Ziplining single-handed

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This motto I keep returning to has also been the force behind my various adventurous exploits — including adventure sports such as rafting, river crossing, rapelling, paragliding, night cycling, etc. In time, I'll tick off all other air, road and water-borne ones. So Nevada Tourism's invitation to zipline at Boulder City was more than welcome. More so because my last ziplining experience was so average and so long ago that I don't recall much of it.

Closer to the trip, a sports injury rendered my left hand temporarily unusable. Would ziplining still be possible? My first question to Flightlinez – the only team with a license to conduct ziplining in Nevada's Bootleg Canyon – when we reached their office. And to my fortune, 'yes' they said.

Once a way to access remote places that are at a great height—the rider is suspended on a cable (stretched between points of different elevations) with a harness and strap, and slides to the other end with gravity—ziplining is now a popular vacation activity across the world.

Early morning, we joined the crew soon after breakfast, and the first thing we were made to do was weigh ourselves. Who does that! But for safety reasons, they ensure you're within the 75-250 lbs (35-113kg) range. They had lockers to store our belongings and safety releases for signing. Next, we grouped in their equipment room for the most witty, but thorough, safety briefing – flags out means brake, flags waving – brake more, flags down – lock your arms on the straps and spread your feet. If you don't follow the last instruction, your legs are bound to bump into box-shaped speed arrestors. Not a fun thing to happen, their demo warned. As if to emphasise the point, the back of crew members' T-Shirts read: 'When in doubt, legs out'. Surely, the pun was intended.

This really set the tone for the next few hours. Harnesses and helmets on, we took our seats in the bus, while Flightlinez's Tyrus Bishop and driver Bobby Todd began a stand up kind of act. If we didn't laugh, Bobby would remind us with placards. Inside Bootleg Canyon park, we spotted white skid marks on slopes—proof of its popularity amongst mountain bikers. Hikers frequent the park too. At a certain spot, you leave the bus and hike up for about 15 minutes to the first ziplining deck at 3,800ft. And suddenly Silent Night filled the air; Tyrus' idea of the perfect song before the adrenaline-pumped activity. What did we do? Played to his humour and sang along, while lugging up heavy trolleys with the crew.

Tall, muscular and pillar-like erect, Tore Grasso played the bad cop. "Stay off the board unless asked, sit up, point your legs..." Four could go simultaneously on the four parallel cables. Having recently developed a slight fear of heights, I took my turn after a few people. Securely fastened in my seat, and my strap attached stury (to the cable such that I could zip using one hand), when I finally zooooomed across, my apprehensions evaporated. Pure liberation! With a 400m drop, the first line is the fastest, allowing an average speed of 65mph. The highest has been 75mph!

For the second and third runs, which have negative lines (the cable comes back up on the other side), the body position is more crucial. Fearless now, I was eager to be among the first to zip and soaked in the view of hills beaming under the sun. Seeing many get stuck towards the end, I felt like a pro. In jest, the crew kept some of them hanging for a few seconds – as if saying, 'Now think about what you did buddy'.

With 2546', the third line is the longest and allows you to savour the experience most; we had to lie as flat as possible, with our head bent slightly up so we could see the landing board approach and the crew flag instructions. The fourth line is merely for the final descent.

Besides the adrenaline rush, Tyrus's comic timing and watching the crew enjoy just as much as us made quite a difference. This is because for someone used to adventure in far more scenic places, the Red Hill pales in comparison and we spotted none of the creatures (red-tail hawks, chuckwallas, big horn sheep, etc) mentioned on their website.

How it works

• How to reach: The Flightlinez office in Boulder City is about 30 minutes for the Las Vegas Strip. One hour prior to the scheduled time, they offer a complimentary pick up from Excalibur hotel.
• Duration: 3 hours
• Tours and rates: We did the general one, usually conducted between 8 am and 5pm. (Cost: $159 for adults, $99 for children). There are special sunset and moonlight tours, for a slightly different experience at $169 and $179, respectively.
• Group size: 4-12. Groups are generally combined to make a tour, unless a group requests for a private one and buys all the available spots.
• Frequent flier discounts: Bring three, fly free; bring six, two in a group of eight can fly free; bring nine, three in a group of 12 can fly free.