What is Zorb?


Zorb balls have two transparent skins which are connected together by wires and a tunnel by which the riders enter the ball. Air is inflated between the skins which forms a cushion to protect the riders from injury.

Like Bungee jumping, Zorb was started in New Zealand in 1995 by Andrew Akers and Dwane van der Sluis who called the balls ‘Zorbs’. Zorbing went commercial in New Zealand where it was developed into 3 forms:

  1. Zorbing with water involves water being added inside the ball along with single or multiple participants. The riders then run or slide inside the ball as it rolls downhill.
  2. Riders can also be harnessed inside a ball without water, and then they are rotated with the ball as it roll downhill.
  3. Zorbing can also be done on water where the balls float on water and the riders have to walk inside to move the balls.

Apart from the original company (Zorb New Zealand), a number of other products for Zorbing have started around the world, such as ‘Spheremania’, ‘Downhill Revolution’ and ‘Orb 360’ and many companies now offer Zorbing balls for sale.

Zorbing entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in 2001 where it was defined as: “a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills”.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes 2 Zorbing records:

Longest zorbing ride held by Steve Camp who travelled 12,850 meters (7.984 miles) in 2006.

Fastest zorbing ride held by Keith Kolver who reached a speed of 52 km per hour (32.3 miles per hour) in 2006.

Zorbing has been shown in episodes of Wildboyz, Celebrity Fit Club, Road Rules, The Amazing Race, Globe Trekker, and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as well as the Jackie Chan film Armour of God II: Operation Condor. It has even been presented in animation for the telefilm Race Across Canada. One of the contestants on an episode of Jeopardy! mentioned zorbing as a pastime. Zorbing is also featured in a commercial for the Toyota Sequoia, a large SUV. The "Zorb" logo can be clearly seen in the commercial.


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