If you like extreme sports, you should find out what zorbing is and make an exciting and thrill-filled ride in a human hamster ball. Believe me, playing in a zorb is no less entertaining than playing lightning roulette. But how does the zorbing work? 

Zorbing is a kind of attraction that allows you to ride in a special ball – a zorb. Some people consider this hobby a separate extreme sport. There are several types of zorbing. Sometimes a person is fixed inside the zorb with a special system of fasteners and descends, for example, from the mountain.

The first zorb balls appeared in 1973, but they looked completely different from the modern ones and were more dangerous. But in 1990 New Zealander Andrew Akers modified the configuration and brought it to perfection. This sport started to become popular only in the last decade.

A zorb is the main and only equipment of a zorbonaut (the person inside who walks or descends). It is a ball made of durable polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. It consists of two spheres: a smaller inner sphere with a diameter of about 1.8 meters and a larger outer sphere with a diameter of about 3.2 meters. The distance between them is about 60-70 centimeters, they are firmly fastened. Inside, however, there is air. The total volume of the balloon is about 13 cubic meters, and the equipment weighs about 70-80 kilograms.

Zorbonaut enters the inner chamber through a small entrance hole, which is closed from the outside with a special valve. Inside there are one or two suspension systems that fix the person and do not allow him to move freely (sometimes they are not present if free movement in the zorb is supposed).

How to get started? 

It is easy to start zorbing, as no special training is required. All you need is to find a zorb and a suitable place for a walk. The ball, by the way, you can either rent or buy. But still, it is better to choose the first option, as your zorb will have to take it with you all the time (and it is not light) and inflate.

Here are a few tips that will help to make training enjoyable and safe:

1. Choose proven companies or individuals who provide zorbs. The one who rents out the equipment should have all the certificates proving its quality and safety.
2. Follow the instructions given by the instructor.
3. Do not go down excessively steep slopes in a zorb.
4. Do not try zorbing if you are not confident in your abilities. If you decide to do water zorbing in an open and deep body of water, be careful, because under some circumstances you can drown. For example, if the shell is accidentally damaged, the balloon will no longer hold on to the water, and you will not be able to get out of it or swim inside the zorb. If you make a descent, the zorb can change the trajectory of movement and roll not where it was intended. There are known sad cases associated with such a risk.  

Now you can safely look for a zorb and get bright emotions!