Offbeat News: The latest extreme sports craze to sweep the States; Zorbing

You'll need 'balls' to enjoy the latest extreme sports craze to sweep the States.

The Zorb is a giant plastic ball that thrill-seekers climb into before it is hurled down a hill at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.

Two feet of air protects participants from being hurt. A variation on the Zorb - the Zydro - features a gallon of water sloshing about inside.
The spheres are up to 11ft tall.

And the Zorbit allows people to be strapped in with a harness if the Zorb looks too scary.

The trend originated in New Zealand. But it is now spreading around the globe.

And the company has just launched its first venture in the US, with a Zorb centre in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. One US reporter who tried it out said: "It's like flying through the air in a rainstorm, cocooned in a rubber egg."
Prices in the US start at $31 per ride.