The orbing craze has hit Malaysia. Read how it feels to roll down the longest orbing route in South-East Asia.

Orbing, zorbing, sphering or globe-riding — known by different names in different countries, they are all the same thing.

Zorbing originated in Rotorua, New Zealand, where Zorb Limited, the company responsible for this whacky sport, decided that it would be amusing to place people in a giant inflatable ball, add some water for fun and roll them down a hill.

Roll, roll, roll down the hill.

The Kiwi humour is apparent in their website where they say: Welcome to Zorbing — where New Zealand once again leads the world in stupid things to do while on vacation.

Stupid, but fun indeed.

I had my first orbing experience right here in Malaysia, and on the longest orbing route in South-East Asia at that.

“We visited a few sites in Malaysia and found this site in Gemas Golf Resort to be the most suitable. The slope’s descending gradient is more than 30˚ and it slopes at a 10˚ gradient uphill at the end of the track, allowing the orb to stop naturally,” said Brandon Chee, director of programme and development for GAC Adventure Consultant, the company responsible for bringing orbing to Malaysia.

GAC organises orbing at Titiwangsa Lake, Kuala Lumpur, during the weekends on a 70m track. The track at Gemas, Negri Sembilan is 250m.

“This track is awesome because it is fast enough to provide up to 2G force. What this means is that if you are 40kg, you will be able to feel a weight of 80kg before feeling 0 gravity when you free-fall or roll,” added an enthusiastic Chee.

Up to 2G force? All right. I had to try this for myself. I stood at the top of the hill and stared at the giant inflatable ball by my side. It is actually a double-sectioned sphere, made out of flexible plastic, with one ball inside the other, and an air layer in between. The air layer acts as a shock absorber, softening the bumps.

Jumping in headfirst.

Chee said that they have two types of orbs: the 2.8m and the 3.5m in diameter. The orb weighs 80kg-100kg inflated, and 60kg deflated. The minimum height requirement is 140cm while the maximum is 195cm. Two people with a maximum combined weight of up to 200kg are required for each run. You can’t do a run alone.

There are two types of runs: the dry and wet. The dry run involves two people strapped inside and rolled down the hill. A pail of water is added into the orb for the wet run.

GAC plans to bring in another orb later in the year that allows a person to be zipped inside with lots of water. The person will be somewhat static as the ball rolls down the hill as there won’t be a harness.

There are also plans to make a dedicated straight and zig-zag track down the hill so that the orb lands at the same spot each time. The orb is currently pushed manually up the hill but there will be a buggy to bring it up in the future.

I had to take off my shoes, jewellery and watch. If you wear glasses, use a strap and if you use contact lenses, wear goggles if you choose the wet ride. As a precautionary measure, participants must not be intoxicated or have health problems such as a weak heart, asthma or high blood pressure. Don’t eat too much before you orb unless you want your meal to end up on your partner.

Momentum is needed to get into the orb so I had to do a short run before diving in head first. Once in, I grabbed hold of the handles above and secured myself leg first into the harness, and slipped my bare feet into the slipper-like compartment at the bottom. Chee assured me that the harnesses are the same ones used in sky diving and rock climbing.

My orbing partner dived in shortly after me, secured herself to her harness and we were ready to roll. The only advice Chee had for us was to hold on tight and have fun.

It was fun in the beginning as I rolled head-first down the hill. The world spun around as my legs went up in the air. Then the hill began to get steeper and the orb faster. We were rolling down at high speed now and the bumps were getting harder and harder until my feet were thrown out of the slipper compartment and hung precariously in mid-air. Try as I might, I couldn’t get my feet back into the compartment.

I lost all sense of direction. The green grass and the blue sky had merged into a big blur. I couldn’t tell which side was up or down. I prayed each roll was the last so that I could feel the steady earth beneath my feet again, but the orb kept rolling and rolling, and I kept spinning and spinning.

After the longest minute of my life, the orb finally came to a stop. I remained dazed in the harness as I was still very much disorientated.

“Do you need help getting out?” said a distant voice.

I finally snapped out of it and began to unbuckle myself with shaky hands.

You have to get out feet first as you might risk injury to your neck if the orb accidentally rolls on you while you’re exiting. This must be how it feels coming out of a womb.

I’ve never felt so glad to be on solid ground. The fresh air outside was a total contrast to the hot stifling air inside the orb. My legs were still shaking from the adrenaline rush as I staggered towards Chee. He recorded the whole experience on video as he was running beside the orb down the hill.

What an experience indeed! I didn’t immediately go for the wet run as I needed some time to recover from the first run. But by then, my orbing partner had backed out and I couldn’t do it alone. I would most probably try the wet run in the near future when I recruit another partner.

You have to book your orb experience but but there are plans to have the Gemas track operating daily soon. Walk-in customers need to pay RM70 for the dry run and RM80 for the wet run or you can opt for the package of RM180 that includes the orbing experience, waterball (giant plastic ball filled with air over water with you inside), lunch and team-building activities such as games, flying fox and archery.

The dry run at Lake Titiwangsa is RM15 while the wet is RM20. For RM10, kids can play in the hamster roll where they run inside an inflatable ball on land for 10 minutes. These activities are available every Saturday and Sunday from 8am – 6pm.

Getting there

If you’re on the highway, exit at Alor Gajah and head towards Tampin, then Gemas. Once you’ve reached Gemas, drive along the main town road until you see 7-eleven on your left, at the edge of town. Turn right before the school and you will see signboards leading towards Gemas Golf Resort. Follow the signs from there.

WHAT TO BRING Sunblock, toiletries and spare clothes if you’re going for the wet run.

Orb-ernauts

Daniel Cheng, 19
Inti Adventure Club
chairman (right)

“Our club is all about adventure — it is our passion and interest. We organise regular adventure-based activities such as hiking, camping and rock climbing. We are always on the lookout for new adventures so we decided to give orbing a try.

“I tried the wet run. It was such a long run! I felt a bit awkward when I was upside down — like being in a washing machine, but it was very satisfying when it was over. It was tiring to push the orb uphill though. I will definitely go again.”

Lilian Tan, 52
Head of Student Affairs (left)

“I heard of orbing because GAC brought the water ball to our college before.

“Orbing was fun! I tried both the wet and dry run. One minute you’re up, the next, down. I felt like a kid all over again. I liked it as it was a new experience. I didn’t freak out or anything. Hopefully, they can double the distance and I’ll try it again!

“I’m always up for a new challenge. I want to bungee jump in New Zealand but I heard that there will be bungee jumping at KL Tower. That’s my next challenge.”

o For more information, visit www.firstinmalaysia.com or call CJ at 012-308 7205 for bookings.

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