Posts Tagged ‘Extreme Sport’

Bookmark Friday, 26th February, 2 p.m. British time if you are considering taking part in the next great Mototaxi Junket in Peru – courtesy of your kind hosts, The Adventurists…

I always have to repeat at least some of their inimitable words as their author has such a fine turn of phrase that how could you NOT want to take part in at least one of their crazy extreme adventures… the following comment is a report on the 2009 event.

“Bones were broken, a mototaxi plumetted off a cliff into a river (without its drivers), adventurists founder Mr. Tom was run over by his team mate, £65,000 was raised for charity by the teams and to the disbelief of pretty much everyone it was nobly demonstrated that taking rubbish mototaxis across massive mountains, into sweaty jungles and across barren deserty plains really is a splendid idea.”

The Mototaxi Junket is a 3,000 km (or maybe 4,000) adventure starting in Cuzco, Peru on the 1st August 2010 and ending in Asuncion, Paraguay around two-weeks later.

The mototaxi itself is a cross between a moped and a sofa, but as The Adventurists warn: it “handles more like a sofa than a moped.”

Thank you to Team Causitas Perdidas who competed in last year’s events for these great photographs.

The race is enough to challenge the hardiest souls, let alone a poor little mototaxi, as another participator in last year’s event said: “It’s hilarious.I can only describe it as rallybiking on lawnmowers.”

However, the terrain is rugged. It’s mountainous. It’s desert. It’s jungle. It’s rainforest. And one of the roads is the most dangerous road in the world – a thousand metre abyss a few inches from your wheels! 

And as for the weather you can expect – matching the diversity of the extreme terrain, you will experience everything from freezing cold high altitude passes to sweaty rainforests – a stiff test for man and hugely under-powered machine.

As one competitor said:  “We’ve been over countless passes over the last few days each one colder than the last and each one followed by a scorching valley complete with cactus, heat ripples and awesome views.”

There is no set route and no back up of any kind…

It will certainly be an adventure.

Every team taking part has to raise at least £1,000 which will go towards  a charity that The Adventurists’ support. last year the money they raised  provided free re-constructive surgery to children suffering from facial deformities such as Clefts. Over 75% of cleft cases in the developing world go untreated, however they can be treated in as little as 45 minutes at a cost of only £150.  You can find out more about these on their website: http://mototaxijunket.theadventurists.com

Facts, stats and things that happened last time:

• A junketeer continued adventuring with a broken collarbone caused by ’smashing into a cliff’ and only reported into casualty on his return to Northern Ireland.
• One vehicle plumetted off the edge of a cliff and disappeared into a river (the occupants just about stayed on the road)
• The founder of the Junket Tom was run over by his team mate
• The vehicle supplier cancelled the mototaxi order just before the launch so replacements were rafted in from the jungle along the Amazon and other corners of Peru (several days late)
• One team member dressed as a lifesize pink rabbit for every encounter with police or border authorities and didn’t end up in jail
• A mototaxi was stolen in Cuzco but recovered by the police 24 hours later
• One team drove off a cliff and were only saved from rather dangerous freefall by some well placed vegetation and scrub
• £65,000 was raised for the official charities
• 62 teams left from the start point in Huancayo, in the Peruvian Andes
• 8 teams made it to the finish line in Asuncion

If you are wanting to do something unusual this Summer, then this might well be the thing for you…

… and this Saturday it’s the KITEWING (wingsurfer). Could it be faster than a kitesurfer? Hmmm, I’d love some comments from you guys out there…

And we’re talking about a surfing competition here…. However, we are also talking about a juvenile competition so perhaps that makes a difference? Juvenile being under-18’s. In this particular case we are talking about the ISA Quiksilver Juvenile Surfing Championships in New Zealand. But what about everyone else?!

Interesting combination the New Zealanders – well at least today has been interesting from a news point of view: first they publicly photograph and name their most famous soldier in action in Afghanistan – almost definitely to the detriment of his safety, and yet they proclaim a total ban on alcohol for a sport renowned for its laid-back-ness and total cool factor.  Hmmmm…… Is there an anomoly here?

But back to the extreme sport we are meant to be talking about and not the extremeness of a country’s reporting quirks…

The Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, an Olympic style event, is the biggest annual surfing event in the world for Under 18 surfers, considering the surfing level, amount of competitors and participating countries. This is the pinnacle of the juvenile career of every junior surfer around the planet.

The 21 participating countries in New Zealand 2010 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Tahiti, United States of America, and Vanuatu.

This is the first time it has been held in the Australasia region. New Zealand being a natural choice because of its coastline packed with consistent waves.

It is reported that police are stepping up their presence for the championships at Piha Beach, west of Auckland, to ensure the event is trouble free and enjoyable for everyone.

The championships started on Thursday and up to 15,000 people are expected to crowd south Piha during the week long event.

“The primary focus of police will be on enforcement and compliance of the 24 hour liquor ban that is already in existence, the increased traffic flows to and from Piha, a zero tolerance to speeding driver behaviours, and merging with the daily crowds,” they say.

Officers from throughout the Waitemata and the Auckland police districts plus highway patrol, traffic alcohol group and team policing units will be on duty.

Ouch!

Behave everyone!!!

Piha Beach is a great location as it is considered to be one of Auckland’s most adventurous playgrounds for keen surfers. It was the birthplace of New Zealand board riding in 1958, and has been the scene of both New Zealand national and international surfing championship competitions.

However, it is a dangerous coast, the rip currents along this section of coast are very unpredictable and can shift with little warning, but the surf is relatively predictable and the life-savers very good at their jobs! Obviously they are not imbibing alcohol when on duty!

Tut-tut… I must be serious…

I am able to report that there was plenty of swell about for the first day of surfing, although it was a bit crumbly… possibly due to too many mixes and not enough spirit?

Enough, enough. Good luck everyone. Hope you have fun.

This relatively new wall is a gem. It’s called Never Sleeping Wall and is found in the extreme northwest tip of Sicily only 500m from the sea.

It was first developed as recently as 2008 by Brit Jim Titt and some Czech and Italian friends who were there at the same time, and further extended in Autumn 2009 by some Austrian climbers.

Never Sleeping is a fantastic limestone wall that positively glows in the clear Mediterranean light, particularly as the sun drops. Climbing a glowing bright red 50m route on the  wall at sunset has to be one of the more surreal moments of this fantastic place.

At present there are 14 routes, from 5b to 8a+, with Tears of Freedom ranking as one of the most beautiful 7a+ in the world.

This is not all that Sicily has to offer.

There are 3 main climbing areas on the island:

• The Messina area
• The Palermo – Trapani area
• Siracusa – Ragusa area

Move your cursor on an area (red spot)

Messina:

Messina consists of 8 separate limestone crags, some of which offer multi-pitch bolted routes up to 150m long. The largest crag is at Castelmola, near Taormina, which offers single pitch sports climbing with nearly 50-recorded routes across a good selection of grades.

Of course Taormina also hosts the famous Mt. Etna – Europe’s highest (3,329 metre) and most active volcano. In ancient Greek mythology, Etna was identified with the forge of Volcan. It’s height varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981, but it is still the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps.

Although the Etna volcano is one of the world’s most studied volcanoes, it is difficult to classify, being a mixture of overlapping shield and strato volcanoes, partially destroyed by repeated caldera collapse, and partially buried by younger volcanic structures. The last eruption, a flank one, was in 2008.  The eruption started on the morning of 13 May 2008 immediately to the east of Etna’s summit craters, accompanied by a swarm of more than 200 earthquakes and significant ground deformation in the summit area. On the afternoon of the same day, a new eruptive fissure opened at about 2800 m above sea-level, with emission of lava flows toward the Valle del Bove. During the following 24 hours the lava traveled approximately 6 km to the east, but thereafter its advance slowed and stopped. On 13 November 2008, six months after its onset, the 2008 flank eruption of Etna was continuing, at a relatively low rate, and it thus became the longest of the four flank eruptions of Etna so far in the 3rd millennium.

And this snow covered and fiery mountain…

… is to be found in the sunny Mediterranean. Bizarre isn’t it?

So why have I mentioned it? It’s not a classic climb – crags and walls and all that sort of stuff, but it is a hike, so if you’re in the area and what a challenge with a difference then there’s one on your doorstep, but please remember that although Mt. Etna is not usually dangerous, it must always be approached with intelligence and care.

Palermo – Trapani

Monte Pellegrino, which rises up within the city of Palermo, has the largest concentration of routes in this area. This mountain is over 600m high and extends from south to north for several kilometres, offering a continuous sequence of limestone walls exposed on every side. The majority of the climbing is on the west side of the mountain and in all there are 8 major crags, offering single pitch and multi-pitch routes up to 200m long. There are more than 200 sports routes here, as well as long classic routes, making it the most important rock climbing area in southern Italy. The area has still not been fully developed and there are still long stretches of untouched walls.
To the north of Palermo and rising from the sea is Monte Gallo. It is an isolated mountain consisting of a number of different peaks, with some walls up to 400m high. The mountain is rugged and the walls are steep. All of the routes are multi-pitch giving big wall bolted routes up to 370m long on good quality limestone rock.
Near Trapani is one of the most famous seaside resorts of Sicily called San Vito Lo Capo. Here there are large mountains that fall straight down into the sea offering fantastic rock climbing. On Monte Monaco there are bolted multi-pitch routes between 150m to 400m long as well as single-pitch sports routes. The rock here is limestone and the grades of the routes are mainly in the 6’s and 7’s.

Siracusa – Ragusa

This area is to the south-east of the island and has a large concentration of crags between the 2 towns. They are mainly a good selection of single pitch sports routes. However at Monti Climiti there are bolted routes up to 100m long with 8 different crags spread out on 3 sides of the mountain. There are not many routes on each crag, but the crags are close together so you can easily and quickly drive from one to the next to make the most of the single pitch routes as well as bolted multi-pitch routes across all grades on limestone rock (deodatdolomeu).

You also have the opportunity to deep-water solo in Sicily – endless opportunities. Thanks to neilgresham for this video:

The ideal time to visit Sicily to go rock climbing is from autumn right through to spring. It is not unusual to be climbing in shorts and t-shirt on beautiful crags overlooking the sea during the winter months.

Access to Sicily is easy: Ryanair flies daily from Stanstead to Palermo and there are flights from Birmingham to Birgi (near Trapani and 66km from San Vito) on Wednesdays and Sundays. Easyjet also flies into Palermo from Gatwick on Tues, Thurs, Sat (and Sunday depending on summer or winter season).

Many of the events and people we talk about do the things they do, not only to have an enormous amount of fun and sense of achievement, but also to help others by raising money for various charities.

AdventureCORPS is no different and on the 13th February they are hoping to make a noticeable difference…

Their aim is to raise money for the tragic people of Haiti, but rather than me waxing lyrical, let me copy AdventureCORPS’ proposition directly, and if any of our readers are living in the area or can donate – please do. It is a worthy cause…

L’Union Fait la Force / Strength Through Unity = National Motto of Haiti

LA JOLLA, CA -  AdventureCORPS, Inc., an athlete-run firm producing some of the world’s toughest sports events – including the Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508 races in Death Valley – will host “80 FOR HAITI,” a cycling benefit ride for Haiti relief supporting Mercy Corps on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The event will feature an 80-mile ride along Old Hwy 80 in southeastern San Diego County. There will be an $80 entry fee and 100% of the entry fees will go directly to Mercy Corps, one of the most respected relief organizations worldwide. AdventureCORPS will absorb all costs, but food, drink, and support sponsors are being sought.
The “80 FOR HAITI” cycling event start / finish line is just 44 miles east of San Diego, in Pine Valley, CA. The route is spectacular, on absolutely quiet roads through rolling terrain.
As international relief efforts continue in Haiti, a Mercy Corps earthquake response team is in Port-au-Prince responding to urgent needs.
Registering for this ride – or donating to the cause, if you can’t do the actual ride – will help families in Haiti recover from the most powerful quake to hit the country in more than 200 years. Mercy Corps relief workers with experience in disaster responses ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the Myanmar cyclone are converging on Haiti from Africa, Asia, and North America. They’re focusing first on the immediate needs — for water, food, temporary shelter supplies and much more — and expanding their work to three areas: clean water, post-trauma support for children, and job creation.
The needs in Haiti are immense. Its capital lies in ruins, as many as 200,000 may be dead, and survivors are increasingly desperate for food, clean water and shelter. Please ride “80 For Haiti” and/or give what you can to help families recover.
Cycling participants in 80 FOR HAITI must pre-register for the event, so that we can plan accordingly. PLEASE register prior to February 6 for the ride. Donations will be accepted through February 13, and beyond.
Click here for all the 80 FOR HAITI information and the Link to Registration / Donation: http://www.adventurecorps.com/80/index.html
Don’t Want to, or Can’t, Ride 80 FOR HAITI, but you still want to donate? Or perhaps you and your friends want to ride your own “80 FOR HAITI” near where you live? Go for it! Please use this link and DONATE NOW directly to Mercy Corps: http://www.mercycorps.org/fundraising/adventurecorps
80 FOR HAITI HIGHLIGHTS: • February 13, 2010 • Held along Eastern San Diego County’s Old Hwy 80: Minimal traffic, no traffic lights, and just a few stop signs. • Three well-stocked checkpoints, plus roving SAG support vehicles on the course. • The entry fee is a minimum $80 donation: 100% of ALL entry fees will go to Mercy Corps.
ABOUT THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake with the epicenter near Léogane, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, striking at 16:53:10 local time (21:53:10 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of at least 33 aftershocks, fourteen of them between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake, and the Haitian Interior Minister believes that up to 200,000 have died as a result of the disaster, exceeding earlier Red Cross estimates of 45,000–50,000. Several prominent public figures are among the dead. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive recently announced that over 70,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves. Source (and more details): Wikipedia.com
OFFICIAL CHARITY The Official Charity of 80 FOR HAITI is Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is a team of 3700 professionals helping turn crisis into opportunity for millions around the world. By trade, they are engineers, financial analysts, drivers, community organizers, project managers, public health experts, administrators, social entrepreneurs and logisticians. In spirit, they are activists, optimists, innovators and proud partners of the people they serve. According to their website:
“Mercy Corps has long been recognized as an excellent steward of the resources entrusted to it. Over the past five years, more than 89 percent of our resources have been allocated to programs that help people in need. Ensuring that resources are wisely spent is the cornerstone of our values, vision, and strategy for growth in the future. We are proud of the awards, endorsements, memberships, and honors that substantiate our track record of accountability.”

More info about Mercy Corps’ Efforts in Haiti: http://www.mercycorps.org/haiti

Thank you.

You might remember that last week we did a couple of articles on Street Luge?

Well, one of our regular readers sent us a link to this extraodinary video – thank you Garrett.

The video was recorded by www.danny-strasser.de and www.buggy-rolin.com.

Now that really is pretty extreme isn’t it? Please do NOT try it just because you’ve read about it on this site!!! but perhaps watch the following video instead and hear what Jean-Yves Blondeau, the inventor of this crazy new extreme sport, has to say about it (buggyrollin):

Hope you enjoyed the scenic trip around Paris too!

Not surprisingly, Blondeau is also known as ‘Rollerman’.  He is, in actual fact, a designer, having graduated from the famous industrial design school Olivier de Serres in Paris. His study theme was: “systems that underline the sensations caused by the displacement of the human centre of gravity in relation to support points in order to move into space”. .. and so was born his roller suit.

This was way back in 1995 and since then there have been 6 generations of roller suits … it has been fine-tuned so to speak.

The secret behind its success are the number of rollers (similar to those found on rollerblades) placed on most of the major joints, the torso, and the back. 33 in all. The wearer can ride in a variety of positions (rollerblade, on back, on torso, on all fours, seated, etc.) at speeds of up to 60 mph (96 km/h) – although, in the summer of 2008 and with 2 witnesses, Blondeau reached an incredible speed of 116 km (buggyrollin):

We’re not talking about a mad and crazy teenager here – we are talking about a respectable 39 year old… albeit mad and crazy. Some people never grow up – fortunately!

Buggy Rollin is still at the fledgling stage although several of the movements have already been given names: ‘kamakaze’ where you throw yourself onto your back, ‘Gognoc’ where you roll on your backside and ‘Mad Buggy Dog’ where three limbs roll along the wall while the other remains on the ground.

The planned ‘full-suit’ is not yet available on the market, but the first component – the ‘Rollin Recap’ – which enables use of the knees with conventional in-line skates, can be ordered online for US$175 + delivery costs. www.buggy-rollin.com will have more information for you…