Parks in the skies are in many countries. In 2014, Russia also created its own, which immediately became the best sky park in the world, AJ Hackett Sochi. The city in which it was built has dozens of attractions, but there is no other one where you can walk on a level with clouds, jump into the abyss, having only a thin cable as insurance, ride a swing over the gorge.
A brief excursion into history
Not everyone knows that people have been jumping from a height with a thin rope tied for their legs for several thousand years. The founders of this extreme are the famous Aztecs. The modern history of bungee jumping began with misunderstandings. David Kirk and Simon Keeling, the first daredevils who kicked from the bridge, were taken to the police for their unprecedented act at that time. Half a century has not passed since that memorable April day in 1979, and bungee jumpers are not only not arrested, special parks are being built for them.
The most unique in all characteristics was the Russian sky park. Sochi - the city that has taken responsibility to own such an extreme attraction - now attracts daredevils from around the world. They created a sky park under the project and under the direct supervision of Alan Hacket, a New Zealand businessman, a large original and an extreme player who had once jumped from the Eiffel Tower. Before the Sochi project, he created similar (but not so large-scale) structures in China and Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, Germany and France.
Where is the sky park in Sochi
This empire of fantastic adventures and overwhelming adrenaline is located near Adler, approximately in the middle between the settlements of Golitsyno and Cossack Brod. Nearby is the trout farm, it can be clearly seen from the famous park bridge, stretched over the Krasnaya Polyana highway. In addition to this man-made object from the bridge, you can admire the White Cliffs of the Akhshtyrsky Gorge, on the right slope of which is the Krasnobrodskaya Cave, the mountain river Mzymta, which seems to be a thin ribbon, kayaks floating on it and looking like shells, and clouds that are easy to reach with your hand.
How to get there
There are several ways to get to the sky park (Sochi). How to get there by public transport? There are paid and free options. For money, you can take bus number 131 or number 105 at any time of the day. You need to get off at the Trout Farm stop, from where the park's transfers start. They are free. You can also take a bus from the Winter Theater, next to Cossack Brod and for 250 rubles drive to the “Trout Farm”.
Free minibuses from the Adler railway station go to the sky park (Sochi). Landmark stop - yellow step. Transfers on their sides have a park logo, so it is simply impossible to make a mistake. The only caveat - this service is limited in time. In summer, minibuses operate until 19, and in winter - up to 17 hours.
How to get to the sky park by car? There are also several options. You can move along the Krasnopolyanskaya highway towards the airport, drive through the village of Moldovka, take the sign for Kamenka and follow the sign for Sky Park. You can still get to the village of Golitsyno and from there go back a bit to the park.
Infrastructure
Sky Park offers everyone who arrives by car a free multi-level parking. Entrance to the park is controlled by turnstiles. You can go through them by buying a ticket at the box office. The principle of operation of the ticket is not at all the same as in water parks: the time spent there is not counted, and in addition, during the day you can leave the territory and come back again without paying anything. The main thing for which people go to the park is rides. But besides them, a souvenir shop and left-luggage offices work for guests, where you need to leave all the extra items (bags, backpacks). You can relax in the bar or in specially equipped places where tables and armchairs are installed, and toilets are equipped with free toilets. Sky Park (Sochi) is open in winter and summer, seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, depending on the season and weather, the operating time may vary.
Bungee jumping
All lovers to tickle their nerves and giggle from a breathtaking height to soar for a few seconds in free flight, now you can make such exciting jumps in Sochi. Sky Park for the daredevils and those who are just preparing to become them, has two equipped platforms, one at a height of 69 meters, the other - 207 meters. The first is located at the very beginning of the suspension bridge, the second - in its middle. Both platforms are designed so that people are not disturbed by rain or wind. Before jumping each extreme, they carefully weigh them, then sit in a chair that looks like a dental one, only instead of drilling teeth with a drill here, elastic elastic ropes (bungees) are put on a person: one is fixed on the ankles, and the second on the waist. The last stage before the jump - briefing and friendly parting words. And then - the very moment of delight for which bungee jumping exists. If desired, and depending on weather conditions, you can choose a dive with immersion in water or just fly in the air, you can also order photos and videos of your jump. Upstairs, the daredevils are lifted on a cable, a memorable certificate is immediately handed over.
Suspension bridge
Undoubtedly, this is the attraction for which a lot of people go to the sky park (Sochi). The bridge is so unique that it claims to be one of the Guinness Book records. With a total length of 520 meters, and hanging over a precipice - 439 meters, it is the longest in the world. The bridge is pulled at an altitude of 218 meters above the gorge and the road. It is forbidden by the rules of the park to drop even small coins from the bridge, because if they fall from such a height, they can threaten the health of those below.
The bridge is made by ledges. Its width is 70 cm, on both sides of the side it is covered with a mesh-net with railings, the floor is made of cellular panels. Therefore, although it is held by cables weighing 700 tons, it looks very fragile and unreliable. However, this suspension bridge is designed so that it can withstand a 9-point earthquake and the simultaneous stay of up to 3000 people on it. It is impossible to fall off it, but, seeing an openwork net under your feet, not everyone decides to go along it to the other edge of the gorge. Those who are not afraid, are waiting for a sea of delight and unforgettable sensations, as well as a huge poster with a photo and congratulations from Alan Hacket.
Trolls
This is another attraction not for the faint of heart, which has in its arsenal a sky park (Sochi). The photo above captures the very start of the troll’s flight over the abyss. It is designed for extreme people who prefer to go back not over the bridge, but over the air. Trolls rushing at a speed of about 150 km / h, delivers them back in seconds. The attraction includes two cables, one 800-, and the second 550-meter. A rather strong, albeit soft, saddle is attached to a special console. All that is required of the participant is to sit in this saddle, lock in with special safety devices and enjoy speed, height and freedom.
Swing
At first glance, this attraction may seem almost childish. But in fact, he is no less invigorating than bungee jumping. Sochi “winged” swings are arranged on a console fixed at an altitude of 170 meters above the ground, which, like the bridge, breaks all world records. Two chairs are attached to the very end of the console, but you can ride one. After the participant sat down and buckled up, the console begins to turn, the person is over the abyss, swaying on the ropes.
For those to whom this is not enough, there is a descent along the wall of the gorge to the Kazachebrod cave. To start the route, you need to cross the bridge. There are two sections on the descent - easy and difficult. The rock seems impregnable, but metal brackets and fixed cables that are reasonably attached to the ledges help show the class in climbing even to lay people.
Attractions of the near future
Sky Park (Sochi) is not going to stop there and is actively developing. Here in the very near future they will open a climbing wall. Its height will be almost 18 meters and an area of 1200 square meters. The difficulty levels of the climbing wall are created so that both athletes and beginners can engage in them. Also the rope attraction “Mowgli” is almost ready to be handed over, where no one is afraid, but it is interesting for both adults and children. An interactive museum, a restaurant over the abyss and an amphitheater are nearing completion. Various festivals and performances of musical groups will be held here.
Prices
Excursion to the sky park (Sochi) - a walk is not cheap. A one-day ticket for adults costs 1000 rubles and 500 rubles for children under 12 years of age. For this money, you can walk along the bridge as much as your heart desires, look at jumping extreme people, take pictures. All citizens under 5 and over 75 years of age are admitted free of charge. Amusement tickets are bought separately. Prices are shown in the table.
Attraction | Price, rub.) |
Jumping (height): 69 m 207 m 67 and 207 meters in one day | 6,000 12,000 14,500 |
Swing (solo) | 7,000 |
Swing (paired) | 6,000 |
69 m + swing | 10,000 |
207 m + swing | 15,000 |
Troll (solo) | 2,000 |
Troll (family) | 5,000 |
69 + 207 + swing | 18 000 |
There is a discount system in the sky park . So, the second, third and fourth jumps are cheaper than the first, and the fifth is generally free. If a guest who visited the park brought a friend with him, then he can also not pay for the entrance. And if the referred friend decides to jump, for the guest who brought him his own jump is provided with a good discount. There are also promotions on trolls and swings. Another nice nuance - at the box office they give out coupons for a 15% discount for visiting the sky park. But the conditions of these shares are not constant.
Reviews
Everyone who visited the sky park (Sochi), reviews leave the most enthusiastic. Noted advantages:
- ease of travel;
- fantastic beauty around;
- unique attractions;
- developed infrastructure;
- security.
The drawback that visitors to the park point to is only one - high prices.