Zorb ride, giant inflatable ball ride, ends deadly in Russia (Video)

A ride down a ski slope in a giant transparent inflatable ball turned deadly in Russia. The zorb, which is a giant inflatable ball, was intended to be one of the symbols of next year’s Winter Olympics. The ride down the ski slope in the zorb, a transparent giant inflatable ball, turned deadly when the ball came off course and rolled “over a rock ledge in the rugged Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia” reported Yahoo News on Jan. 9, 2013.

Denis Burakov, the 27-year-old victim who died in the zorb accident, was one of the two zorb riders. Denis Burakov’s friend and co-rider, Vladimir Shcherbakov, was severely injured.

The fatal giant inflatable ball ride incident was recorded by one of Denis Burakov’s friends on an eight-minute video and shows how the two riders were being secured in the harnesses inside the zorb, how the giant inflatable ball came off its path, and how it flew over the rocky edge of the mountain only to disappear in a gorge below Mount Mussa-Architara.

According to Russia’s Emergency Ministry, Denis Burakov and Vladimir Shcherbakov were thrown out of the spinning giant inflatable ball after it was rolling for about a mile. The two men were ejected and landed on the snow about 30 feet apart from each other.

Both zorb riders were conscious and standing at the time of their rescue. However, Denis Burakov died on the way to the hospital due to serious spinal injuries.

The zorb, or transparent giant plastic ball, is made out of ”two polyurethane balls with a layer of air between them.” Once the men inside are secured by harnesses, a zorb is let go and rolls down a hill with the passengers inside spinning around.

According to Sergei Loginov, deputy director of Z-orb.ru, the largest supplier of zorbs in Russia, zorbing is a safe and fun winter sports activity if all safety rules like having fences on both sides of the track and having a secure bottom where the ball can land are being observed.

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