Zip Slide Across The Clyde

Bwah ha haaaa
So, I hate heights. Well, not so much heights as edges. I’m not good with edges. But you can’t ask people to do something if you’re not going to do it yourself, which is how I ended up in a tiny little basket held up by a crane at one side of the Clyde, with Laura & Briony.
Briony said that all she could hear was me hyperventilating… close. deep breaths, deep breaths, and forget that the ground is all the way down there… and hard.
The folks at ALPS Scotland (who organise the event, and sell places to various charities) are friendly, laid back and absolutely committed to safety. They’ve helped probably hundreds of charities raise much-​needed funds for their causes. Thank you!
All in all, our group raised £1300 for Glasgow Women’s Aid, hurrah! Now, who wants to do it next time? If I can manage it, then I’m sure you can too… ;)

I really struggled with the idea of giving this experience a star rating, but I went with 5 as it really was fabulous in terms of safety. The fact I didn’t die (or experience bird strike) made me really happy.
So, I got roped (boom tish) into doing this Zip Slide thing. To be honest, when I was asked by the lovely Sara T I’d just consumed lots of chocolate and a few glasses of prosecco so I clearly was in no state to actually make an informed decision. That being said, I did have an opportunity to wimp out but never got around to doing it — amazing procrastination skills there.
We were doing the Zip Slide to raise money for Glasgow Women’s Aid. When I arrived on the day and actually saw what I was meant to be doing, it took every fibre of my being not to jump into the Clyde and swim away. The slide goes from the north side of the river (by the Crowne Plaza) to the south near STV/​BBC. The registration area is on the south side of the river. You wait there, see people flying across and start to panic and then they put you in a harness and it’s your turn.
While we did have quite a long wait for our departure slot, it wasn’t too bad as it wasn’t raining, there was lots of people around to laugh and take photos and there was also a handy portaloo (came in handy when I thought I was going to vomit). The staff were all friendly and reassuring — I think I asked every single person if I was going to die and not once did they waiver in their «naw hen, you’ll be right» response.
On the other side of the river you get into a basket which winches you up and then you get attached to the cable. The guy in the basket with us was lovely, really funny and reassuring although it was hard to hear over the sound of Sara hyperventilating next to me. After a little bit of waiting (the basket did a wee spin to face the wrong way, that was not appreciated), it was time to go. I got attached to the zip line. I checked again with the man that it was safe and I was going to live and with a gentle nudge, off I went.
…
I remember nothing of this bit. Apart from stepping off, my brain only kicked back into gear as I was coming into the landing area. This bit HURT. So much! You are flying along a slide and then two guys have to stop you within about 2 seconds. I still have no feeling in my little finger. I couldn’t get out of the harness quick enough. I was just so happy to be back on the ground.
Would I do this again? HELL NO. Never, ever again.