How’s about finding the closest zipline for a quick dose of adrenaline… below are videos of several that claim to be the longest in the world, others that are the fastest and some that are not quite ziplines.

Sun City, South Africa (cdmar33):

Strait Point, Alsaka:

Dragon’s Breath Zipline, Labadee, Haiti (FlaggerBoy):

Pena Aventura Parque, Portugal (davidfs):

Or how about one where you get off along the way? Causey Reservoir, Utah, USA (piano4life18):

Adrenaline Quarry Zipwire, Cornwall (nikgolding):

The Canopy Tour, Costa Rica (Bardida):

Or merely a Tarzan Canopy Swing in Costa Rica (ryanjclark2008):

So why not?!

Enough for one weekend I think. Can anyone tell me which is the best one in the States – in your opinion?

We were blogging  about ballooning a few days back and thought you might like to know a little more about extreme balloon flights – where to start? Well it didn’t take us long to associate balloons with Mount Everest and so started our research. What appears below is what that research yielded which we think is pretty extraordinary and certainly an extreme way to go ballooning.

Yes it has been done –  by the British film maker and adventurer Leo Dickinson, who in 1991 flew his balloon over the top of Mount Everest and captured this amazing photo.

This awe-inspiring photograph reflects the majesty of Mount Everest as you’ve never seen it before – from more than a mile above.The spectacular panorama shows the breathtaking landscape of the Himalayas from six miles above sea level.

It was shot by Dickinson wearing breathing apparatus in -56C temperatures 36,000 feet up.It is believed to be the highest panoramic picture taken by hand from a balloon, and was described by mountaineer Reinhold Messner as the ‘best snap on earth’.

The summit of Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,035ft, takes centre stage above the 11,000ft vertical drop of the Kangshung Face, on the eastern side of the mountain. Dickinson took the photo from the stratosphere during his record-breaking balloon flight over Everest.

With Nepal on the left of the frame, and Tibet on the right, the stunning skyline westward shows nine of the planet’s highest summits.

These include Lhotse (27,940ft), Cho Oyu (26,906ft), Gyachung Kang (26,089 feet), Nuptse (25,850ft), Peak 38 (24, 904ft), Changtse (24,770ft), Shartse (24,471ft) and Ama Dablam (22,349ft).

Unfortunately it is not possible to show you any footage of the flight over Everest despite Dickinson having made a 52 minute film of his adventure. You can however buy a copy of the film for £20 which can be ordered from Leo’s website – the link for which is

http://www.adventurearchive.com/data/books_videos/ballooning-over-everest-video.htm

Dickinson describes his adventure which nearly cost him his life due to the failure of his breathing equipment at 36,000 feet preventing oxygen from reaching his starving lungs – now if that isn’t extreme we might as well wrap it all up right here and now. Sincere respect to Mr Dickinson, an extreme adventurer.

Although there are some great climbing routes at Hueco (pronounced Way-Co) Tanks, it is the bouldering that I’m going to talk about today. The boulders here are excellent. In fact, according to John Sherman who has written a local guide book, he calls it “simply the best bouldering in America.”

And the bet thing about this region is that it offers loads of climbs for every standard of boulderer with problems ranging from V0 to V15. It is unique for its rock formation which is syenite – a weak form of granite.

“The quality of the rock is just so solid, and it tends to be more overhanging, so it tends to lead to more difficult problems, and the setting is just beautiful,” says Corey Dwan, a climbing guide from Crested Butte.

The best season for climbing is October through to April although occasional snow and rain showers from December to February can sometimes restrict access. Late spring and early autumn can be very hot but there is such variety at Hueco that you can always find problems in shaded areas. The Front Side routes are great in the morning. Summer days are usually too hot and dry for comfortable climbing, but if you choose to go there in the Summer you can be pretty certain you’ll have the boulders to yourself.

Hueco is 32 miles northeast of El Paso. This 860-acre park which is made up of a protrusion of sunburned boulders in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, ranks amongst some of the best bouldering sites in the world. The boulders, some the size of school buses, others the size of skyscrapers, are pocked with millions of huecos (Spanish for hollows), created during a magma eruption 35 million years ago. Thanks to Lynn Hill (Lynnatron1) for another great video.

You must be aware that boulderers are restricted to North Mountain unless they are in a guided group. This is to preserve the archeological areas and its cultural and natural resources. American Indians have been iving around or visiting Hueco for the passed 8000 years. The rocks are adorned with more than 2,000 pictographs and petroglyphs representing one of the largest collections of Indian Rock Art in North America and as such draws hundreds of visitors, not to climb, but to view this ancient and beautiful art.

To help protect the rock art and better supervise climbers, the state adopted a management plan in 1998 that imposed a daily limit of 230 people. Of those, 160 people can visit the East and West mountains, but only if accompanied by a guide. Seventy other visitors can wander unsupervised around North Mountain. Before the restrictions were put in place, the park drew about 150,000 visitors a year. That number is down to about 28,000.

This doesn’t deter climbers from around the world pulling in at Hueco to test their talents.

Yesterday we caught a bit of Top Gear and were fascinated by the extreme race Richard Hammond took on – a Volkswagons’ new Touareg 4×4 against 2 snowmobile champs in Sweden… it was quite a race from the top of a mountain to the bottom (cross-country for the snowmobiles) and then 6 miles across a frozen lake. And even more amazingly – the Touareg won!

What really surprised us was what those snowmobilers can do.

… the above video is not from the Top Gear show but from martinifilms240 and the Winter X Games 2010, with thanks, but a worthy video showing what snowmobilers are getting up to nowadays – certainly extreme and therefore suitable to give a glancing reference to on our website.

Snowmobiling has a rich and exciting history and has firmly planted itself within the enclave of extreme motor sports.

Originally intended as a winter utility vehicle to be used where other vehicles cannot go, snowmobiles have rapidly expanded into the recreational field where it has quickly and quite naturally moved into extreme sport with its diversity of activities such as snowcross/racing, trail riding, freestyle, mountain climbing, boondocking, carving, ditchbanging and grass drags.

Even before 1900 people were experimenting with prototypes of vehicles to travel on snow, but it was in the United States  that the first patent for a snow-vehicle using the now recognized format of rear track(s) and front skis was issued to Ray H. Muscott of Waters, MI on June 27, 1916. Many individuals later modified Ford Model Ts with the undercarriage replaced with tracks and skis following this design.

However it was in 1960 when engines became lighter and smaller that Bombardier invented what we know as the modern snowmobile in its open-cockpit one- or two-person form, and started selling it as the “Ski-doo”. Progress hasn’t slowed since that time and the performance of snowmobiles has improved exponentially since their inception with a sharp spike in performance in the last 15 or so years.Nowadays some of the higher powered modern snowmobiles can achieve speeds in excess of 150 mph (240 km/h). Drag racing snowmobiles can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h).

And as the sport grew so too did the challenges. Aerial manoeuvres became the norm and a must with every available spot being turned into a ‘jump’ to get some air. Uncharted terrain is a magnet to trailblazers who ‘boondock’ deep into virgin territory. Landscapes with no paths are the ultimate challenge (thunderhvn).

It’s not without its dangers – but hey, when has that ever stopped anyone? It is worth noting though that due to their inherent maneuverability, acceleration and top speed capabilities, it requires skill and physical strength to control a snowmobile and that snowmobiling injuries and fatalities are higher than those caused by on road motor vehicle traffic!

What more does an extreme sport need but a real hint of danger. Extreme snowmobiling was here to stay.

Another excellent video here from hbombfilmscom. I suggest you dream about these tricks rather than trying them out! Unless, of course, you are a budding Caleb Moore…

I have to admit that my heart is not fully behind this sport. It’s noisy, it’s environmentally unfriendly, it upsets the local floral and fauna… but it is a sport that is here to stay and I’m sure it’s a whole lot of fun and as long as local laws and requests are adhered to then invasive snowmobiling can be controlled.

If any of you have been enthused with my articles about the Mongol Rally and are hoping to take part in it yourself one day, then you might like to know that D-Day is tomorrow, Sunday 25th July.

Teams from everywhere are converging on their respective FESTIVAL OF SLOW locations ready to embark on the mighty Mongol Rally – 10,000kms of the world’s worst driving terrain in under-powered tiny cars.

The Festival of Slow will take place at Goodwood Motorcircuit UK, Barcelona Spain and Milan Italy and you can follow the shannigans by clicking on the Adventurists link.

And here’s a little more on a previous competitor’s car (mayoisms):

… could you too be seeking adventure? what are you waiting for then – get onto the Adventurists site and book your place next year!

Cape Town has a lot to offer, but so does the rest of the huge coastline around South Africa.

Eland’s Bay, for example, or just plain E-Bay (surfar1), is a 3-hour drive from Cape Town up the West Coast (the Atlantic Ocean) and is a great surfing destination during the southern hemisphere summer – November onwards, when a south-easter holds up a westerly swell to produce a cranking left point break. The break is located about 500m from the campsite and is considered to be a regional classic. It is hollow, fast and powerful. It’s length can be anywhere between 50 to 150 metres. However it is also considered to be an experienced surfer’s wave and getting in and out can be difficult because of the tide and the rocks plus there is the additional adrenaline charge of coral and sharp rocks being beneath the wave. A wetsuit is necessary here as the Atlantic is frigid – an odd combination when the countryside around Elands Bay is semi-desert. Expect it to be empty during the week but crowded at the weekend.

Jay Bay  is just around the corner from E-Bay. Another classic wave, this one starts on a rocky, kelp covered shelf, or small point, which turns a corner and becomes sand at a small river mouth. The swell refracts around the outer area of Elands Bay and peaks at the point, producing a hollow take-off and a cylindrical wall that runs for about 150 metres. Jay Bay needs a solid SW swell of 8′ before it wraps around the point. The waves can be epic…

Jay Bay is not to be confused with J-Bay or Jeffreys Bay on the East Coast of South Africa which is located in the Eastern Cape Province. This bay is one of the 5 most famous surfing destinations in the world and hosts the annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour. In fact this year’s competition has just finished with local boy Jordy Smith the #1 hero with a massive lead of 7.93 points ahead of Adam Melling from Australia who came second (redbull)…

J-Bay is almost certainly Africa’s most famed surfing spot and because of this it does attract crowds. But don’t let that put you off. Surfing here is the real thing – plenty of surf and good swell. There are many different rides, on many different waves, but all are in close proximity of each other. The sections between the main wave at ‘Supertubes’ and ‘the Point’ further down work differently depending on tides and swells.

Albatross has a right break and is suitable for all standards of surfer. It is a J-Bay kind of wave but not as big. A great place to have fun without getting in the way of the kamikaze guys. Added to that is that it is on a sand bar so a nice soft landing at all times!

Boneyards is slightly south of Albatross and is at the top of the J-Bay point. It’s for experienced surfers only and has a point break wave right and left with coral, sharp rocks etc underneath. It is hollow, fast and powerful, generally heavier than Supers, and is about 150 to 300m long. A good day can see the wave being 500m long and sometimes you are able to join up with Supers. Super cool. The reliability of this wave brings crowds at the weekend but it’s pretty empty during the week.

Still south of J-Bay there is Ducks, another wave for experienced surfers. This is a very consistent regional classic. It breaks both right and left and has a mixture of coral, sharp rocks and sand underneath. Normal length is 50 – 150 m but a good day can be as long as 300m. It’s virtually empty during the week and you won’t even find many surfers there on a weekend. You will, however, need a car to get you there from Jeffreys Bay.

Killers, also south, is definitely only for pros and kamikaze surfers. Again you will need a car to get here and you will find the waters very empty of human population though it might well be inhabited by sharks so take care. It is a hollow, fast and powerful wave with a length of 300m on a good day. It is not a guaranteed wave though so you have to keep your eyes open. Again, the bottom is coral and sharp rocks.

Just south of Jeffreys Bay beach itself  is another good, easily accessible wave which is suitable for all levels of surfers: Kitchen Windows. It’s a normal wave breaking right and left with reliable frequency, generally 50m long but can get up to 150m on a good day. There are few crowds here even at the weekend. There is a dangerous undertow here that you need to be aware of and, as is fairly common with this locality – coral and sharp rocks underneath.

Everyone dreams of tubes and Jeffreys Bay has its fair quota. Supertubes is just south of the town and is where the Billabong Pro is held every July (). It’s a totally epic wave for experienced surfers, a powerful wall, and very consistent to boot. It’s a point break right wave which is hollow, fast and fun. On a good day it can get up to 500m long. It is, unfortunately, always crowded and at weekends super-crowded, but then again – it’s crowded with experienced surfers, like-minded people, all out there to have fun.The hazards are rips, undertows, rocks and sharks! Enough of an adrenaline kick for anyone I’m sure!

Magna Tubes is just around the corner from Supers infront of the Beach Hotel. It is also considered to be a very consistent regional classic but again only for experienced surfers. It has a right break with a reef underneath. It is hollow, fast and powerful and can be crowded at weekends. Sharks are a problem in these waters…

I could go on for ever. There are so many good waves here for surfers of all levels. There’s the Impossibles, the Leftovers, The Point, Paradise, Oyster Bay, Phantoms, Seal Point, Salad Bowls – there are many more. But I think you will have got the picture. There is something for everyone and the waves are epic. It’s well worth a visit if you haven’t already been there. And if you have then I’m sure you will agree that it’s well worth going back!

And humans are not the only mammals that take advantage of the Jeffreys Bay waves (scubaduck):