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Zip Line Your Way Through Malta

05th March 2015

Boho Hostel sat down with the man behind the suspended line, Andrew Warrington from Mc Adventure, who's almost single-handedly putting Malta on the Sports & Adventure International Map, diversifying our tourism market to further reach out to those who travel purely for adventure.

 

Zip Lining. It’s a new concept in Malta- what made you take the plunge?

Yes  it is quite a new concept here. We have been putting up zip lines for a couple of years but only when requested by clients for a specific event. I could see the excitement and adrenaline rush that a zipline ride generated in anyone participating and realised that it is something many people would like to try once, like a skydive or bungee jump. So I decided to build a more sophisticated zipline which was easy to ride, longer and faster than ever before and which added an edge of excitement – jumping off the edge of a cliff with a 50m drop to the sea below!

 

 

What does the sport entail?

For the participant it is very simple. We strap you into a harness and helmet, attach you to a steel cable using a fast overhead trolley, then invite you to step towards the edge of the cliff and your date with destiny – will you have the courage to jump off that cliff and have the ride of a lifetime?! For us it is a little more complicated: building a system that is robust enough to take someone weighing up to 120Kg and travelling at 50 Km/Hr and make sure that NOTHING will go wrong!

 

 

Has it caught on?

Like crazy! Every time we post our event it is booked out within a couple of days and when we post the videos afterwards they go viral – 15,000 views on Facebook is our records so far! Not bad for a little island like ours.

 

 

Who’s your typical Zip-Liner?

Adrenaline lovers. You can’t categorise them using normal socio-economic tags: age, education, income simply don’t apply. We have had 70 year old retirees, 5 year old kids, accountants, fashion models, plasterers, fishermen...basically everyone who is willing to push themselves outside of their comfort zone just for a short while to experience a mind-blowing rush (without taking any illegal substances J). It seems just about everyone wants to give it a go!

 

 

Where do you  Zip Line?

Our fastest zipline is at Miġra l-Ferħa on the west of the island near Mtaħleb. This is the back of beyond for most people, an area of rugged beauty that few locals ever visit, let alone tourists. We also have one on the edge of Valletta, near the Grand Harbour and another in Golden Bay

 

 

Will more areas be added to the Maltese Zip Lining map, and what is it that makes you say, ‘Yes! This is a perfect spot to set it all up.’?

Yes, we are already planning an even bigger, faster and more terrifying zipline in a secret location. We choose location for its scenic quality, for the drama of the ride, for the possibility of setting it up without too much trouble (it usually takes 2-3 hours to set up and the same again to dismantle) and also it must be easy for participants to start and exit from the zip line ride.

 

 

This is not the only adventure sport you offer with your  company, Mc Adventure. Rock climbing is also hugely popular. In 2012, two of the world’s best climbers, Sonnie Trotter and Tommy Caldwell, put Malta on the international rock-climbing map when they spent two weeks rock climbing and discovering new routes.

Yes that’s right. Sonnie and Tommy came over with their boundless quest for exploration and adventure and the happy energy they put into all they do. It was a great experience exploring the cliffs of Gozo and Comino with them, enjoying a fresh perspective on the cliffs that I have climbed for the last 30 years and still find fascinating and engaging. Sonnie and Tommy went home and spread the word on their Facebook pages and elsewhere about the paradise of amazing cliffs that surround Malta and Gozo and offer endless possiblities for adventure climbing.

 

 

What do you think the future holds for Malta when it comes to these types of activities?

In Malta we are only now starting to discover the potential for adventure that our wild places have to offer. Both locals and foreign visitors are discovering that besides beaches and monuments, Malta also has a wild side where adventure is accessible and can get your adrenaline flowing freely. We can expect these activities to become ever more popular and in demand as companies like ours begin to make it possible to experience adventures in safety when accompanied by professional guides.

 

 

What about extreme sports like bungee jumping and sky diving? Do you think these activities will ever make it to our shores and become staple sports for Malta internationally?

Sky diving was already practiced in Malta about 15 years ago but the infrastructure was still in its infancy and the government at the time did not realise its potential to grow. I have no doubt it will become popular again in the future but it will take some time and investment to make it a reality.

With bungee it is only possible from a crane, which is not a natural structure and therefore less fun than experiencing an adventure in the lap of nature. I am not sure this will ever become as popular as rock climbing, abseiling, zip lining and other adventure sports you can do in a natural setting.

 

 

What is your favourite sport- what really gives you that adrenaline boost?  

My personal passion is rock climbing and I am the only person I know who has practiced this sport without a break in Malta for that length of time. Even though I have done it every weekend for all those years and almost daily since I became a guide, I still crave the adrenaline and adventure of exploring a new cliff and fighting my way to the top. Nothing can get me going like the challenge of using fingertips and toe points in the natural holds engraved in a rock face by the forces of erosion, to pull myself from bottom to the top of a cliff...it’s my drug of choice and has taken me to some of the most beautiful spots I have visited anywhere in the world.

 

 

For more information on zip lining, or any other adventure sports offered by Andrew and his team, visit their website: www.mcadventure.com.mt, or email us on info@bohohostel.com