Adventure Blog

Wanganui cyclist Catherine Cheately has picked up a bronze medal for New Zealand in the women’s points race at the World Track Cycling Championship in Spain.

Cheatley notched 27 points which is just two behind silver medalist Mie Bekker Lacota of Denmark. Australian Katherine Bates took gold.

In another ride Cheatley finished 15th in the scratch race, while the New Zealand pair of Peter Latham and Marc Ryan failed to finish the men’s madison.

It is the first medal for a New Zealander since Sarah Ulmer and Greg Henderson both won golds three years ago. Catherine Cheately continued a proud New Zealand cycling tradition.

Source: nzherald

International soap bubble superstar Fan Yang made his Guinness Book World Record at Discovery Science Center in April 2004 and he is going to be back in action again at the bubble fest!Two years ago, he set a world record at the center by enclosing 15 people in a bubble. Since then, he’s topped that record with 22 people.

Location: Discovery Science Center,2500 N. Main St.,Santa Ana, CA 92705
Date: March 31 - April 15, 2007
Fee: $5 for non members and $4 for members . This will be in addition to the $9.95-$12.95 for general admission by non members.
Showtimes: Weekdays - starting at 11 AM, Weekends - starting at 10:30 AM

The “Bubble Under the Top” show will feature Yang showing off his bubble carousel, bubbles within bubbles, smoking bubbles, spinning bubbles, bouncing bubbles and bubbles in all shapes and sizes. Fans can also have their photos taken inside a bubble for an additional fee.

The Bubblefest will share with visitors the secret behind making the biggest and best bubbles by touching on math and science topics including surface tension and air pressure. So do become a part of this exciting and learning process

Source: OC register

The latest YouTube sensation, generating 2,000 views every hour yesterday is the stunt on skis over London tube network’s highest escalator.

The skier, a publicity-shy Norwegian in his 20s, whom friends say is called Arild, hurtles down the 90-metre up escalator in north London, skidding safely to a halt at the bottom. He caught the action with a camera strapped to his head.

London Underground condemned the stunt as “dangerous, stupid and irresponsible” however this kind of sport that is a cross between skiing, snowboarding and skateboarding is gaining popularity amongst the youth.
Do check it out!

Read

How far are you prepared to push your body and mind for the ultimate thrill? Adventure blog has been for the hunt of the most elusive adrenalin rushes and more, yet value for life would mean trying out these adventures with maximum safety.

Extreme sports have gained major popularity over the past decade, and are generally accepted as the way to go if you’re looking for an intense brush with possible death. Bungee jumping, sky diving, BASE jumping, roller coasters and white water rafting are all popular extreme sports designed to push your fears to the very edge. Read on for the take on adventure...

Three, two, one, bungee!

There are no if’s or but’s to this! You have to just go out there and go for it. As far as extreme sports goes, it is exceptionally safe, relatively inexpensive and comes in at a thrilling three out of five on the rush-o-meter.

Sky diving

Skydivers rely solely on their equipment to make it back to solid ground alive. One wrongly packed chute, or badly timed release will result in a sudden and messy death.

It’s an expensive sport but the rush you get while hurtling yourself towards the earth at breakneck speeds is totally extreme. Training for this sport costs even more but this is the closest you will ever get to flying.

Base jumping

This in essence is skydiving with a dangerous twist. Most Base jumps occur below 600m off static objects, the most dangerous of which being skyscrapers and antenna’s which can clock in at below 450m, and can be as low as 100m.

This results in an extremely short freefall, and a complete reliance on specialised equipment and skill. It’s expensive, often illegal and highly dangerous, but its very existence warrants its growing popularity.

White water rafting
Its all about braving a raging river with just a life-jacket, helmet and a plastic ore. This is the best of extreme group activity and the thrills depend on the type of river rapids and the weather.

Its not too expensive and dangers are from the type of rapids you ride. Rapids grade from I to VI and V to V+ are recommended only for the veterans.

Roller coasters
This is one of the safest ways to get your heart racing with a couple of bellowing screams to boot. Roller coasters come in all shapes and sizes, and are generally made out of either wood or steel.

As technology has improved, so has track design, which now incorporates unbelievable loops, twirls, twists accompanied by chest-crushing speeds. This comes relatively much cheaper, recommended for the less courageous, and for beginners of adrenalin-rush enjoyment.

Adrenalin once released into the body induces some strange feelings, such as euphoria, a sense of slow motion and even a complete loss of pain. An adrenalin rush for many is a thrilling and addictive experience. For many who live insipid and monotonous lives it’s a new birth al together. So go out there and try atleast one of these out and get addicted.

Source: Health 24

The Cheoah gets harder as it rises, especially the upper section, which is reported to be very dangerous at 6.8′. 5.3′ is a very exciting, challenging level providing a thrilling ride unlike anything else to be found in the Eastern US. That is why the minimum age is set at 16.

Location: The Cheoah River is located in the extreme southwestern corner of NC, near Robbinsville.
Grade of rapids: Class IV/IV+, four Class III rapids, 13 Class IV rapids and one Class V
Outfitters Available: Wildwater Rafting, Endless River Adventures, Nantahala Outdoor Center and Outland Expeditions.
Cost of the trips: range from $125-$160 (you can get discounts by signing up for multiple trips and/or lodging)

The Cheoah is a wonderful river that American Whitewater, Western Carolina Paddlers, Carolina Canoe Club, and many outfitters and other clubs fought tirelessly to bring back to life.

The Santeetlah Lake hydro plant began releasing more water last year, required under Alcoa Power’s federal license to operate the plant. For thrill-seekers, that means whitewater rafting alternatives in the Carolinas have expanded.

After a mild start in the first few miles, the creek narrows. At many points, paddlers cannot see the next set of rapids coming. The many years without regular high flows allowed small trees to grow among the boulders, creating unusual obstacles. In one section, the river drops 134 feet in half a mile.
This year, the water flows four days in April, six in May, two in July, one in September and one in November.

Source: The State

Yves Rossy, 45 is a recklessly daring former fighter pilot who became the first person to fly like a bird in the year 2004. Now he has blasted across the sky in Spain at 184 kmh in jet-powered wings. He spent five years developing his wings for his flying man project.

The Sun has quoted that Yves Rossy said:

It was absolutely fantastic - total freedom in three dimensions. So much speed and power, it’s better than a bird.

He jumped out of an aircraft for the test flight and glided to 2500 meters. Before killing the engine and parachuting to earth, Yves fired the jet and shot across the sky for four minutes.

His FusionMan project website prior to entry into the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions slated for this April.

Source: smh

Molokai’s mysterious and magnificent north shore with the highest sea cliffs in the world, makes the perfect place for kayak adventure.

During the summer months, when the waters on the north shore are calm, you can paddle from remote valley to remote valley, spending a week or more exploring the exotic terrain. More than 28 miles of maritime marvels await you.

However, most of Molokai is for the experienced kayaker only. You must be adept in paddling through open ocean swells and rough waves.

Whom to contact:

• Molokai Outdoors Activities, in the lobby of Hotel Molokai, just outside Kaunakakai (tel. 877/553-4477 or 808/553-4477), has sunset tours ($47 per person) of the ancient Hawaii fishponds and a coastline tour ($61 per person). They also rent kayaks; rates start at $12 an hour and $26 a day.

• The Lodge at Molokai Ranch (tel. 888/627-8082 or 808/660-2824) offers a range of ocean-kayaking trips with snorkeling from $75 to $85.

Read

The Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrated its 75th anniversary on March 19, 2007. Liane Katz climbed the bridge and had breathtaking experience. The BridgeClimb is scary, with stomach-churning moments around the corner, just when you thought the fear was under control. It is exerting, highly exhilarating and exposed to the weather. You should wear rubber-soled shoes, which offer comfort support and grip.

Charges:

AUS$169 per adult and AUS$100 per child including climber certificate and group photo at the top.

Twilight, night and dawn climbs are also available from AUS$260 per adult and AUS$190 per child.

Duration:

BridgeClimb Sydney operates several daily three and a half hour Harbour Bridge tours taking small groups to the summit of the structure.

Get more info on www.bridgeclimb.com

If you have ability to climb steep stairs and have reasonable level of fitness, go ahead and experience climbing to the top which is something really different, something which you cannot forget through out your life.

Source: Guardian

Philippe who goes by the stage name Robert Alian has managed to climb ¾ of the way up Malaysia’s 88-storey Petronas Twin Tower In Kaula Lampur.

He is known as the French Spiderman and is famous for climbing tall buildings around the world without ropes. Including the Eiffel Tower, London’s Canary Wharf building, New York’s Empire State Building, and Chicago’s Sear’s Tower, Robert has climbed 70 buildings in the course of his career.

It was Robert’s second failed bid to scale the Petronas Tower. Exactly 10 years ago, he was arrested on the 60th floor of the other tower.

While climbing Robert said over the phone:

It’s a great view from here. There is so much action and it is funny to see people inside the offices staring at me.

Robert had to abandon his climb and give himself up to police, which thwarted him. The officers say that next time if he is found to have undergone another mission without the prior permission, he will be charged trespassing and will have to face a fine of $600 or up to a year in prison.

Source: BBC News

Carina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino, and Noelle Wenceslao - three Filipino women from the Philippine Coast, set off to climb Mt. Qomolangma. They left Manila on Sunday, March 19 and flew to Thailand en route to Nepal to conquer the 8,849.868 metres Mt. molangama.

The trio plans to train for a month and a half in high altitude conditions in Nepal before attempting to reach the summit. They will change planes from Thailand to get to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.

While preparing for the ultimate climb, these women succeeded in expeditions around the world by taking up mountaineering lessons in India and New Zealand and scaling the sixth tallest mountain in the world, the 26,906-meter high Mt. Cho-Oyu, also in the Himalayas.

The two submitters and an expedition physician left Manila with the trio. An expedition physician will be there throughout the summit attempt.

Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos saw the team off and handed them the cash donations.

We all wish the luck and hope that they succeed in the expedition.

Source: CRIEnglish

The Nith River near Paris has one of the most scenic mild whitewater rafting sections perfect for family rafting trips. It also is the best beginner whitewater rafting in Southern Ontario.

Location: Waterloo Region in southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Grade of Rapids: I to III

This narrow river brings the shoreline close creating excellent wildlife viewing opportunities of deer, fox, beaver and wild turkey.

Further downstream are cascading drinkable springs at Devil’s Cave and rare limestone rockery.
From this point the Nith River gathers speed creating standing waves and waterslides as it rushes to join the Grand River.
A good option is to go with Grand River rafters. The cost for the 4-hour whitewater rafting trip with lunch included is around $65 per person.

Read

A potentially lethal mix of mud, acidic water and rocks tore down the slope of New Zealand’s Mount Ruapehu on Sunday.

Elevation: 2,797 metres (9,175 feet)

Location: North Island, New Zealand

Type: Active Stratovolcano

Ruapehu is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and the largest active volcano in New Zealand. It is the highest point in the North Island.

The mud flow also known as a lahar broke through a rubble wall atop the mountain’s crater lake. A naturally occurring 23-foot wall of volcanic ash and sand known as tephra sits atop the mountain, holding in millions of gallons of acidic water, and this had been breached.

The island’s main north-south highway, some 30 miles from the mountain’s base, also was closed, and two passenger trains with 200 people on board were halted some distance from the mountain.

A lahar that tore down the same volcano in 1953 killed 151 people when it washed away a rail bridge, plunging a passenger train into the raging torrent of mud. Warning systems put in place after that have proved fruitful, as no lives have been lost since this fresh lahar has broken out.

Source: ABC news

One bulb switched off to reveal hundreds of stars to a bedazzled audience of young boys and girls. Students at John Redd Smith Elementary School became virtual space travelers Thursday when an educational company presented the Sky Dome Planetarium to them.

Facilitator Tom Barry, an independent contractor with the company Mobile Ed Productions, projected most of the images on the dome’s wall.

The kids were introduced from the Milky Way Galaxy to the Earth’s solar system. That was followed by info on the eight planets, their atmospheres and moons.

The dome also filled with twinkling white stars and translucent shapes to show what the constellations represented. Mythology was also discussed in terms of Medusa and Perseus.

The project sure inspired the kids to develop an interest in the night sky and seek out the different planets. You could get your kids qued in for space travel by a visit to such a Sky Dome Planetarium.

Source: Martinsvillebulletin

If not, then think again! It could be a memorable experience, bashing a passage through the Baltic’s sea ice on the toughest of ships. Sampo the world’s only tourist icebreaker, operates on the northern Gulf of Bothnia out of Kemi in Finnish Lapland.

Let me take you through the experience of Christopher Somerville as he breaks the ice, cruising through the frozen landscape on board the icebreaker Sampo in northern Finland. Feel the crackling ice and take a dip in Arctic Waters dressed in a watertight thermal suit.

As a long-term average, the Baltic Sea is ice covered for about 45% of its surface area at maximum annually. The ice reaches its maximum extent in February or March; typical ice thickness in the northernmost areas in the Bothnian Bay is about 70 cm for landfast sea ice. The thickness decreases when moving south.

The sampo after 30 years as an Arctic icebreaker, making passage for cargo ships has retired to the advantage of tourists. Tens of thousands every winter board Sampo at Kemi for the curious experience of breaking out of port and making a passage through the Baltic’s sea ice. The Sampo is three times as strong, three times as powerful and three times as heavy as a cargo ship of her size. Sampo had bored a way through a six-foot wall of ice one winter in the 1990s.

Finland possesses 60-odd ports in the ice zone, and of these about a third are kept open by the efforts of the ice-breakers. The story is repeated all round the Arctic coasts of Russia, too.

There is another way to get to her, but, a strenuous and wild one. That is if you are up to weathering the extreme cold!

Get yourself the thickest possible snowsuit and padded boots, in balaclava, hard helmet and mighty mittens, and you straddle a nice hot Ski-doo for a wild ride across the frozen sea. This could entail coffee and a reindeer sandwich in the fire lit hut of a deer farmer and some fantastic sights.

High point of the trip: A dip in the ice cold waters inside insulated giant orange wet suits.

Snowmobile safaris: Cost £90 (day safari) including guides, equipment, instruction, fuel and insurance. Phone; 00 358 16 223 320

The Sampo tour: Runs from mid-December to the end of April, depending on conditions; £147, including cruise, meal and iceswimming, or £240 twinned with a snowmobile safari. Phone; 00 358 16 256 548

Source: The Telegraph

Spring rafting is a thrill ride with typically higher water levels, making the waves, holes and rapids even more powerful,thereby making the perfect menu for you adventure seekers out there. March - May on the New River in Fayetteville County, offers the biggest whitewater of the season. The season has just started as rafters and river guides with Class VI put in to the New River at Cunard early Thursday.

Grade of Rapids: III to V

River: New River with put in at Cunard

Location: Fayetteville, West Virginia

Fayette County is situated on the Fayette plateau at an elevation of 1820 feet adjacent to the New River Gorge National River. The New River tumbles over a boulder-strewn riverbed on a scenic 53-mile descent through more than 32,000 acres of river corridor.

The Upper New River offers family white water rafting featuring Class II-III rapids that are relatively mild in nature. The Lower New River steps up the pace with exciting white water rafting and over 25 rapids ranging from Class II-IV, V.

Other activities of the region: Perhaps it is most widely known for the New River Gorge Bridge, a remarkable single-span arch bridge resting at a height of 876 feet above the New River. The famous Bridge Day Festival is held here annually during October, when hundreds of base jumpers parachute from its side. Other adventure sports are also include rock climbing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, fly fishing and lake recreation.

Read