancient ritual in which young men jump from tall wooden platforms with vines tied to their ankles as

2065-590: The 2007 Ticino Consiglio di Stato election, 35 blank ballots and 10 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,555 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 1,328 or 29.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 1,114 or 24.5%), the LEGA (with 700 or 15.4%) and the SSI (with 652 or 14.3%). From the 2000 census , 7,815 or 82.2% were Roman Catholic , while 211 or 2.2% belonged to

2124-630: The American programme That's Incredible , spreading the concept worldwide. By 1982, Kirk and Keelling were jumping from mobile cranes and hot air balloons. Colorado climbers Mike Munger and Charlie Fowler may have bungee-jumped earlier in Eldorado Springs, CO in 1977. Both were cutting-edge alpinists, preparing for a trip to Monte Fitzroy in Patagonia by simulating long falls onto a springy, 46-metre (150 ft) nylon climbing rope. They scrambled up to

2183-611: The English language, meaning "Anything thick and squat", as defined by James Jennings in his book "Observations of Some of the Dialects in The West of England" published 1825. In 1928, the word started to be used for a rubber eraser . The Oxford English Dictionary records early use of the phrase in 1938 relating to launching of gliders using an elasticated cord, and also as "A long nylon-cased rubber band used for securing luggage". "Bungy"

2242-425: The Leventina District there were 183 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the district, 387 students attended the standard primary schools and 22 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend

2301-742: The Swiss national languages (as of 2000 ), 304 speak German , 81 people speak French , 8,320 people speak Italian , and 4 people speak Romansh . The remainder (793 people) speak another language. As of 2008 , the gender distribution of the population was 52.4% male and 47.6% female. The population was made up of 3,378 Swiss men (34.4% of the population), and 1,772 (18.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 3,660 Swiss women (37.2%), and 1,024 (10.4%) non-Swiss women. In 2008 there were 53 live births to Swiss citizens and 22 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 85 deaths of Swiss citizens and 12 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration,

2360-484: The Valle Verzasca. Tenero-contra and Gordola include the insubric climate region thanks to the deep-sea level, close to the Lago Maggiore and protected by the mountains from the north winds. Vineyards and Mediterranean vegetation benefit from the mildest climate area of Switzerland, nebulae are rare and rainfall of short duration. With increasing altitude, the hills and mountain climate goes over to regions dominated by

2419-493: The accuracy of the measurement. John Kockleman however recorded a 670-metre (2,200 ft) bungee jump from a hot air balloon in California in 1989. In 1991 Andrew Salisbury jumped from 2,700 metres (9,000 ft) from a helicopter over Cancun for a television program and with Reebok sponsorship. The full stretch was recorded at 962 metres (3,157 ft). He landed safely under parachute. One commercial jump higher than all others

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2478-437: The correct falling position. Free-style SCAD divers do not use harnesses. The landing into the huge airtube framed net is extremely soft and forgiving. The SCAD was invented by MONTIC Hamburg, Germany in 1997. Bungee jumping injuries may be divided into those that occur after jumping secondary to equipment mishap or tragic accident, and those that occur regardless of safety measures. In the first instance, injury can happen if

2537-578: The dam later makes an appearance as a Roadblock task in the 14th season of the reality competition series The Amazing Race . A fictional proto-bungee jump is a plot point in the Michael Chabon novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay . In the film Selena , in which Jennifer Lopez plays Selena Quintanilla-Perez, her character is shown bungee jumping at a carnival. This actual event took place shortly before Selena's murder on 31 March 1995. In Valiant (comics) #171 (January 8, 1966),

2596-549: The district that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). In 2000 there were 8,067 apartments in the district. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 2,379. There were 452 single room apartments and 1,972 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 4,013 apartments (49.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 3,770 apartments (46.7%) were seasonally occupied and 284 apartments (3.5%) were empty. The historical population

2655-418: The early 17th century, many residents had to leave for seasonal labour outside their home valley. Often unemployed young men were recruited as mercenaries for foreign armies. In two quarries granite is mined by local workers. The so-called Rustici (Italian for farm house ) in grey stone, with white borders on the windows and heavy stone roofs, are typical houses in the valley. Wood rafters are used to support

2714-448: The forested land, 28.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.2% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the district, 1.0% is in lakes and 1.0% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 16.5% is unproductive vegetation and 20.0% is too rocky for vegetation. The Leventina District has a population (as of December 2020 ) of 8,827. Of

2773-555: The heavy stone roof, Castanea sativa wood. Many chapels along the way bear witness to the deep faith of the inhabitants of the valley. Valle Vercasza was the origin of many of the region's so-called Spazzacamini (literally: chimney sweep children). With the connection to the public transport, tourism developed from the end of the 19th century, but the majority of young people from the Valley still look for income opportunities in wealthier regions of Switzerland or northern Italy. Currently

2832-530: The jumper's neck or body gets entangled in the cord. More recently, carotid artery dissection leading to a type of stroke after bungee jumping has also been described. In the film GoldenEye and its associated videogame, James Bond makes a jump over the edge of a dam in Russia (in reality the dam is in Switzerland: Verzasca Dam , and the jump was genuine, not an animated special effect). The jump in

2891-497: The majority of locals are active in the tourism trade. The conversion of the old Rustici houses into holiday houses created jobs, increased tourism revenues and ensured that the old houses and the characteristic image of the Verzasca Valley are preserved. The mountaintop with views of the Valais, Bernese, Glarus and Grisons Alps, as well as the many transitions in the side and neighbouring valleys are popular to mountain hikers, and around

2950-399: The name suggests, running along a track (often inflatable) with a bungee cord attached. One often has a velcro-backed marker that marks how far the runner got before the bungee cord pulled back. This activity can often be found at fairs and carnivals and is often most popular with children. Bungee jumping off a ramp. Two rubber cords – the "bungees" – are tied around the participant's waist to

3009-460: The participant to the ground. "Bungy Trampoline" uses elements from bungy and trampolining. The participant begins on a trampoline and is fitted into a body harness, which is attached via bungy cords to two high poles on either side of the trampoline. As they begin to jump, the bungy cords are tightened, allowing a higher jump than could normally be made from a trampoline alone. "Bungee Running" involves no jumping as such. It merely consists of, as

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3068-406: The population of Swiss citizens decreased by 32 while the foreign population increased by 10. There were 2 Swiss men and 2 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 22 non-Swiss men and 37 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 31 and the non-Swiss population change

3127-435: The safety harness fails, the cord length is miscalculated, or the cord is not properly connected to the jump platform. In 1986, a man died during rehearsals for a bungee jumping stunt on a BBC television programme , because the cord sprang loose from a carabiner clip. Injuries that occur despite safety measures generally relate to the abrupt rise in upper body intravascular pressure during bungee cord recoil. Eyesight damage

3186-467: The snow. Due to its isolated location, the Verzasca Valley is claimed as one of the valleys that could best keep its originality. The secluded geographical location made it unattractive for conquerors since the Roman period , and even before. The first traces of settlement in the area are from the early 2nd millennium BC, in its southern part. In Berzona, a locality ( frazione ) of Vogorno, a carved rock known as

3245-869: The sport, and opening the world's first permanent commercial bungee site, the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge near Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand. Hackett remains one of the largest commercial operators, with concerns in several countries. Several million successful jumps have taken place since 1980. This safety record is attributable to bungee operators rigorously conforming to standards and guidelines governing jumps, such as double checking calculations and fittings for every jump. As with any sport, injuries can still occur (see below), and there have been fatalities. A relatively common mistake in fatality cases

3304-597: The tension equals the jumper's weight and the acceleration is temporarily zero. With further stretching, the jumper has an increasing upward acceleration and at some point has zero vertical velocity before recoiling upward. The Bloukrans River Bridge was the first bridge to be used as a bungee jump launch spot in Africa when Face Adrenalin introduced bungee jumping to the African continent in 1990. Bloukrans Bridge Bungy has been operated commercially by Face Adrenalin since 1997, and

3363-580: The tree and untied. Then Charlie tied in and jumped. The total fall was about 40 m (130 ft). Organised commercial bungee jumping began with the New Zealander, A. J. Hackett , who made his first jump from Auckland 's Greenhithe Bridge in 1986. During the following years, Hackett performed a number of jumps from bridges and other structures (including the Eiffel Tower ), building public interest in

3422-531: The world's highest bungee as it is not strictly speaking a bungee jump, but instead what is referred to as a 'Decelerator-Descent' jump, using a steel cable and decelerator system, rather than an elastic rope. On 17 December 2006, the Macau Tower started operating a proper bungee jump, which became the "Highest Commercial Bungee Jump in the World" according to the Guinness Book of Records. The Macau Tower Bungy has

3481-539: Was a decrease of 74 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.1%. The age distribution, as of 2009 , in the Leventina District is: 701 children or 7.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 899 teenagers or 9.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,091 people or 11.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,251 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 1,644 people or 16.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,491 people or 15.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution

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