Posts Tagged ‘California’

We have written about the Atacama Crossing before but wanted to give you an update on the 2010 race which will start on March 7th.

A challenging and tough race across the 15 million year old arid Atacama desert in Chile. This six day, 250km, self-sufficient race will push you harder than ever.

Running or walking across the most lunar-like landscape on Earth, this desert is 50 times drier than California’s Death Valley. You will carry all food, clothing and equipment with you for the entirety of the race.

Photo courtesy of http://theadventureblog.blogspot.com

Here are some interesting facts which you may not have known:

• The Atacama Crossing (Chile) is part of the 4 Deserts which was named by TIME magazine as #2 on its list of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world
• The Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010 is the sixth edition of this event.
• Thirty four (34) countries will be represented in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010 with competitors coming from six continents.
• The youngest competitor in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010 is Sam Sharrock of the United Kingdom who is 18 years old – he will be taking part with his father.
• The eldest competitor is Laurence J. Brophy of Wales who will be 78 years old on the start line of the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010. Laurie will set a new record of being the oldest person to have completed a 4 Deserts event. He currently holds this title from his completion of the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2005 at the age of 72 — this title was then equaled by Jack Denness of the United Kingdom in the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008.
• 77% of the competitors are male and 23% are female in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010 – this is a 4% increase in the number of females compared to the same event in 2009.
• A record nine competitors from Chile will take part in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010. There are 14 competitors from South America in total, also a record.
• The largest contingent of competitors are from the United Kingdom (39), followed by the United States (34).
• Five teams will be competing in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010. Team Help for Heroes includes Rob James from Wales who finished second in the Atacama Crossing 2008. There is also an all female team from Chile — Team Andesgear / Chile.
• Medical Director, Laurie Kates, M.D, will be leading the medical team. In addition to treating competitors, the medical team will also be conducting medical research.
• Beginning with the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010, four competitors will be kicking off their goal to complete all 4 Deserts in 2010 — this includes Linda Quirk of the United States who will be the first woman to complete the series in one calendar year if she is successful. Only two competitors have ever completed the 4 Deserts in one year: Paul Liebenberg of South Africa and Dean Karnazes of the United States, both in 2008.
• During the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010, competitors, volunteers and staff will consume more than 14,000 liters of water over the seven days of the event.
• Special tents have been handmade and shipped from Egypt to house competitors in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2010.
• The Atacama Desert is 15 million years old and 50 times more arid than California’s Death Valley.
• Some of the oldest mummies found on earth come from the Atacama, dating as far back as 9000 years.
• The entire race will be held at least 1.6 kilometers / 1 mile above sea level and cover the distance required to make a horizontal crossing of the country of Chile (250 kilometers).
• The day time temperatures expected are 32 Celsius / 90 Fahrenheit, while nighttime temperatures may drop to 10 degrees Celsius / 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
• The Atacama Desert has the most lunar-like landscape on Earth and is frequently used by NASA to test its Mars rover vehicles.

See in this great video below from mstemple1 what you might expect on this extreme and ultra marathon. What a challenge but if you want to find out more visit racingtheplanet’s website by clicking on the following link http://www.4deserts.com/atacamacrossing/

Of course everyone is now asking – ‘What next?’ Will the colt travel to Santa Anita, California for the Breeder’s Cup Classic in November. Owner Christopher Tsui is making no immediate decisions, “We’ll have to see how he is and we’ll have a long talk with John (Oxx)’ – a decision is likely to be forthcoming in the next two weeks. Oxx own epitaph after the race yesterday was  “He’s never been better, he’s never been heavier, he’s never been stronger.”

That would seem to suggest he will travel to Santa Anita – and with a $5 million purse who could blame Sea the Stars connections for trying to make history.

The video below from shalakhani shows the race from start to finish – and you can clearly see what a handful jockey Mick Kinane had when they jumped off at the start – Sea the Stars pulling very hard. The race unfolds over its 12 furlongs and with 5 furlongs left to run Sea the Stars can be seen in the midst of the main group of horses some 8 to 10 lengths behind the pacemakers – what happens next is awesome – enjoy!

Last week we wrote about mountain biking and the varieties of mountain biking that have developed – including downhill, freeride, trial/street and finally XC. Undoubtedly extreme but our question today is whether BMX eclipses the freeride and trial/street riding of mountain bikes as the most extreme form of the sport.

We will let you decide for yourselves but there is no doubt about it – BMX has become very extreme.

The development of BMX bikes came from kids on the west coast in the 1970s wanting to emulate what their older brothers were doing on their motor cross bikes when they only had a Sting Ray to use. The sport blossomed and its development is best described in the video below from RiChArDOsZ

Times have moved on and the old Sting Ray has been replaced by purpose built BMX bikes.  In 2008, for the first time, there was BMX bike racing at the Olympic games held in Beijing, China.

To continue along the thread that extreme practice of one’s chosen pursuit is art we are pleased to present the video below.

It is, as you will see, a commercial for DC shoes, but the notion that you should be buying a pair of shoes is quickly lost when you look at the video of Ken Block driving a specially prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STI- again we witness this individual’s complete mastery of his environment to produce an unbelievable exhibition of driving.

Filmed in the Port of Los Angeles Block manoeuvres his car with inch perfection – yes we believe this is art.

Sure there is something edgy about extreme sports – it is in effect people pushing the limits – their limits, pushing the boundaries beyond the accepted but therein lies the make up of the individual who is performing the extreme sport.

And that is why these extreme sports are so popular – to watch individuals, teams, attempt the impossible and it is why we at xtremesport4u.com have so much respect for the guys who live their lives on the edge – are prepared to go that extra step, will risk that extra step.

From that will come innovation – but first it must be art.

Having introduced you to the 1,365km (848m) golf course at Nullarbor Links, Australia, yesterday, it was only natural for us to continue with some of  the most extreme golf courses in the world… was it not?

There is a golf challenge which has to be completed in one year, called the Awesome Eight Golf Challenge. This is a concept invented by Robin Seiger, a motivational speaker and a self-taught extreme athlete, and his friend Neil Laughton, one of the few people to have successfully got the 7 Summits under his belt, and who has organised and led extreme adventures all over the world.

The 8 golf courses are the most remote and the most extreme climatically around the world and the only condition is that you have to carry your clubs and NOT use a golf cart or caddy.

The 8 are:

• Furnace Creek, California – at 214 feet below sea level, it’s the world’s lowest golf course.
• North Star, Alaska – the world’s coldest golf course.
• Alice Springs Australia  - the world’s hottest golf course.
• La Paz, Bolivia – the world’s highest course.
• Ushuaia, Argentina – the world’s southern-most course.
• North Cape, Norway – the most northerly.
• Ko’olau, Hawaii – the toughest course.
• St. Andrew’s, Old Course, Scotland – the greatest and oldest golf course in the world…

Just to rub it in, Furnace Creek Golf Course is in Death Valley, California. Most lodging is closed in the summer, when temperatures in the vicinity can surpass 125 °F (52 °C). It has the distinction of holding the record for the highest ever recorded temperature in the United States, as well as one of the highest ever reliably recorded worldwide, reaching 134 °F (57 °C) on July 10, 1913. Don’t bother looking for the putting green, this course is famous for “linkage so rough only the devil would play on it.” But it is also worth mentioning that the course is noteworthy for rock hard salt pinnacles that create interesting formations resembling crystal caves, one of the more interesting natural landmarks in Death Valley. At $55.00, the peak golf season green fee is very reasonable and special “Sundowner” rates are also available daily.

From one extreme to another - North Star, Alaska.

This is a great links style golf course. Jack Stallings and Roger Evans designed the course which was opened to public in 1993. The course features 6521 yards from the Blue tees with a rating of 71.9 and a par of 74. North Star Golf Course has an estimated number of 43,000 (estimated) rounds played annually and is a 9 or 18 hole (Semi-Private) course.  It is one of the few golf courses that includes an animal check list on the score card. In summertime the course is open from 7 AM until between 11 PM and Midnight depending on weather and speed of play of the last 9 hole tee time group (10 PM). The Driving Range is open daily from 7 AM until 10 PM (except for Tuesday PM when it closes at 8 PM for early morning mowing). This course doesn’t officially open until mid-May when the snow has melted, but that doesn’t stop a few diehard Alaskans from heading out with their shovels and clubs for a few blustery rounds in mid-winter. A local rule at North Star dictates that if a fox or a raven picks up your ball, you are allowed to drop another, without penalty, at the scene of the crime.

Alice Springs Golf Club, Australia.

Alice Springs is the unofficial capital of central Australia, and its golf course, known as the hottest in the world, has earned rave reviews from golfers world-wide as a course of unique charm blended with some subtle severity. Designed by Australia’s golfing legend, Peter Thomson, with his business partner, Michael Wolveridge, in the early 1980’s, it is currently rated 53rd in Australia by Australian Golf Digest, in the world’s top ten desert courses and one of Australia’s top 25 golf resorts. The magnificent championship layout has large teeing blocks, fully grassed rolling fairways and huge well bunkered putting greens set against the stunning natural backdrop of the ancient MacDonnell Ranges. Accuracy is a must and even the boldest hitters must harness their power and replace it with discretion to ensure a safe landing, rather than challenge the menacing rocky outcrops which lurk at the edges of several of the fairways.

La Paz Golf Club, Bolivia.

La Paz Golf Club, laid out at a dizzying height of 10,800 feet (3,300m) , appears to be the undisputed champion, and it’s very much open for play. The course, in fact, is a terrific test of golf and is considered to be the best in the country. You’re either walking uphill or downhill, and there’s hardly a level lie to be found! The course sits at the southern end of La Paz and abuts the dramatic Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). Valle de la Luna is a badlands of hills and rocks eroded into bizarre shapes and deep gullies that does indeed look lunar.  The most famous hole at La Paz is the par 3 moon hole. Being surrounded by the biscuit-brown fissures of the Valle de la Luna makes the oasis of green turf and shady oak trees lining the fairways stand out vibrantly. Stretching 6,600 yards from the tips, but with scarce molecules of oxygen impeding the flight of shots, a golfer can drive distances through the paper-thin air like Tiger Woods – at least for a day. But bear in mind that operating at high elevations can be dangerous. The air starts to really thin out over 5,000 feet and engaging in recreational activity can be challenging. This is ‘nose-bleed’ territory. As Bruce Keith, the Executive Director of The Alpine Club of Canada, says, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend a quick trip from sea level to play golf above 14,000 feet at Tuctu. (NB: this course is no longer open to play), but, without acclimatizing, people could still experience problems at 11,000 feet at La Paz. Headaches, nausea, edema, and even death can occur when people are not acclimatized to high elevations.” Thankfully, there have been no reports of golfers – in any country – dying from edema. Of course, the Mt. Everest Golf Club hasn’t been designed yet!

Marta Mamani, an Aymara indigenous woman, hits a drive during her work break at La Paz Golf Club, Bolivia, Photograph: Joao Padua

Watch this space … I’ll bring you the next 4 tomorrow…

Yesterday we reported on the tragic news of Shane McConkey’s death whilst doing something that he really loved to do – ski and wingsuit fly. It went wrong, likely equipment failure but anyone who knew Shane also knows that he died doing what he loved to do – he was not the kind of person to let life pass him bye.

Another man who lives life to the full and whom we report on today is Phil Keoghan of Amazing Races fame who has just set out on a bicycle to ride 3,500 miles from Santa Monica in California to New York City.

“What drives me is really my will to live,” said Keoghan, who had a near-death experience when he was 19 years old: He almost drowned while diving inside a shipwreck. “I’m inspired by people who seek to squeeze the lifeblood out of life. I just have this overwhelming desire to take as much of the opportunity to live as I can because you look around you and you realize a lot of people are already dead.”

The bike ride during which he will cycle up to 100 miles per day, has two major purposes: to promote his TV show – The Amazing Race – and help raise money and awareness for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Keoghan has been an avid cycler for years, averaging about 12 hours a week on a bike, and he’s also been active in Bike MS, a nonprofit organization that has raised nearly $700 million to support the fight against the crippling disease that attacks the central nervous system.

Phil Keoghan setting out from Santa Monica

Not only do we laud Keoghan for the extreme personal effort (in raising awareness of multiple sclerosis) that it will take to ride 3,500 miles across the USA – on some days he will be hoping to complete more than 100 miles, and then there is also the not so small matter of having to ascend no less than 3 mountain passes of over 10,000 feet in altitude as he climbs his way to Denver, Colorado – but it is his view on life that is so inspiring.

Who are you? Are you someone who lives life to the full or are you someone who just lives? We know what Shane McConkey would have said and for sure Phil Keoghan is a believer in living to live. How many times have you heard people say…… ‘I wish I had done that’. Well thats no good – just get off your fat ass and do it, create your personal goal, achieve your personal goal and then glow in the aura of self satisfaction and see and feel the confidence that it will give you – we don’t believe you get a second bite at the cherry!

For information on how Phil is doing on his epic journey you can visit his website www.philridesacrossamerica.com and here you will also find details of where you can join him on his journey for what will surely be some welcome support.