It is said that sometime in the late 70's, a group of Frenchmen navigated river rapids high up in the Alps with bags stuffed with lifejackets and polystyrene.  By 1981, this concept led way to the production of the first Riverboard which is now synonymous with Sledging or Hydrospeeding. Since its inception, this action packed activity has caught the attention of adrenaline junkies across the world and is now recognized as a professional sport in Europe with competitions organized every year.

The allure of white water Sledging is that operator?s intimate proximity to the river. The operator is equipped with a padded wetsuit, booties, life jacket, helmet and fins for kicking. The fins provide propulsion and steering as the operator?s chest rests on the plastic board while arms are neatly tucked inside for grip and control. No experience is necessary to learn all the skills from a competent instructor who will then guide a group down the river while negotiating the safest route through class IV rapids. As experienced as your guides claim to be, a serious degree of risk still exists when participating in such extreme activities. Be sure to thoroughly read liability waivers and be knowledgeable of your health coverage whenever traveling abroad and/or chasing your next adrenaline rush.

Check out this video which provides a closer look from a ?Sledger?s? point of view:   

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/15/paddlesurf2.gifStand up paddle surfing is an aspect of surfing that has seen a recent resurgence. For those that are not familiar with the sport, it entails standing on a large longboard and propelling yourself with essentially a canoe paddle. Recently, it has been picked up as an alternative way to ride surf and as a means of staying in shape. The level of surfing on stand up paddle boards has sky rocketed in the last few years.

This type of surfing involves using a massive longboard ? generally 12 feet long, 30 inches wide and 4-5 inches thick ? with a canoe-style paddle that should be about six inches taller than you. You throw the board in the water, paddle out past the shorebreak with the paddle tucked under you, then pop to your feet with the paddle in your hand. With your feet parallel, you can then balance on the board and paddle around. Once you get the feel of it, the next goal is to propel yourself into waves.

Stand-up paddle surfers have found they can have fun even in small, mushy waves because the paddle and the massive boards add entirely new abilities and dimensions. It wouldn't be ideal for crowded conditions, because of the size of the board. But on a marginal day or during a swamped-out high tide, stand-up can make surfing possible and really fun.

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/mtnbike.jpgThere are a group of guys riding their bikes the length of the Earth by following the backbone of the globe -- the world's longest continuous mountain range. The route takes them along the backroads and trails that traverse the Continental Divide. The off-road nature of this trip sounds like it would be an awesome ride and a unique opportunity to see the world and enjoy the great outdoors.

The Great Divide runs along the crest of the Rockies, from British Columbia, through the United States, and continues southward into Mexico and Central America. It divides the continent's principal drainage into that flowing eastward (to the Hudson Bay in Canada or to the Mississippi River) and that flowing westward (to the Pacific Ocean).

Unfortunately, they were busted by federal agents for biking through the Grand Canyon. They?re staying in Flagstaff for awhile to work construction and raise some cash to pay down their legal fees before moving on. The worst part is that they probably would have gotten away with it if they hadn?t posted pictures and stories about their illegal ride on their blog. After paying a $500 fine and being  in jail for two days, they had to post something on their blog about why people shouldn?t bike through the Grand Canyon. Even worse, they are banned from National Parks for five years.

Another example of why one should be careful of what gets posted on the internet (and, of course, why to not ride your bike in the Grand Canyon). But these guys are on to something very cool in riding the longest off-pavement bike route in the world. They will be leaving Flagstaff and hitting the trail again in a couple weeks; if you want to keep an eye on them, their effort is called ?*Riding the Spine*.?

(Photo provided by Getty Images/taken byKashi Leuchs)

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/femalesurf.jpgIn surfing, the participation and performance of women have been surging, boosting industry profits. But going on 50 years since Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (nicknamed Gidget), earned grudging respect from the guys ? and two weeks after pledged to pay equal prize money to women ? gender equity for the sport remains a point of contention.

The Association of Surfing Professionals men?s and women?s world tour seasons began last week on Australia?s Gold Coast, near Brisbane, with the men?s Quiksilver Pro and the women?s Roxy Pro. The contrast is stark.

On the men?s tour, 45 surfers compete in 10 events, with the Quiksilver Pro offering $300,000 in prize money. The women?s tour consists of 17 surfers in seven events. The Roxy Pro, which was won by Chelsea Hedges on Monday, paid a total of $80,000 in winnings. Layne Beachley, the seven-time and defending women?s world champion, said the surf industry needed to do more.

?There is always room for improvement, both at the elite level and at grass roots,? Beachley, 34, said in an e-mail message from Australia. ?And considering the industry have made an enormous amount of money through its representation of this lifestyle, I feel that the disparity between the incomes of the men and women still have a long way to go to become ?equal.? ?

http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/mountain_1.jpgBy most measurements, there are 54 mountains in Colorado surpassing 14,000 feet in elevation. Chris Davenport, a two-time extreme-skiing world champion, recently completed his goal of climbing up and skiing off the top of each of them.

After a few emotional moments on the 14,255-foot summit, he and his friends clicked into their skis and made a dash down the mountain and into mountaineering?s record books. The only other man to have skied from the summit of all 54 peaks was Lou Dawson, who took 13 years to accomplish the feat.

?Conditions are extremely variable in Colorado,? said Neal Beidleman, a climber who in 1996 was part of the ill-fated expedition of Mount Everest that was the subject of Jon Krakauer?s book ?*Into Thin Air*.? ?To try to find good conditions in all those ranges on all those peaks is very challenging. This was an endurance event.?

Despite the deadline pressure, fatigue and danger involved with his quest, Davenport said the summits often remained a place for reflection.

That is why Davenport will set out in April to try to climb and ski all 15 peaks in California that are at least 14,000 feet, and Mount Rainier in Washington State. If successful, he will become the only person to have skied off the summit of every 14er in the continental United States.

Thanks in large part to Davenport, there are signs that skiing the 14ers will become a more popular activity.

(Photo provided by Getty Images/taken by Mike Powell)

Le Parkour is a physical art, the aim of which is to move from point A to point B as efficiently and quickly as possible, using the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment ? from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls ? so parkour can be practiced in both rural and urban areas.

Inspiration for parkour came from many sources, the foremost being the 'Natural Method of Physical Culture' developed by George Hébert in the early twentieth century. French soldiers in Vietnam were inspired by Hébert's work and created what is now known as parkour.

There are fewer predefined movements in parkour than gymnastics and other extreme sports, in that parkour is not made up of a list of appropriate "moves". Each obstacle one faces presents a unique challenge on how they can overcome it effectively, which depends on their body type, speed and angle of approach, the physical make-up of the obstacle, etc.

Most important are good jumping and landing techniques. The roll, usedto limit impact after a drop and to carry one's momentum onward, isoften stressed as the most important technique to learn. Check le parkour at it's best in this video clip.