Local News

Bungee jumping coming to Harpers Ferry in the spring

HARPERS FERRY -- The Great Bungee Company will launch a state-of-the-art cantilevered jumping platform in Harpers Ferry next spring.

Thrill seekers will be able to jump from a platform more than 150 feet above the water's surface at the Old Standard Quarry, according to Nick Steers, director of the project.

"We're a private bungee jumping site in the middle of an adventure tourism destination that everyone's going to be able to drive to, pull in and jump and then head out and go rafting in the afternoon or go to the National Park in the afternoon," Steers said. "It's going to be exciting for Harpers Ferry and for the region to have it there."

He added that the bungee jumping business will partner with nearby River Riders, an outdoor adventure company that offers tubing, rafting, zip lining and other experiences in Harpers Ferry.

Harry Longerbeam, general manager of River Riders, said he has had "a lot of great communication" with the "super enthusiastic" Great Bungee Company.

"We love the idea because it adds one more recreational activity for people visiting the Harpers Ferry area," Longerbeam said.

The bungee site will have views of the Harpers Ferry National Park above the flooded quarry surrounded by 100-foot cliffs, he added.

Steers said the jumping platform will be at the end of the triangular arm of a retrofit construction crane and tower. From there, jumpers with attached elastic cords will do water dips before getting picked up by an inflatable boat.

The tower will be fixed to a 400-square-foot slab, according to Jefferson County planning documents.

To expedite the development of the site, GBC received a waiver from the county to proceed with sketches rather than a comprehensive engineering site plan.

That motion passed unanimously during the Aug. 13 Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting. It also included language around gravel pathways and parking, among other items.

Luke Seigfried, a planner for the county, said the project will still be subject to county policies not outlined in the waiver.

The operation will be regulated under the West Virginia Commercial Bungee Jumping Safety Act.

Steers said that because the opening day has yet to be known, the company is selling priority passes that would allow the purchaser advanced access to the reservation system once everything is up and running.

Priority passes for the first 1,000 jumpers cost $117.92 plus tax, according to the website. Jumps will cost $141.51 for the first jump, with various discounts for additional jumps and groups of six or more people.

The honor of the first jump will be raffled off, with proceeds going toward a charitable donation for a cause Steers said is still being worked out.

Steers said that the site builds on the experience of their "sister jump site" known as Great Canadian Bungee. That site opened in 1992 at Morrison's Quarry in Chelsea, Quebec, and has provided the safety model for the West Virginia operation to follow.

Steers added that while minor incidents like jumpers getting water in their eyes or stumbling in and out of the boat have happened, the Canadian company has had no major accidents in over 30 years and more than 250,000 jumps.

"We use the philosophies of competency and redundancy in operation," he said. "So that means that the person doing their job is well trained to do it and then the person that is next to them is well trained to double check them and we have that in in all aspects of our operation."

Steers said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even jumped from the Quebec platform while in office.

He said that all elements of the structure, except the weight of the tower relative to itself, are designed to withstand 10 times the load that's required. This gives the site an engineering advantage over operations that use abandoned bridges or other unintentional infrastructure.

"There's no other company in the country that is doing this currently," Steers said.