Archive for the ‘Extreme Sports Personalities’ Category

“Mom, I’m calling you from the top of the world,” are words his mother will never forget.

On Saturday 22nd May Jordan Romero  became the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest. He’s only 13-years old.

He wrote on his blog that “Every step I take is finally toward the biggest goal of my life, to stand on top of the world,” and he has done it.

This is a boy who climbed Mount Kilamanjaro at the age of 9.

(Binod Joshi/AP Photo)

What next for this wonderboy?

In the immediate future his sights are set on the 4,900m (16,076 ft) Vinson Massif in Antarctica… and after that? Who knows…

We spend far too much time talking about able-bodied people on this website, and not nearly enough print on those less fortunate amongst us who, either from an accident, active duty or since birth, have a disability of some sort…

These sportsmen and adventurers put us to shame…

We have talked about Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind man to climb Everest. He did that on May 25, 2001. By August 20, 2008, he was standing on top of Carstensz Pyramid, the tallest peak in Austral-Asia, thus completing his quest to climb the Seven Summits – the highest peak on every continent.

Erik is now recognised as one of the premier motivational speakers in the world. He speaks to audiences on harnessing the power of adversity, the importance of a strong “rope team,” and the daily struggle to pursue your dreams. His accomplishments show that one does not have to have perfect eyesight to have extraordinary vision.

Then there is Major Phil Packer, again given a fair amount of print space on this website. A 37-year-old, who suffered heart and spinal injuries and lost the use of his legs (thereby being classified as a paraplegic) while on active duty in Iraq. He completed the 2009 London Marathon in 14 days. Quite an achievement for a man who doctors said would never walk again. From that painful but deliberate march he headed across the ocean to California where he became the first paraplegic to conquer the fearsome El Capitan.

His goal for the London Marathon 2010 was to set himself a challenge that he called ‘26: to run the 26 miles in 26 hours for 26 charities supported by 26 young people’ - and he did it – in an amazing 25 hours and 55 minutes! 13 days ahead of his previous year’s record. An extraordinary man.

Chris Waddell is another awe-inspiring example. A 1988 skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Determined to get back on the slopes, he began skiing on a monoski roughly one year later. A little more than two years later, Waddell was named to the US Disabled Ski Team. He is now the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history. On 30th September 2009 he successfully summited Mount Kilamanjaro – the highest peak in Africa at 19,340 feet and the tallest free standing mountain in the world.

Chris Waddell and the “Bomba”, a specialized one-of-a-kind 4 wheel handcycle created specifically for this expedition. It is propelled entirely be arm power. The unique handcycle steers 2 ways, via traditional hand bars and through a special pedal that sits under the chest. ©Mike Stoner

Whilst in Africa he and his team donated wheelchairs and handcycles to people in Tanzania hoping to help people take the first step. Also donated was a prosthetic leg to a former Kilimanjaro porter who lost his leg in a rock slide while working on the mountain. Tajiri climbed and summited with them becoming, they think, the first Tanzanian leg amputee to summit.

And then there’s David Shannon.

David Shannon became the first person in world history with quadriplegia and in a wheelchair to reach the North Pole. He, along with expedition co-leader and fellow Canadian, Chris Watkins, developed “Team Independence 09” to promote breaking barriers to accessibility and greater community inclusion. Upon reaching the Pole David said, “This sign represents all peoples who have faced challenges or adversity in their lives and have dreamed of overcoming them. If we as people, work together in our homes, our cities, our countries and in our global village, there is no dream that cannot be realized” .

I could go on for ever finding more and more remarkable people who achieve extreme goals in extreme adversity, but now I’ll concentrate a  few minutes on the team of disabled service men, all amputees, who are determined to reach the North Pole and who are currently in training in the Arctic.

They will try to reach the geographic North Pole from Siberia and hope to become the first amputees from the forces to reach this goal. Prince Harry, who is patron of the of the Walking with the Wounded charity organising the event, joked “let’s get an Army flag on the North Pole before my brother lands a helicopter there.” It is anticipated that the trek will take four weeks with the amputees hauling heavy sledges over 300 miles (483km) across the frozen Arctic Ocean in temperatures down to -50C.

Organisers say next year’s trek hopes to raise £1m in money to help rehabilitate wounded service personnel back into the workplace.

The team’s first Arctic ice training began this month, May. Rob Copsey, one of the four finalists from whom two will be picked, is hoping to participate in the expedition.The former serviceman, who lost his right leg below the knee in an anti-personnel mine during a humanitarian mission in Rwanda in 1994, has already completed three marathons. “I set myself a challenge early on after losing my leg, I wanted to prove to my friends and family that I was OK. Anybody can do it, half the battle is in your head and the other half is the physical side – you can overcome both, you just need to plan and be determined,” he said.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves oughtn’t we when looking at something and saying, “aw no, too difficult” !!!

We have talked many times about the 7 Summits, but never before have we mentioned the extraordinary achievement to date of the 13-year old climbing wonder: Jordan Romero. 6 Peaks under his belt and attempting Everest as we speak…

Californian Romero plans to try to climb Mount Everest in a quest to reach the summit of the highest peak on all seven continents. If he succeeds, he’ll also become the youngest person to conquer the world’s highest mountain… the present record is held by 15-year old Nepalize,  Temba Tsheri on 22nd May, 2001. Some reports say he was 16 years old, in fact The Guardian UK is even more precise, 16 years 17 days. However the Mount Everest History and Facts site says 15…

Ming Kipa Sherpa, 15, is the youngest girl to reach the top of Mount Everest, after slogging up the last stage of the 8,848-metre peak  with her 30-year-old sister Lhapka Sherpa. Lhapka herself set a record on this climb becoming the only woman to have summited Everest 3 times.

Remarkable achievements, but we are here this morning to talk about Jordan Romero.

He summited Africa’s Kilimanjaro on July 22, 2006; Australia’s Kosciuszko in April, 2007; Europe/Russia’s  Elbrus on July 11, 2007 and South America’s Aconcagua on December 30, 2007. Followed by North America’s Denali on June 18, 2008 and most recently Oceana’s Carstensz Pyramid on September 1, 2009. (rootscalifa)

Now all that’s left is the mighty Everest… this will be his first attempt at a peak over 8,000m. “This will be a big leap, but we have been training for the altitude,” he said.  “We’ve trained our minds for the difficulties and emotions that the mountain will give to us.  We’ve trained our bodies for the physical challenges that the mountain will share.”

They hope to summit in May having spent several weeks acclimatising to the altitude at Base Camp, settling in, and falling into a routine of climbing up the face establishing their camps for the final push and completing their acclimatization process. It’ll be a few weeks before the first legitimate summit attempt is made. But Jordan is unphased. He has said he would not take any unnecessary risks and would turn around if they encounter problems like bad weather. He said he has read about past disasters on the mountain that have claimed many lives and has learned lessons from them.

“This may be the first of many attempts,” he said. “It could take a couple of years, but I am determined to do it. If I don’t reach the summit this time, I will try next time.”

If he is successful on the mountain, he’ll not only become the youngest ever to reach the summit, but also the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits as well.

On 10th April he was in Kathmandu, Nepal preparing for their departure to China from where they will travel to the base camp on the Chinese side of the 29,035-foot (8,850-metre) mountain – this route has been chosen mainly because the Chinese do not put an age limit on climbers. On the Nepal side the age limit is 16.

His father, Paul Romero, and stepmother, Karen Lundgren, both adventure racers and mountaineers, have accompanied him in the past every step of the way and will be by his side for this attempt.

Jordan was inspired to climb mountains by a painting in his school hallway of the seven continents’ highest summits. “I just wanted to do something big,” he said, “and this was something I wanted to do for myself. It was all about the experience and I just happen to be 13 at this time.”

I don’t think the story is going to end there because, as we all know, the title ‘7 Summits’ is under dispute – there is another, an 8th summit, and no doubt this elusive peak will be conquered by Jordan in the near future…

We have blogged about the extraordinary biking skills of Danny MacAskill previously and wanted to show you what he has been up to recently. But first a little history on this gifted and dedicated individual.

MacAskill  grew up in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye and started riding a bike from a very early age – probably not unlike most of us but the difference was that MacAskill never stopped riding. In his own words , ‘My motivation to ride has always been having fun’ .

What more needs to be said – if you are going to get very good at what you are doing we suggest that you should enjoy  your chosen sport because if you are to be the best you will definitely have to spend a lot of time doing it.

Below is one of MacAskill’s  video’s, produced by brainchildfilms

MacAskill now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and rides bikes of various descriptions all the time.

‘The main bike I ride for street/trials is my Inspired bike, but I have a few other bikes for different kinds of riding too. I also ride a bit of natural trails on a 26″ bike, it’s hard but a lot of fun. Also, I really enjoy Mountain Bike cross country/freeride as well, I definitely get the same buzz riding my big full suspension down hills as I do riding my trials bike! It’s a lot faster so you get a lot more adrenalin!!’

We think its great to see what MacAskill gets up to with his wizardry on 2 wheels and it is also great to see someone who has got to the top making himself a decent living which we hope will be an inspiration to all you wannabees. MacAskill is now hired by major companies such as Volkswagen to star in their commercials as can be see in the video below from  ItsGlandular.

Well done Danny Macaskill.

If you are a keen snowboarder and extreme winter sports enthusiast and have been wondering what happened to Shaun White between the end of the 2009 winter season and his re-appearance in New Zealand late August, wonder no further…

This is what a powerful sponsor (redbull) can do to on behalf of a top athlete.

Shaun White is an incomparable snowboarder who has constantly taken the sport to extreme levels. He is the first athlete ever to land back to back double corks and remains the only skater to land the body varial frontside 540 (The Armadillo).

He is also the first snowboarder to win back-to-back gold medals in the Winter X-Games Superpipe. He is the first (and only) person to win both a Summer and Winter Dew Cup. He won the Revolver Golden God Award for “Most Metal Athlete” and he has won TransWorld SNOWboarding Rider Of The Year twice, once in 2003  and again in 2006.

Red Bull, a keen extreme sports promoter, has reason to put their faith in Shaun White.

In February 2009 he teamed up with Red Bull to create a custom-made half pipe in the rugged depths of the San Juan mountains outside Silverton, Colorado. This would allow him to work on a series of new tricks that will change the sport forever

This was Project X.

“I’ve had all these tricks I wanted to try. I just needed a place to figure them out,” said White. Not only the place, but the privacy… not only then privacy but perfect conditions… imagine a half-pipe never touched before by another soul…

It took 2 months and 30 heli-bomb dropped avalanches to get enough loose snow to form the perfect pipe.

Not only 30 heli-bombs to move 250,000 cubic yards of snow, but 300 man hours, 7,200 foam blocks and 8,000 lbs of welded steel were used to create the world’s first on-mountain snowboarding foam pit to allow White to practice his death defying tricks.

“You have to keep pushing yourself as an athlete” he says, and in his vocabulary this means pushing himself beyond what has been, to date, considered possible.

He aerial assaulted the foam pit trying out trick after trick allowing the conditions to give him the freedom of seeing whether the tricks in his mind could actually be carried out. And when he had perfected them in the pit, he took them to his very own pipe.

And so, with help from Red Bull, he has taken the sport from today into tomorrow…

A front double cork 10, a switchback 900, double back rodeo and cab double cork 10 are all things to look out for when White performs this year.

That formidable training has already born fruit. He won the NZ Open World Cup late August by pulling off a frontside lein air, backside 900, frontside 720, cab double cork 1080, to a front 1080 in his first run, and a straight air, backside 500, frontside 720, cab double cork 1080, front double cork 1080 on his second run.

With Project X, Red Bull demonstrates how the company is ‘changing the game’ when it comes to investing its marketing dollars. While some brands are investing millions of dollars in signage and presenting sponsorships, Red Bull is radically changing, owning, and creating sports properties and unique concepts of its own.

With Project X, Red Bull takes athlete/partnerships/endorsements to a new level. Both brands (Red Bull and Shaun White) will clearly benefit from this campaign – and this will also help Red Bull’s exposure leading into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The might and power of Red Bull allowed this dream to become a reality for White and perhaps one day Silverton too will benefit from Project X. The half pipe is completely visible from the ski area so perhaps one day it can be used by everyone…

You can see more about Project X here: www.redbullprojectx.com

“The climbing experience offers something that’s very hard to get in today’s society, infatuated as it is with video games and reality TV and almost divorced from the natural world and real challenge” – Jeff Lowe

If you have done any ice-climbing in the past or intend to give it a go this winter, you will no doubt have heard of Jeff Lowe.

Lowe, a Utah native who was skiing at four and was making technical rope climbs in the Tetons with his father at 6, has been ascending the tallest mountains since somewhere in the 1960’s. Back then there was no such thing as sport or trad. Jim Donini, one of Lowe’s climbing partners, says “He was an all-rounder—he did it all. Although at the time, it was just known as climbing.”

Having stood atop the Himalayas and the highest and most difficult mountains in the Alps, it was his 1978 solo climb up frozen Bridalveil Falls in the rugged San Juan Mountains near Telluride, Colorado, that put Lowe firmly into the history books. Four years earlier he, and friend Mike Weis, had been the first climbers to make it up the 40-story column of ice. In 1978 Lowe did it solo and has subsequently retained an almost mythical status amongst ice climbers.

From the beginning, he was a climbing purist. He believes in fast, light climbing — one or two climbers, possibly three, each carrying everything he needs on his back; no fixed ropes or established camps; camping on the face of the mountain; no oxygen; the most technically challenging routes, often ones that have never been attempted; the use of only one or two ropes.

“I’m not a big adrenaline junkie,” he says. “If you get that, it means things are out of control. I try to avoid that. I hate big shots of adrenaline. It means you don’t have enough margin. That’s why I didn’t kill myself in 40 years of hard-core climbing. I know there are people who think adrenaline is a big part of it. For me, it was finding out what I could do safely.”

Instead of adrenaline, Lowe sought the aesthetics of climbing — the beauty and solitude of his surroundings, the physical and mental challenges of technical climbing and self-discovery.

It was his attempt of the North Ridge of Latok 1 (7,145 m or 23,441 ft) in Pakistan that is considered to be one of the greatest alpine endeavors of all time. Jim McCarthy calls it “by far the greatest failure of American mountaineering.”

Lowe and his team, Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy and cousin George Lowe, spent 26 days on the mountain and came within 122m (400 ft) of the summit, a high point that still holds. Donini cites diminishing fuel reserves, Jeff’s illness from a near-fatal virus and horrendous weather as the main reasons for their retreat. To this day, the North Ridge of Latok 1 awaits a first ascent, despite numerous attempts.

He has accumulated in excess of 1,000 first ascents including the first ascent of the now famed Moonlight Buttress in Zion National Park (V, 5.9, A3, 1971) which he climbed with Mike Weis, plus numerous others in the Alps, Dolomites, Cascades, Himalayas, Rockies, and Andes. He once calculated the number of nights he had spent bivouacked in a tent on the face of a cliff; it added up to several years.

His some-time climbing partner Jim Donini, recent past president of the AAC and a top alpinist, credits Lowe with importing ice-climbing techniques from Europe. He returned with a renewed notion of what was possible. Such first ascents as Bridalveil Falls (WI6, 1974) in Colorado, and Keystone Greensteps (WI5, 1975), Alaska, are Lowe’s ice climbing legacy.

Jim McCarthy says “He transformed ice climbing, period.”

During the late 1990s, while the ESPN Winter X-Games were still held in Big Bear, California, event organizers needed an innovative structure for the ice-climbing competition but the temperatures were too high (60 F) to create frozen waterfalls. After a few days of brainstorming, Lowe came up with the idea of a refrigerated free-standing holographic ice tower … and ice climbing went X-treme!

This tower has now been purchased by Ogden Climbing Parks, a non-profit organization which Lowe is associated with,  and will soon be erected in Ogden’s Big-D Sports Park providing reliable and easy access Ice Climbing. This will be a MAJOR contribution to Ogden as a recreation centre and will draw hundreds of ice climbers to the area.

In the late 1990s Lowe developed multiple system atrophy, a neurodegenerative disorder similar to MS. In 2004, at the age of 53 he had to give up climbing altogether. It is a cruel irony that the man who once solo-climbed a 40-story pillar of ice and became a legend and a Sports Illustrated cover boy with his international climbing exploits should contract such a cruel disease.

“It’s poetic injustice,” he says. “I say that tongue in cheek. I’m not saying ‘Why me?’ I’m saying, ‘Why not me?’ A lot of people have worse disabilities than I do.”

But this did not signal the end of life as he knew it to him – he just took another direction and now continues his involvement and passion for climbing through Ogden Climbing Parks. His goal is to promote and develop the climbing potential around Ogden, Utah. Ogden Climbing Parks also runs programs that allow underprivileged children and those with disabilities to enjoy the climbing experience.

Ogden, with its ambition to become the sports adventure centre of America is fortunate to have someone of Jeff Lowe’s caliber on their team. He was recruited to create a climbing park and to develop Ogden’s potential as a climbing haven. With his passion for mountaineering and his experience, he intends to revolutionise climbing in Ogden, working diligently to secure and open new climbing areas throughout the region.

“I enjoyed climbing so much that I’m getting a lot of joy in passing it along,” he says.

A man to admire…