The Contra Dam is known as Verzasca Dam and Locarno Dam. It is an arched dam, situated on the Verzasca River in the Val Verzasca of Ticino.The Dam became popular for bungee jumping, after a James Bond stuntman performed a bungee jump from it in the opening scene of the 1995 movie Golden Eye. The stunt was voted as the best movie stunt of all time in a poll of 2002 made by Sky Movies.
The movie starts with a dark figure of a man, running along the top of the dam. The only time he stops is to rope his ankles by attaching the other end to the railings. Then he launches himself into the abyss. When he finished his breathtaking descent towards the floor of the valley, he pulls a gun and fires to a building situated beneath him a roped piton hook.
Then and before the bungee cord whisks him back to the top, a small winch on his gun winds the rope in and he is slowly being placed at the top of the building. That man can only be one man, James Bond and for about an hour you can be that man by following his footsteps and plunge 220 m / 722 ft down the face of Verzasca Dam.
The Dam can be reached from Gondola by following a 2 km /1.4 mi long section of a road. You will meet the jumping station, placed at the center of the Dam. The particular stationary bungee station is the world’s highest one. The world’s famous bungee jump is also a world record. There are many ways to perform that jump.
The ”007 classical one” which is ideal for first timers, the ”007 backwards” where you can jump backwards the depth and the ultimate full moon experience with the ”007 night jump”. The jump of the jumps, indicated only for experienced jumpers, the ”007 Ultimo” where you will jump feet first holding on with your hands.
The decision is yours. You can try one of them or all of them! Just remember that a reservation is absolutely necessary, if you are planning to perform this world famous bungee jump. Open your golden eye and feel the adrenaline of a unique jump.
