Kayaker survives 189-foot plunge down Washington waterfall

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:07:37 PDT

Mexico's Rafael Ortiz has become the second person to plunge in a kayak from Washington's Palouse Falls and paddle safely to shore. At 189 feet, Palouse Falls is 17 feet higher than Niagra Falls.

The feat would have tied a world record but because Ortiz was thrown briefly from his kayak upon impact it's merely a remarkable accomplishment that produced an adrenaline rush for the ages.

"Let's face it, it's pretty scary, man!" Ortiz stated on the Red Bull website...

7 Adventure Racing Essentials

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:22:46 PDT

Adventure racing combines multiple endurance activities such as paddling, biking, climbing, hiking, and rope-work. Distances range from a 6-hour sprint to a multi-day expedition challenge, bound only by mandatory checkpoints and transition areas.

Competitors face multiple hurdles as they trek through unfamiliar terrain. The appeal for most adventure racers is the excitement of the unknown. Will your body hold up? Will you get lost? Will you run out of supplies? Did you bring the..

Jay Peak Owners Buy Burke Mountain

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:05:36 PDT

Burke Mountain, in Northeast Vermont, has new ownership with strong ties to the region.
An ownership group made up of principals in Jay Peak Resort,Vermont has purchased neighboring Burke Mountain. Ariel Quiros, who along with Jay Peak president Bill Stenger bought Jay Peak Resort from Mont Saint-Sauveur Valley resorts in 2008, is heading the group, called Q-Burke. Stenger is involved as well.

"This is a separate company with the same ownership principals," says Steve..

Georgia Aquarium mourns death of prized beluga whale calf

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:13:25 PDT

A beglua whale calf born Friday night at the Georgia Aquarium has died, despite receiving 24-hour nurturing from animal care experts at the Atlanta facility.

"This is an extremely sad day for the Georgia Aquarium family. Over the past few days, our veterinary and animal care teams have been giving around-the-clock care to Maris and her calf," Gregory Bossart, chief veterinary officer, said in a news release issued Wednesday. "We initially became concerned when the calf was born..

Skydiver becomes first to negotiate safe landing without parachute

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:53:29 PDT

Gary Connery on Wednesday became the first skydiver to make a successful landing without a parachute. The British stuntman leaped from a helicopter at 2,400 feet, used a wingsuit to fly instead of plummet, and landed on a runway made of more than 18,000 cardboard boxes.

Made in Taiwan: A SUP Travel Series

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:44:07 PDT

Exploration, culture, and adventure have become elements of Stand-up paddling, with many exotic locations offering up the ideal setting for a SUP trip. Following last year's Indo Chronicles, SUP Magazine gathered a crew of worthy paddlers and headed to the far east to produce an exclusive travel series entitled Made in Taiwan.

Candice Appleby, Dave Boehne, CD Kinley, Anthony Vela and Slater Trout's culture-filled journey to Taiwan is featured in the summer Issue of SUP Magazine...

Three Views of the Solar Eclipse

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:07:04 PDT

On May 20, North America witnessed its first solar eclipse in over 18 years. For those who were lucky enough to catch the moments when the moon passed between the Sun and the Earth, the visual effects were stunning.

If you weren't able to see the event firsthand, some impressive views of the eclipse have surfaced on the web in the following days. Here are three of the more interesting views that were captured across the United States.

1) This pulled back perspective of..

Action Sports in Slow Motion

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:16:29 PDT

Life moves quickly and if you don't take a moment to slow down, you might miss the beauty of it all. The same goes for watching athletes whose movements are so fast and intricate that they can't always be appreciated in real-time. But now, by the power of almighty editing tools, we get to view the talent and technical work required to perform these complex acts.

This slow motion video compiled by Gregory Villien of France displays some of today's top action sports athletes in..

Kings and Corn Photo Gallery

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:49:14 PDT

The Chugach Powder Guides' Kings and Corn package is the ultimate experience for those who like to mix their angling with angulation, and has become a bucket-list item for many avid skiers/fisherman. Picture nights in a luxury backcountry lodge in Alaska, five days of fishing for king salmon, and five days of summer corn skiing, with a little whitewater rafting and gourmet meals thrown in the mix.

Read more about Kings and Corn here

Massive great white shark launches frenzied attack next to fishing boat

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:47:01 PDT

Australian authorities have assured swimmers and surfers at Bondi Beach that lifeguards routinely patrol for sharks after footage surfaced recently, showing a massive great white savagely attacking a smaller blue shark attached to a line alongside a fishing boat.

The incident near Sydney occurred several months ago but the footage wasn't posted until this month, and it has stirred emotions about the possibility of such enormous predators lurking so close to shore off Australia's..

Aquarium's prized beluga whale baby in a struggle for survival

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:01:35 PDT

The Georgia Aquarium on Friday night welcomed into the world its first-ever beluga whale calf -- and ever since its staff has worked around the clock to keep the prized mammal alive.

The beluga baby, the first to be born from parents who were born in captivity, emerged from her mother in a weakened state and weighing only 82 pounds. The female calf is said to be in critical condition and under 24-hour veterinary care.
Image shows beluga whale calf being born Friday night at..

Kings and Corn: The Ultimate Biathlon

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:14:21 PDT

Innovative Wakeboard Film 'Lipsmack' Debuts

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:09:48 PDT

Wakeboarding films are alive and well. To prove it, former editor of GrindTV Patrick Wieland teamed up with Slingshot Wake to produce Lipsmack, an epic film featuring the creative side of wakeboarding. Wieland and crew spent almost a year traveling to various locations filming and building over 47 custom rails. As such, the film focuses on the explore, create, and shred aspect of the sport.

Lipsmack features riders Jeff McKee, Oli Derome, Shredtown, Mike Ennen, Jeff House, Steffen..

Tragedy strikes on Mt. Everest as at least four climbers perish

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:18:53 PDT

Tragedy struck on Mt. Everest over the weekend as at least four mountaineers died during a very crowded couple of days near the summit of the world's tallest peak.

The climbers have been identified as Eberhard Schaaf, 61, a German doctor; Shriya Shah, 33, of Canada; Song Won-bin, 44, of South Korea, and Ha Wenyi, 55, of China.

A Sherpa guide remains missing.

The first clear weather of the season led to a mass summit attempt on Friday and Saturday, and about..

Woman's shorts catch fire after picking up beach rocks

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:37:14 PDT

A 43-year-old woman's shorts were ignited, allegedly by two very hot rocks that she collected at the beach in San Clemente, California and placed in her pockets.

The woman, Lyn Hiner, had spent the afternoon of Saturday, May 12 with her daughters, picking up rocks along the shoreline at Trestles beach. The stretch of coast is best known for the wave at Lowers, which plays host to many international surfing competitions each year and a contest on surfing's World Championship Tour...

The North Face Video Contest: Win a Trip to Whistler's Bear Back Lodge

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:52:08 PDT

All expenses paid trips to the mecca for mountain biking don't come around everyday. But Bike Magazine and The North Face are collaborating on a custom video submission contest with the winner receiving an all expenses paid trip to Bear Back Lodge in Whistler. In addition, the winner receives a $500 North Face gift card and will be featured in Bike Magazine's September issue.

The prize is ridiculous and the submission process is simple. Submit a video clip of yourself or your..

Rescue Gear Essentials for River Runners

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:31:49 PDT

When running difficult sections of whitewater you need to be prepared for a variety of situations, especially in the event that something goes wrong. Canoe and Kayak magazine teamed up with Jim Coffey, founder of Quebec-based outfitter Esprit Whitewater Worldwide and R3: Rescue for River Runners, to produce a series of informative rescue videos for river runners. The crew headed to the Alseseca and Jalicingo rivers near the whitewater hub of Jalcomulco in Eastern Mexico's state of Veracruz..

LymeLight: Skier Angeli VanLaanen's film on her struggles with Lyme Disease

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:16 PDT

Once one of America's most promising Halfpipe competitors, Angeli VanLaanen was knocked down by Lyme Disease. Now the 26-year-old Bellingham, Washington native is raising money to make a film about her battle with the disease, called Lyme Light.

VanLaanen learned to ski at the powder haven of Mount Baker, Washington, and discovered the halfpipe while visiting Whistler when she was in high school. She moved to Breckenridge to pursue park skiing, and by 2009 was creating a buzz in..

Fishermen go berserk after 40-pound barracuda jumps into boat

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:18:28 PDT

It's gratifying for anglers when fish are cooperative, but for three Florida fishermen a 40-pound great barracuda was a bit too accommodating, having launched itself through the air and onto their small boat. Chaos ensued, understandably, as the hooked fish soared over angler Kevin Faver's right shoulder and began to flop wildly on the deck.

Crew films extraordinary clash between orcas, humpback whales

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:45:02 PDT

Researchers and a film crew out of Monterey, Calif., have witnessed an event that might never have been seen or documented: humpback whales harassing orcas during an orca attack on a baby gray whale. The accompanying footage, part of broader episodes for National Geographic and the BBC, was captured May 3 and made available over the weekend. (Snippets of the footage may not be for the squeamish, and watch for the angry humpbacks at the 1:50 mark.)

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