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FireFlyz | 29
Safety First
After getting the necessaries, we walked to the Gear-Up Deck,
where we exchanged our indemnity forms to be manually fitted
by the trained staff with a set of Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) given out by the quartermaster. Each PPE set comprised
a safety harness, a V- lanyard, two sets of carabineers and a
pulley unit.
We then made our way to our Extreme Challenge platform
to be greeted by our Course Instructor for the day, Ivy, who
explained and ensured that we all knewhow to operate the PPE.
It took me a few tries before I could manage to perfect the use of
the carabineers – these things can be quite tricky to handle so I
had to listen very clearly, although I had a little trouble halfway,
which Ivy very kindly and patiently helped me through. I was
told that the instructors are trained to ensure all participants
know the procedures competently enough.
When it comes to safety, Azlan never has and never will
take risks. A friend expressed concern over the equipment,
and he took the time to patiently explain that all of the PPE
used at Skytrex are imported from overseas experts in safety
gear production. He also makes it a point to ensure that both
equipment and trails are inspected and cleared for use daily.
Such adherence to rigid safety standards really helped to ease
our worries and made navigation of the course a little easier,
especially for someone likeme, who has quite the fear of heights.
Traversing the Course
The Extreme Challenge course boasts 34 extreme challenges
with some platforms reaching heights of 22m. My friends and
I managed to complete the circuit in about three hours as there
was a little bit of a ‘human jam’ along the challenge stations.
Yes, that can happen, especially if the ever vigilant instructors,
in their professional capacities, feel that something is not right
with any challenge.
The first obstacle involved climbing up around 12m to take
the first flying fox. When I realised that I had to let go of my
foot from the ledge in order to actually ‘fly’ on the zipline, the
anxiety bubbled through my feet up to my heart, culminating
in a vehement shout of “No way am I leaving this platform!”
My friends cheered me on wholeheartedly. And then, like
it was on cue, my favourite song,
Let It Go
, played in my head.
I closed my eyes to take one of the deepest breaths ever and I
just let it go.
The line grunted and emitted a very distinctive, guttural groan
as I was propelled down, legs dangling in the middle of the air,
and I saw the ground far below pass by me in a rush. That was
an amazing feeling. The split second of calm came to me when
I realised I was sailing through the air, wind in my hair and a
safe platform at the end.
But the calm didn’t last for long. As I landed on the platform,
fear hit me once again as I saw that the next station was yet
another flying fox, with the difference being that it was almost
twice the height of the previous one, at around 20m. Getting
to it required quite a bit of climbing up a tree, which honestly
was one of the scary things about the course as well. A word of
advice: Don’t ever look down!
In the beginning, the paralysing fear convinced me that
I would not be able to finish the flying foxes, let alone the
entirety of the whole course, but the curious mix of adrenaline,
peace and excitement coursing through pumped me up and
Testing the limits of
strength and agility amidst
the lush greenery of Taman
Botani Nasional Shah Alam