Zipping through the skyline
dubai — As an adrenaline junkie, I did not hesitate to sign up for the city’s latest ziplining experience, the Xline, now open to the public in Dubai Marina.
Hanging over the 42nd floor of Amwaj Tower in Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) down to the terrace of Marina Mall, the world’s longest urban zipline offers a unique outdoor residential sport, allowing zipliners to occasionally connect with bystanders during their speedy 80-kilometre per hour flight.
Open to the public on Tuesday morning, I arrived to a queue of enthusiasts and couples at the XDubai booth at Marina Mall, eager to slide down the 1km-long zipline that zips 170 metres high in the air.
“None of my friends would do this, so I came alone,” laughed Thomas Henry, a Dubai resident, as our group waited to be escorted by a bus from the mall to Amwaj Tower.
Despite having had my share of extreme sport experiences ranging from skydiving to bungee jumping, I couldn’t beat the tingling anxious feeling creeping down my stomach, when approaching this new sport outside my comfort zone.
Unlike the first zipline that was installed at the Dubai Fountain in 2015, the XLine offers the chance for two people to weave through the skyscrapers together, via two concurrently running ziplines, to enjoy a shared experience.
Arriving on the 42nd floor of Amwaj Tower and taking a few stairs to the rooftop, a highlight was experiencing the breathtaking view of the Palm Jumeirah down to The Beach JBR and the almost-complete Dubai Eye, all the way to the yachts docking at Dubai Marina.
The adrenaline kicked in when I was called to wear my supermanstyle harness. Sensing our rising anxiety, the friendly crew didn’t fail to smile and strike up a conversation to loosen our tension.
As I lay down against the trolley, hanging from the rope, silence prevailed. I could only feel my rising heartbeats against the harness, my heavy breathing, the sound of wind rushing through my ears, with a cold sweat running down my back. Nothing was able to capture that reaction better than the Go-Pro camera mounted on my helmet, which made me break into laughter after the experience.
On the countdown and once the rope was released, a beyond-perfect feeling of freedom filled me. Nothing mattered except that very moment of flying and sensing the strong breeze as it hit my face.
Witnessing the beautiful views of the Dubai Marina under me, what made my day worthwhile were the expressions and casual smiles of amazed bystanders. “Hi there,” I would yell and wave, and they would wave back.
While some of the neighbourhood residents were indifferent, probably having witnessed many zipliners already, others held up their phones to capture the happy zipliners flying over their heads.
The blissful feeling doesn’t end with the landing, but the experience ultimately leaves you with a smile on your face for the rest of the day.
It isn’t a question of if I would do it again — it is one of when I will be flying again over the Marina.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com