kiiking

Every child dreams of defying gravity by swinging 360 degrees around the spindle of a swing set. In 1996, Estonian engineer Ado Kosk made this dream a reality. Kosk adapted Estonia’s traditional swings, which have wooden shafts rather than chains. Kosk’s version had adjustable steel poles and foot straps to hold swingers in place while they fly in a full loop around the top of the frame. His adaptation ushered in kiiking (pronounced keeking), an extreme sport in which competitors swing around the spindle at increasing levels of difficulty.