Exciting New "Ball Ride"

Exciting New "Ball Ride" 29-5-8 Remember how much fun it was to roll down a hill when you were a kid? You can have the same kind of fun and more with the "Zorb" - a giant clear beach ball that you can ride in. It's catching on fast in New Zealand, where it was invented, and might be a great way to draw attention to a farm-based corn maze or pick-your-own operation. The Zorb is 11 ft. in dia. and weighs 200 lbs. It's made from double skinned transparent plastic. You can't just buy a Zorb. It's set up as a business, much like bungy jumping. According to Allen Skinn, the U.S. representative who's been Zorbing in New Zealand, there are liability issues when you're strapped inside a smaller ball that's suspended inside a larger one with thousands of nylon strands and about two ft. of air between the two. "You reach speeds of up to 23 mph on a 15 degree slope," he says. "If some kids took it and went on a 45 degree sloped hill and went a quarter of a mile, they'd be going 50 mph. The problem is that the Zorb becomes airborne and bounces at about 35 or 36 mph. It makes for an extreme ride that's cool to look at but the person inside gets beaten up pretty badly." Because the Zorb is so new to the U.S., Skinn says he's looking for partners who have land with a suitable hill in a high tourist area. "Ideally, we'd also prefer that potential partners would be able to fund the development of the site," he says. If those individuals have the land, then typically the costs would run around $200,000 to develop the site. Rides generally sell for $25 apiece. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Zorb USA, 9400 Big View Drive, Suite 201, Austin, Texas 78730 (ph 512 342-9221; usa@zorb.com; www.zorb.com).

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