This Must Be The Most Terrifying Swing Ever
“You go first.” “Swings are for kids, you’ll be right.” “No, I’m not scared either.”
Without a doubt, these phrases and more can all be heard at Ecuador’s Casa Del Arbol in Baños, Ecuador. “The Treehouse” is a monitoring station built into a tree used to observe the active Tungurahua volcano on the other side of a deep dividing canyon.
The owner of Casa Del Arbol has built a swing over this very canyon called The Swing at the End of the World. And it looks like this.
Like any standard homemade swing, it’s just two ropes attached to a small plank to sit on and the entire thing is suspended by a metal rod jutting out of the side of the treehouse. However, in a mild departure from other swings, each leg pumping motion hovers the rider over the empty abyss of the canyon for a few pulse-quickening, hair-stiffening moments.
Though the dramatic images make it seem like it swings from a cliff edge, it actually swings out above a very steep slope. This doesn’t really detract from the danger though – it’s still around 30 metres high.
A great vantage point to take in the scenic surrounds or the most terrifying thing to ever, ever happen? The choices are yours and yours alone. We’ll just watch from back here though, you have fun OK.
(Lead image: Rinaldo Wurglitsch/Flickr)
