xtremesport4u

Archive for July, 2008

I picked up these helpful hints from

THE PRO’S OF ROCK CLIMBING

Develops mental agility and toughness

Sometimes described as ‘vertical chess’, rock climbing entails problem solving, planning ahead and keeping your nerve. Researchers at Texas A&M University found climbing could reduce stress, improve self-confidence and encourage positive thinking.

Gives you a firm handshake

Hand and arm strength was far superior in experienced female climbers compared with that of novices in a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Works the abs

Climbing builds a strong core (back and abdominal region). Your abs work particularly hard when you are holding your body weight against gravity, such as on an overhang.

Makes you bendy

Climbing improves your flexibility all over, as you are constantly reaching and stretching, but particularly around the hips, thanks to the frequently adopted ‘frog position’ in which the hips are open.

Builds steely thighs!

Of course, rock climbing builds strength and definition in the back, shoulders and arms, but the legs – particularly the quads and calves – also develop muscular endurance and strength in order to support you for extended periods and propel you upwards.

… AND ON THE DOWNSIDE

Risk factor

Well, if you’re a rock climber, you will fully understand the risks involved.

All that gear!

You can’t just get up and go climbing on a whim, it’ll take you ages to get dressed and ‘rack up’.

What goes up must come down

Abseiling has caused more fatalities than any other mountaineering activity, according to the British Mountaineering Council.

Climber’s finger

A tendon injury caused by trying to support your body weight with one or two fingers.

*****

But don’t let the con’s put you off – it is still an exhilarating extreme sport, particularly if you are out there in the great outdoors, with fresh air, wide landscapes and a great challenge ahead of you.

Husband and wife team Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan will jump from a balloon at 39,000 feet near Docker River before a high-speed scenic flight in their custom-made suits.

Mr Singleman says they are determined to beat the previous wingsuit mark to add to an earlier world record they set in India for base jumping.

The adventurous couple have been planning their Alice world record assault for over a year.

They have completed two test jumps in the area since arriving in Alice Springs last week.

Central Australia has the ideal conditions for wingsuiting, Mr Singleman says, and will give the couple an advantage as they seek to beat the current wingsuiting record set by Spanish wingsuiters flying over Gibraltar in the Mediterranean.

The Spaniards flew 20km in their wingsuits, and Mr Singleman and Ms Swan hope to better that mark by gliding 30km in seven minutes.

“The secret to breaking the record is two-fold, firstly we have to get up very high so we’re going up to 39,000 feet in a balloon,” Mr Singleman said.

“The second part of getting a distance record is to have a fantastic tailwind behind you. And one of the best tailwinds in the world rages over Alice Springs way through winter and in fact it blows it well over 100 miles an hour, 100 knots, up high, so we will use that as a tail wind to push us along.”

The unique Central Australian landscape was another lure to making the attempt near Alice.

“It’s amazing, I mean it’s so beautiful,” Mr Singleman said. “We’ve done our test jump out here near Alice and it was so beautiful flying in our red suits over the red desert. And the clarity, the air, it’s so wonderful out here, and all the beautiful landscapes, it’s a fantastic place to jump.”

The couple has enjoyed exploring Central Australia during their time in Alice, and telling locals about their daring world record bid.

One question they find they are constantly asked not only in Alice, but all over Australia, is obvious; Why would anyone want to leap from a balloon high in the sky wearing only a puffy suit with wings attached?

For Mr Singleman, who trained as a doctor, the answer lies partly in medical science, and partly in the couple’s shared competitive spirit.

“Heather and I already have the world record for altitude wingsuit base jumping, and once you’ve got one world record you’ve got this sort of stuff in your system” he said.

“I’ve done a lot of study on the personality type of people who go after world records and this type of achievement and high sensation seekers.

“There’s some research now that points to the fact that high sensation seekers, the explorers of the world, they’ve probably got a genetic trait. They’ve got more copies of (what they call) the thrill gene.

“I’ve actually had my genes analysed and I’ve got exactly what the textbook says I should have. There’s a genetic imperative if you like for me to challenge myself to go after high goals and work towards these kind of pushing-the-envelope type projects.

“And that’s just the kind of person I am. Heather’s had the same genetic analysis and she’s exactly the same. So we can always blame it on our genes.”

Mr Singleman admits there will be some jangly nerves when the pair look down from 40,000 feet and prepare to jump. But once they’ve exchanged their special skydiver handshake, all bets are off and it will be time to take the plunge.

“You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t get a little scared,” he said.

“But we have been doing this kind of stuff for so long that we’ve developed these systems. And we’ve got a lot of trust in the systems. We know the oxygen’s going to work, we know the wingsuits will work, we know the parachute’s going to work, so it’s all good.”

Thanks to the ABC team in Australia for bringing this story to my attention and best wishes to Glenn and Heather on their world record attempt. I have included a YouTube video by mcdtcw of wingsuit flying so you can get a taste of what Glenn and Heather will be doing – it is perhaps not the best representation because the wingsuit flyers in the video are jumping off a cliff but it will give you an idea of how fast they will be flying. Good luck guys.

BMX racing is pretty straightforward. It’s flat-out racing, every man or woman for himself trying to be the fastest around the course. Riders start from a high drop and then attempt to be the fastest to negotiate their way around tracks featuring funky jumps, banked corners and other obstacles.

Eight riders compete in each heat of the Olympic BMX races, which are held on a track usually around a quarter-mile (350-370 meters) long. That means a good rider will take only about thirty seconds to get through the course.

The Laoshan BMX Venue is rippled with jumps, one huge berm down the stretch from the start and three smaller berms. It would have been more challenging if it had more ‘cross to the course, but this is good for a start. Above is an artists rendering from the official Laoshan Venue website.

USA Cycling, which oversees road racing and athletes like Tour de France contender Levi Leipheimer, is also the national governing body for BMX. They are sending eight riders to the Beijing Supercross, all expenses paid. These 8 will be hoping to qualify for a place in the finals.

There are 48 slots for BMX athletes; 32 for men and 16 for women. Only three men and two women from each of the top countries will qualify; the U.S. is the world’s top ranked country in BMX.

Four initial heats are run with the starting field of 32 male riders and 16 in the women’s event. The top four finishers in each heat then move up to the next level. This means there are four total rounds in the process to determine who’ll be standing on the medals podium at the end of the day.

The American athletes are four men: Donny Robinson, Kyle Bennett, Mike Day and Randy Stumpfhauser; and four women: Amanda Geving, Kim Hayashi, Krystal Hime and rising star Jill Kintner.

Kintner will be the one to watch. She is already a BMX/mountain bike star; she’s won the prestigous Crankworx Bikercross, two BMX World Cups and a NORBA mountain bike race, and took the win in the Australian National Mountain Bike Championships. She also won the August 4th Jeep King of the Mountain race in Park City, Utah.

Well, we’ve done a trilogy of articles on surfing but here’s Mike Parston’s actually surfing Cortes Bank back in January – thanks to frompalmdale : by the way you don’t have to watch the whole 5 minutes unless you want to listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Californication’ all the way to the end – it’s kinda cool – but I reckon Mike is surfing for about 1minute 10 seconds. However, imagine the buzz you get from surfing a wave of this magnitude – an extreme buzz you could say – well done Mike!

We have subsequently been advised that this is almost definitely NOT Cortes Bank as no-one wears just a spring suit at when surfing there as it only breaks during California’s winter months and no helicopter shots have been taken of Cortes Bank as it is too far out. The wave is more likely to be Peahi (Jaws) in Maui…

A network of mountain bike trails costing £400,000 was opened last year in Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire – and they were reckoned good enough to be used as a possible training venue for teams taking part in the 2012 Olympic games

The question of whether the forest could host the event has now been raised after plans to use a course in Essex were dropped because the area was too flat.

The organising committee of the games is thought to prefer another site in Essex as it would be nearer London.

But the International Cycle Union has not ruled out a venue further away.

When the trails were launched last year the Forestry Commission said it hoped the all-weather network could be used for Olympic training.

The forest boasts the most extensive mountain bike trails in England covering 34 miles.

I added a short You Tube video by cortaction which shows some of the terrain. The information above came from Trevor Hayes of the Scarborough Evening News.

Whatever they decide they have plenty of time to make a decision – Beijing hasn’t started yet!

Ben Shillington is going on a bike tour – a very long bike tour. In fact, his mountain bike trip will cover 11,000 kilometres from Istanbul, Turkey to Beijing, China.

His love of adventure has taken him to Europe, Nepal, Australia, across North America and to other corners of the world. This week, it’s taking him to Turkey. He will be leading 16 cyclists (four others will connect with the group for part of the trip) through mountains, deserts and along the seas during the four-month expedition. The group will travel through countries such as Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The trip is one of four offered by Tour d’Afrique.

“It’s a small company that runs multi-day mountain bike expeditions around the world,” says Shillington. “This trip is called the Silk Route and follows one of the ancient silk trade routes.”

The company also offers a Cairo to Cape Town African excursion, a trip from Paris to Istanbul and a South American trip from Rio to Quito. Shillington says people can follow the expeditions online at www.dafrique.com. He learned of the company through a biking magazine. He sent in a resumé, had a telephone interview and a two-hour personal interview; he was hired in April as a tour leader and mechanic.

“This will be the biggest trip that I’ve guided,” he says. “Even though I’m 26, I’m still the youngest on the trip.” Most of the participants are in their mid-thirties.

The cyclists bring their own mountain or touring bike and a helmet. They are also encouraged to bring spare parts, personal effects (prescriptions, first aid), a tent and sleeping bag and layers of clothing appropriate for temperatures ranging from -15C to +35C. They are each allowed only two 90-litre duffle bags on the trip. The cyclists had to apply for several visas and the company helped out with the paperwork. They’ve been told to carry U.S. currency in smaller bills and photocopies of their personal papers.

Usually, the tour will consist of six days riding and one day off for the duration of the trek. Seventy-five per cent of the time, the cyclists will be camping. One of the campsites is next to the Great Wall of China.

A support van carrying food, some camping equipment and other gear, will travel with the group. Every evening, the next day’s route is mapped out and given to the cyclists. In the morning the bikers head out, riding in groups or alone. They all meet up at a marked destination point. Depending on the region, the cyclists could cover 95-160 kilometres daily, but the average is 120 kilometres.

Safety is paramount to the group. “There are lots of hurdles to get across the borders,” Shillington says. “We want to keep the group as safe as we can.” Police escorts have been arranged through some cities.

When he goes on a trek, Shillington says he is pushing his body and his mind.

“It takes you to a different level – it’s a confidence builder,” he says. “I come back with more knowledge and wisdom. You get taken out of your comfort zone, you get your eyes opened. You realize what things in life are important.”

He says he is always ready for another trip. “While I’m on one trip, I’m already planning the next one,” he says. There are still many places in the world he wants to see, but he rates a trip to Antarctic as top on his list. “I’m living my dream,” he says. “And I’m thankful for that every day.”

We at xtremesport4u.com laud this pioneering spirit and wish Ben and his team the very best of luck – let us hope the wind is at his back and he has a successful tour. Further I would like to thank Heather Kendall of Barry’s Bay Weekly for bringing my attention to this story.

a Ben Shillington, who grew up in Barry’s Bay and is an instructor at Algonquin College in Pembroke, is leading a mountain bike expedition from Istanbul in Turkey to Beijing, China.

Cortes Bank (or Cortez as some spell it) became such a fascinating study that I couldn’t resist posting more information on it. I think it’s the ultimate extreme wave – but if you feel there is one out there even more extreme please do let us know!

So how extreme is it? Well, it’s 100 miles from shore for a start so will take you about 4 hours to get there in a nice fast boat, the waves are so big they can be picked up on radar, and although I said the tallest underwater peak came to within 6ft of the surface (according to Wikipedia), surfers themselves say this can be a little as 3ft at times.

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The Cortes Bank picks up swells from every direction. They come in so fast that paddling into one of those huge waves is virtually an impossibility which means you must have a tow-in, so not a cheap wave to surf. But the feeling is that Cortes Bank is the place most likely to produce the 100 footer that the world’s most experienced big wave chargers are waiting for…

And now with thanks to The International Herald Tribune of 9th January and Chris Dixon, read the account of the storms on 5th January which led some of the world’s most extreme and experienced surfers to take up the challenge:

“On January 5th 2008 one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the northern Pacific Ocean pummeled the U.S. West Coast, leading to widespread flooding and state and federal disaster declarations. The storm also left behind some of the most extreme waves ever surfed.

With a second major storm bearing down, four of the most experienced big-wave surfers in the world launched a boat and two Jet Skis toward Cortes Bank, an underwater mountain range whose tallest peak rises 4,000 feet, or 1,220 meters from the ocean floor to within about 4 feet of the surface. The perilous spot, about 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, off the coast of Southern California southwest of Los Angeles, had been surfed only a handful of times in the past decade. With the right conditions, its shallow waters turn huge ocean swells into giant, perfect breaking waves.

“I’ve made some heavy missions out to Cortes Bank,” said Greg Long, one of the surfers who Saturday. “But this time, it was all on the line. The biggest storm. The biggest swell. The biggest buoy readings ever seen. And as far as the risk factor, it was off the charts.”

Long, a 25-year-old Californian, made these comments while watching a video of the experience with the surfers who had joined him: Grant Baker, 34; Brad Gerlach, 41; and Mike Parsons, 42.

They slingshot one another from behind their 140-horsepower Jet Skis onto some of biggest swells ever ridden. They gawked as Parsons froze the screen on an image of an avalanche of water swatting him like a fly.

“We couldn’t go fast enough,” Long said. “The waves were moving so fast that it felt like we were moving backwards.”

Before the first storm passed the Cortes Bank, surfers were stunned that weather-buoy readings showed massive swells that had the potential to become breaking waves of 80 to 100 feet. As they studied the weather maps, Parsons, Long and the surfing forecaster Sean Collins thought there might be a brief period of calm between storms.

“They had this tiny window,” Collins said, adding that if the weather had changed it would have created poor surfing conditions.

The surfers committed to the trip just as the big storm roared to land late Friday. But, Long said, he woke up at 4 a.m. Saturday to calm winds. The surfers converged at dawn on the Dana Point Harbor between San Diego and Los Angeles with the surf photographer Rob Brown and a videographer, Matt Wybenga.

When they left midmorning, the ocean was still so disrupted that they could carry only one of the two Jet Skis aboard Brown’s boat. The surfers, wearing an emergency survival suit, took turns following in the other Jet Ski.

About 50 miles offshore, the weather continued to ease while the deep swells continued to grow. Just past noon the surfers cautiously launched their Jet Skis toward the waves.

“We looked out to the north at these giant mountains of water,” Gerlach said. “And the wind was just perfect. It was creating these giant, giant tubes.”

Over the past seven years, all four surfers have either won or been nominated for Billabong XXL Awards, considered the top honor among the big-wave set. Gerlach, Long and Parsons are considered the most experienced surfers of Cortes Bank. Several waves, they said, far eclipsed anything they had ever seen.

The surfers traded vast, swooping carves and dropped down vertical blue walls 80 feet high or more at perhaps 45 miles an hour – faster than they had ever surfed. They rode cautiously, they said, realizing the consequences of a collision with a 20-pound, lead-weighted surfboard, or a harrowing pummeling beneath the dense foam.

“There was so much water moving, and so much turbulence, that you could have had a worst-case scenario of a guy getting flushed through the white water and you simply might have never found him,” Baker said.

S Baker and Parsons endured horrifying wipeouts, bobbing to the surface thanks to their flotation vests. Then, with Gerlach precariously skiing behind him on his foot-strap-equipped surfboard, Parsons was unable to outrun a giant wave – even with his ski at full throttle. After they were driven under water and tossed around, the surfers and the Jet Ski emerged, sputtering but unscathed.

The surfers waited until it was nearly dark before heading back, barely outrunning the second storm before pulling into the harbor entrance at midnight.

When asked to gauge the size of the waves, Baker pointed to a poster of Parsons that promoted the 2002 surf movie “Billabong Odyssey.” The photo was of a stunning Cortes Bank ride that XXL judges deemed greater than 60 feet high.

“That doesn’t even come close to what we were seeing,” Baker said.

Long added: “It just all came together. Definitely the best surf session of my life.”"

His devastated partner, Amanda Allchurch, was being comforted at home in West Park Avenue, Ashton, Preston, by her son, who has flown back from Afghanistan. RAF communications expert Lee Cartmell, 22, who keeps pilots in contact with their bases in the warzone, jetted back just hours after the accident.

Today, the family paid tribute to the popular dad, who lost his life in an accident in the Langdale area of the Lakes on Sunday. Amanda said her partner of 15 years, known as ‘Cutty’, was a “loving family man”.
She said he had a passion for rock climbing and was with fellow members of the Preston Mountaineering Club, one of who took the final photograph of Steve, when the accident happened.

She said: “He was just a lovely person, always laughing and joking. He was always happiest when he was with his family and we cannot describe how much we are going to miss him. “Rock climbing was his life. He had done the Alps and was always up in the Lakes climbing; he had a real passion for it.” She said his employers at King’s Butchers in Broadway, Fulwood, had been besieged with tributes.

Stepson Lee, who thanked the RAF for their understanding, was home within 13 hours of hearing the news.
He said: “I got the message from my mum and within an hour-and-a-half of me talking to my commanding officer I was on a Hercules heading to Dubai.” From there, I was met by someone who took me from the airbase to the main airport and flew business class to London. It was unbelievable – me in my ragged boots and trackies surrounded by all these businessmen in suits.”

Mr Cutler’s daughter Amy, 17, lives at their home in Preston.

An inquest will open at Preston Coroner’s Court tomorrow. The family has requested any donations be made to Mountain Rescue.

Steve Cutler, who fell to his death shortly after this photo was taken.

Thanks to David Coates of the Lancashire Evening Post who brought this news to my attention.

“Waves are not measured in feet and inches, they are measured in increments of fear” Buzzy Trent

Surfers measure waves from the back so if the biggest wave of the day was 30 feet according to their measurements you will find that to the watchers on the other side of the wave, a surfer could be riding a wave that is sixty feet tall, the height of a six-story building.

AUSTRALIA

CYCLOPS, Western Australia

This is mainland Australia’s heaviest wave. It is rarely surfed by tow-in and surfers tend to favour bodyboards as it breaks onto shallow rocks. It is a righthand wave which breaks on a coral reef. It is hollow, fast and powerful and ranks very highly in the ratings – “totally epic” is how I’ve heard it described!

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SHIPSTERN’S BLUFF, Tasmania

Shipstern’s Bluff is a fast deep water extremely powerful reef break near Tasmania, South Australia which breaks onto huge boulers in freezing waters! It is an amazing wave if you can get there as it’s hard to find and you have about an hour and a half walk-in. Because of this and the cold water, menacing size and sharp reef there is never a crowd there. It is a right hand wave which is best at low tide. The best season is winter and the hazards are rocks and sharks! It is a wave for advanced surfers only.

[youtube=<div><object width="420" height="336"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x1unp&related=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x1unp&related=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="336" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1unp_shipsterns-bluff_extreme">Shipstern's Bluff</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/h2ojoe">h2ojoe</a></i></div>]

UNITED KINGDOM

Cribbar

The wave is named after rocks on the western edge of Towan Head and works when a low spring tide combines with a south-east wind within the Cribbar, a shallow reef off Fistral Beach. With 30-foot waves that are definitely not for the inexperienced, it is more similar to surf off Hawaii than North Cornwall. Surfers are towed by Jet Ski into the monster wave.

Only a few surfers actually dare ride the wave when it appears. According to local legend, three Australians first rode the highly dangerous wave in 1966. Looking more like a suicidal situation, only four surfers were brave enough to surf the Cribbar this year. Among them were three people from the UK and one South African.

The wave is a dream for surfers. Modern technology such as weather track systems and meteorological data allow surfers to make sure they do not miss the opportunity. “It’s a big thing in a surfer’s life. They make sure that they are fit and healthy for this moment so they can’t miss it when it comes,” says Tom Oliver, a spectator from the car park at Fistral Beach.

Local surfer Lee Hallam, 28, says ‘I have watched a few people try and surf it unsuccessfully. I have only recently seen one person who actually surfed it- a travelling South African, big wave surfer Chris Bertish. It is very powerful and if you make a mistake it could have disastrous consequences!’

The Cribbar is for the highly skilled, and otherwise should be left alone.

TAHITI

Teahupoo

The best big wave riders will chase this Antarctic swell which steams towards south west Tahiti and the reef at Teahupoo, home to some of the most spectacular and dangerous waves ever faced by surfers. This wave is generated by open ocean swells hitting the coral atoll reef with Hawaiian type power. It is probably the heaviest wave in the world and it is certainly the thickest. It is a wave that has claimed lives and brought the great Laird Hamilton close to tears after an incredible ride.

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SOUTH AFRICA

Dungeons, Hout Bay

Dungeons combines an offshore rock reef with cold water, white sharks and massive swells which definitely puts it right up there with the world’s other most dangerous waves. Hout Bay, also known as “Dungeons” to the surfing community, is one of the sixteen recognised big wave spots around the globe. The annual Red Bull Big Wave Africa competition is held here. Swells of up to 47 feet have been recorded as well as numerous deaths as a result of shark attacks and surfing related incidents. The spot consists of various reefs. The most popular is called “2.5 “since it is 2.5 m deep. Behind it is “3.5″, which is 3.5 m deep. There is also a reef that is reputed to be able to hold a 100 ft high wave, should one ever come. Before the use of jetskis or charter boat (which is a 20-minute boat trip out) to enter and leave the area, the surfers who braved these waters had to paddle through a dark and deep channel, through to where the waves break.

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FRANCE

Belharra

One doesn’t really expect to find a big wave in Europe, but this one can hold its own with the best of them. Belharra is an outer reef situated 2km outside Saint Jean de Luz in the French Basque region. You need a boat or jetski to go there.

This is a wave for advanced surfers. The wave occurs on a rocky reef and breaks to the right and left. The bottom is coral and sharp rocks. It’s a very hollow, fast and powerful wave of about 50 – 150m length but on a good day can go from 150 – 300m. The swell direction comes from the northwest, west and southwest. Swell size starts at about 3.5m (12ft). In 2003, 2 local tow-in surfers surfed waves of 60ft. The wave only breaks on rare occasions (5 days a year maybe). It comes in on a deep ocean trench and unleashes its power on the reef. The general feeling is that no-one yet knows what size Belharra could go to.

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