Archive for May, 2008

The next installment of the Red Bull Air Racing World Series moves to a course built over the Detroit River between Detroit in the USA and Windsor in Canada and will be held on May 31st and June 1st.

Created in 2001 the air show now visits 10 cities worldwide, each with its own unique features and recognizable backdrop. The automotive city, aviation beacon and stunning skyline will be the stage for 12 world class pilots who will be judged on speed, flying precision and skill. Not only is the air race being held in two countries for the first time but it is the first time this world series has been to Detroit.

Pilots must navigate their lightweight planes on a low-level race track made up of air-filled pylons, flying at speeds reaching 230 mph, while withstanding forces up to 10 Gs. The object is to complete the course and steer through 65 foot high inflatable pylons – or air gates – in the fastest possible time.

“Planes race only 10-20 feet above the water. Unlike other air shows, the Red Bull Air Race takes place at eye-level providing amazing views of high performance race planes flown by some of the best pilots in the world right in front of you,” says Maddy Stephens, Red Bull communications manager.

Speed is not all. Pilots must also pass between the air gates in the correct position, if not, penalty seconds are tacked on. The pilot who accumulates the most points at each race and at the end of the season wins the Red Bull Air Race World champion crown.

Spectators will also get a chance to check-out the race pits from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 31st at the Metro Airport. Tickets on the Detroit side are sold out, but tickets are still available on the Windsor side. Another extreme sport which is certainly attracting the crowds.

Pilots in the Red Bull World Series Air Race scheduled to race in Detroit over the weekend May 31st/June 1st

He found her hiding in a tall tree and called to her that if she came down he might beat her.

Local residents believe he climbed the tree and as he made his final grab, she leaped. In anguish at her death (or anger that he had missed her) Tamale jumped after her, not realising his wife had tied liana vines around her ankles and survived the fall.

N’gol is now a fertility rite. Every year in April, when the first yam crop is ready, the islanders on the south of the island start building a huge tower for the land diving. It takes about 5 weeks to build, all materials come from the forest: lianas, branches, trunks…. Eventually a wooden tower between 20 to 30 meters high is erected.

Each diver must select his own vine. Its size is of utmost importance and if it is only 10 cm too long, the diver could hit the ground and possibly break his neck. As the vines stretch at the end of the dive, the land diver’s head must curl under their shoulders, which must themselves touch the earth, making it fertile for the following year’s yam crop.

Bungee jumping is not so different in that the leap, from a much taller structure – I believe the world’s highest bungee jump is now 233 metres – should not end with any fatal impact but I have not heard that there is still a significance of fertility in the jump?! If I am wrong and someone has had an immaculate conception we would be delighted to hear your story!!

Land diving in Vanuatu. (Tim Cayton, World Press Photo

The following article was printed in The Independent:

Family blames daughter’s death on the pursuit of most extreme sports

By Terri Judd

“The parents of a British backpacker killed while river-boarding in New Zealand have accused extreme sports companies of trying to outdo one another.

Emily Jordan, 21, became trapped between rocks while riding a body-board down a raging river near the resort of Queenstown on South Island. After 20 minutes guides managed to free her but were unable to resuscitate her. The death on Tuesday came just a day after Sridhar Shekar, a doctor from Leeds, was killed while jet-skiing in Australia.

Ms Jordan had been on a six-month backpacking trip with her boyfriend, Armour, 23, when she decided to try river-boarding down the Kawarau river gorge with the Mad Dog River Boarding Company. The firm advertises the sport as “the most personally challenging and action-packed water activity in New Zealand”.

Ms Jordan’s mother, Sarah, said yesterday she would not have let her daughter try river-boarding because she believed it was too dangerous. “We were upset when she left for six months but I thought at least she would be coming back and I would see her again – it has been a very traumatic day,” she said. Ms Jordan’s father, Christopher, added: “Are these companies right to try and outdo each other [to] attract kids to do these sports? Are they trying to push this too far?”

… The problem with this is… where does personal choice come in? Personal decisions? Personal desires? The thing is, if you do an extreme sport you are of course taking a risk. It’s there in the name “extreme”. The chances of there being danger involved is there too. The consequences are yours. If the consequences worry you then you mustn’t do it.

The tragedy of the thing is when something goes wrong – as it did for 21 year old Emily Jordan.

But – and here is the brunt of the matter – can one blame anyone else for the tragedy? No-one expects a death but if you are participating in something dangerous of your own free will – and having signed an alarming piece of paper which says “that if I died it wasn’t Mad Dog’s fault” can you really blame anyone else? Accidents happen. We cannot protect ourselves against them all the time. No-one wants this tragedy to happen to them. Of course they don’t. But you can’t always prevent it.

An accident, by definition, means “an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap” (dictionary.com).

The guide taking a canoe trip down the Zambezi, and one of his party is attacked and killed by a crocodile. Is this his fault? Or the company’s fault? Of course it isn’t. It’s a tragic tragic accident. But people canoe down the Zambezi every day quite safely. Just someone, every now and then, encounters a problem. Does this stop the industry? I don’t think so.

It’s a matter of choices. Freedom of choice. If you are an adult you have the right to choose. If you choose to do something dangerous, you will be aware, when making that choice, that the danger is there.

This world is so protected now. We are protected from everything. Governments put rules and regulations in place everywhere to protect someone from something.

This is probably a reason why extreme sport is becoming more and more popular. People feel a need to challenge themselves. You want to do something that pushes you to the edge as nothing else does any more. And so you take a challenge. And maybe you take another…

I don’t think you can stop it. It’s human nature to challenge yourself. Some more than others. Can you blame others when an accident happens? I wholeheartedly sympathise with the Jordan family (god I’d hate this to happen to any member of my family), but I’m not sure you can…

One individual, one boat, three oceans – this extreme challenge has never before been attempted.

I would like to introduce you to Ollie Hicks, a 26 year old Brit who is about to attempt one very extreme adventure and that is to circumnavigate the globe in a rowing boat! Crazy? Well probably but then people would have said that of anyone who tackled the ‘impossible’ – the list of names is too numerous but throughout our history there has always been a first – from the oceans, deserts, space, mountains and continents – and here we have another intrepid explorer ready to risk life and limb to achieve that accolade.

But this adventure is not just about being the first: Hicks is hoping to raise £1,000,000 for charity as well as collecting scientific and medical data and highlighting the effects of global warming on our planet as well as demonstrating what can be achieved by using renewable energy sources.

The Global Row will also be working to raise awareness of climate change and global warming and showing that it is possible to live off alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power.

It is particularly fitting that the Global Row should depart this year in the middle of International Polar Year which aims to focus attention on the Northern and Southern Polar regions.

The journey will encompass a region which has already been significantly affected by climate change.

• The Southern Ocean has warmed up by 0.17C between 1950 and 1980
• In 1995 the Larsen A ice shelf disintegrated from the Antarctic Peninsula.
• In 2002 1,250 Sq. miles of the Larsen B ice shelf collapsed in 35 days.
• Warming in Antarctica is 5 times the international average +2.5C
  since 1945.
• The melt season has increased by 2-3 weeks in the last 20 years.
• The Adelie penguin population has shrunk by 33% in 25 years due to decline in winter sea ice habitat.

The basis of the voyage is to utilise the favorable currents and winds in the Southern Ocean. The expedition will leave New Zealand later this year and head towards 50 – 55 degrees south latitude and into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), this is also the midst of the Furious fifties where the prevailing westerly winds swirl around the planet. These winds and current will help maximize Hicks’ daily mileage and by staying above 60 degrees south the worst of the cold and ice will be avoided.

By following the 55 degrees south line across the Pacific Hicks will pass through the Drake passage and past Cape Horn aiming to make landfall on South Georgia for a resupply and to overwinter for 4 – 5 months. From South Georgia Hicks will continue eastward across the Atlantic ocean passing well to the south of the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean before an intended return to New Zealand, some 18 to 24 months after departing.

The Southern Ocean has long been regarded by mariners as the wildest of the oceans and has been described to in much maritime literature and legend. Sea temperatures vary from about 10C to -2C. Cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and are frequently intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean. The ocean area from latitude 40 degrees south to to the Antarctic circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on earth. In winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south in the in the Atlantic sector.

At these latitudes – the roaring 40s, furious 50s and screaming 60s will be prevalent and with no landmass to slow them down they always present an extreme challenge to any mariner. Huge icebergs miles in length and width, smaller bergs and sea ice are ever present. High winds, mountainous waves, powerful storms, fog and poor visibility will all have to be negotiated. Perhaps the greatest risk to Hicks’ boat is accumulation of ice on the deck and superstructure, in certain conditions this can form thick and fast compromising the stability of the boat. And what hope of a friendly helicopter appearing overhead in the event of a disaster……..well your guess is as good as mine when you are a thousand miles from the nearest base.

We at Xtremesort4u wish Ollie the best of luck and we will keep you, our readers, informed of this remarkable voyage as and when he sets out.

Hicks’ intended journey – starting from Wellington, New Zealand, November 2008, 15,000 miles, scheduled completion 18 to 24 months later, Wellington, New Zealand

So what is it about extreme expeditions and families?

On Saturday a mother-daughter team from Australia reached the summit of Mount Everest, and just a few weeks ago, on 13th April, David Hempleman-Adams, 51, and his daughter Camilla, 15, reached the North Pole thereby making her the youngest British female to ski to the Pole.

David, himself, has completed several record-breaking expeditions, including the adventurer’s “grand slam”: conquering the poles and the highest peak on each continent.

“When I was growing up I often wished he wasn’t an explorer because it took him away from us and I missed him,” she says. “But now I absolutely understand why he does it. It was the most wonderful experience of my life and I really can’t wait till the next time.”

And there will be a next time. Camilla’s adventure wasn’t just about breaking records, her main mission is to raise awareness among her peers about what global warming is doing to the ice packs. “You learn about it at school, but it’s easy to switch off and think, ‘Our generation didn’t cause this.’ I’m hoping that the fact that I have witnessed the beauty of the Arctic and how it’s in danger of being destroyed will make other kids sit up and listen.”

Eight months ago her father teamed up with Hollywood producer, Danielle Alexandra to set up the Polar Extreme Foundation which aims to educate teenagers about climate change. Together they are working on a movie, Polar Girl, which follows Camilla on her gruelling journey.

Other record-breaking attempts on the North Pole this year have run into difficulty. Ben Saunders from Plymouth had to abandon his attempt to become the fastest person to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole because of equipment failure. Hannah McKeand from Berkshire called off her attempt to get there unaided and alone after falling through the ice.

However, apart from waking up one morning to find that their tents were surrounded by water and they were now a floating island, their expedition went without hiccup. Camilla had to pull her own 80lb sledge across 60 miles of Arctic snow and ice in temperatures of -40*C. To Camilla’s disappointment they didn’t see any polar bears and to her father’s amazement she coped magnificently. “I had no idea she had that kind of strength in her. She was brilliant and didn’t moan once – amazing for a teenager!” he said.

Camilla herself clearly enjoyed the experience. “It’s like walking on diamonds and sparkly jewels,” she said.

Smashing records runs in her family. She is the middle daughter of renowned adventurer, David, and 3 years ago her elder sister Alicia, then 15, became the youngest person to traverse the remote Arctic wilderness of Baffin Island in northern Canada. One sister to go – I wonder what she is going to pull out of the box?!

Oh no – not again.

Yesterday police launched an investigation to find out why the captain of The Pacific Star dive boat delayed notifying officials that two scuba divers were missing.

The two divers, Briton Richard Neely 38 and American Alison Dalton 40, started their dive after lunch on Friday afternoon, but were not reported missing until 5.30 p.m. Although the boat and its crew did frantically search the area they did not report it to the police until it was almost too late for an effective air search.

They were scuba diving at Gary’s Lagoon, near Bait Reef.

However, the helicopters did go up but failed to find any sign of the two divers. The divers themselves saw the helicopters several times but were unable to attract their attention. Fortunately, many hours later at 8.40 a.m, the two divers were found. They had strapped themselves together and talked all night to keep themselves awake, aware and warm. The thing that terrified them the most was the thought of sharks.

“I truly thought we were going to die. Sharks were on our mind the entire time – but neither of us mentioned the ‘S’ word,” said Neely. “We just had to stay positive and calm to help each other through the ordeal and not think about being eaten alive.”

But my goodness what a furore since.

Magazines and newspapers having been vying for the rights to the story of their 19 hour ordeal in shark-infested waters, the rescue operators have been suggesting that they should help pay for the cost of their rescue which involved seven helicopters, three fixed-wing [aircraft] and a flotilla of boats on the water and cost an estimated $400,000! Demands have been heard enquiring why 2 experienced divers surfaced 200m from their dive site. And suggestions of a movie-in-the-making are doing the rounds!

Wow. How to turn adversity into profit…

However, it is hauntingly similar to the scuba diving accident at the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 which I talked about several weeks ago. Husband and wife buddies, Thomas and Eileen Lonergan, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were left at sea by the MV Outer Edge dive boat, and did not survive the ordeal.

But a movie was made out of that too!

Undated handout photo of divers Allison Dalton and Richard Neely, who were rescued after spending a night floating in shark-infested waters off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Photograph: Handout/PA