FLYDIVE HOLIDAY; Daredevil Mark McGivern takes in the awesome views at Royal Gorge in the US as he hurtles to the ground in an incredible bungee jump.

Byline: Mark McGivern

APPROACHING the spectacular Royal Gorge in Colorado, it occurred to me that this must be the finest place in the world to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

With views to rival the Grand Canyon, the gorge is also the setting for the world's highest bridge.

However, my appreciation of the Canon City landmark was short-lived as I had travelled to this adventurers' Mecca to jump off the damn thing. Suddenly, I wished I'd stayed indoors.

Gazing into the blue-sky horizon, beyond the craggy gorge face was one thing.

Standing on the edge of the bridge and casting my eyes downward, more than 1000ft to the wild Arkansas River below, cast matters in a different light.

I was among the latest select annual crop of volunteers to take the huge leap of faith towards the river, which grows from a trickle to a torrent as the diver hurtles towards it at 120mph.

If they are brave enough to keep their eyes open, of course.

The jump was established as part of the Go Fast! Games, an annual meeting of assorted lunatics and thrillseekers who congregate at the jaw-dropping beauty spot.

An international band of base jumpers form the nucleus of the event, leaping with tiny parachutes and landing on a sixpence an endless distance below.

Among other attractions was the GoFast! jet-pack man Eric Scott, who dazzled the crowd by rocketing 300ft above the bridge over the canyon.

He would, a few months later, make history by spanning the entire 1500 width of the gorge in his homemade jet pack.

As I prepared for the bungee jump, my ambition was to avoid becoming history as I plunged headlong into the huge open space. Cutting through the air for a full eight seconds before the elastic rope reached biting point, I remember flapping my legs, doubting for one hellish moment I was still attached.

I was glad I survived, not least because I had a holiday itinerary to kill for ahead of me.

Colorado is a magnet for sports enthusiasts.Whether it's winter sports, rock climbing, cycling or white-water rafting, this place is world class.

The state boasts 26 ski and snowboard resorts, using 50 mountain peaks that exceed 13,000ft - dwarfing Scotland's mighty Ben Nevis which stands at 4409ft.

Pike's Peak mountain, accessible from Colorado Springs, is the second highest in the States and a road trip there rewards travellers with wondrous views.

I also tried my hand at rafting. The three-hour expedition was an experience, even though the water beneath the Royal Gorge Bridge was officially at its lowest at that time of year. And there was no let-up. The following day, we were off on a quad bike tour, taking us high into the Rockies to make an awesome connection with nature.

The wild terrain, lined with shimmering thickets of aspen trees, was endless and could have come straight from a western movie.

Ever the optimist, I remain convinced I saw a mountain lion as I roared past on my powerful machine, though other witnesses later had the animal down as a fox. Or perhaps a rabbit.

The sighting was plausible enough as each species is abundant in the wild, as well as rattlesnakes, bald eagles and wild deer.

A few days earlier in our barnstorming trip we had stayed in Boulder, where we ventured into the Flatiron Mountains, on the edge of the Rockies. We stayed at the amazing Chautauqua resort , built around one of the state's last remaining chautauquas, a wooden hall built in the late-1800s and designed to bring education to small rural communities.

Dozens of individual self-contained cabins are available to rent, each one letting you feel as if you are stepping back in time to experience a fragment of the state's history.

With no TV, the underlying principle of the chautauqua is that visitors should engage with the natural beauty of the surroundings and with each other through a variety of old-fashioned social gatherings.

Boulder's town centre is low-key, but has a stylish and cosmopolitan hub offering a decent base for the magnificent rock climbing and walking opportunities in the surrounding area.

Away from the natural offerings of the state, the SkyVenture centre, in the Lone Tree area, offers a chance to go sky-diving indoors.

Professional skydivers use the hi-tech wind chamber to hone their skills but our group used the space-age facility to humiliate ourselves with inept, upsidedown antics, all of which were cringingly caught on film. Belly laughs assured.

DETAILS..DETAILS...

For details, visit www.gofastsports.co.uk. British Airways has a daily service to Denver, Colorado, from London Heathrow. Fares start at pounds 421 return. Bon Voyage can tailor-make your entire holiday to Colorado. Call 0800 316 0194. For details on Boulder, visit www.bouldercoloradousa.com. For more on Royal Gorge Bridge, see www.royalgorgebridge.com

CAPTION(S):

CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Mark relaxes in the spectacular surroundings of the Garden of the Gods national park, just one of the many attractions in Colorado's great outdoors