GreatExtremeSports.com Latest Blog Posts

Resorts work hard to convince skiers to visit

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:07:56 GMT

It has been a tough year for ski areas in Maine to convince people that they do have snow. When it comes to the Ski Industry in Maine it's not so much how good the conditions on the mountain are, but the perception of what those conditions might be.

When people in Southern Maine look outside and see the brown ground, the perception is the skiing isn't that great. "I think it's been tough just educating people that there is snow and i think psychologically if you don't see it in your backyard you're not thinking about skiing", said Chris Farmer, General Manager of Saddleback.

It's a problem the Ski Industry has battled for years, but more so this year with one of the mildest Winters in recent memory. "Right now we have 3-feet of snow on the ground but again perception can be reality and people don't see it in their backyards", said Greg Sweester of Ski Maine.

The reality is some of those storms that sent down mixed precipitation in Southern sections brought snow to the mountains. "We have gotten snow here and it's been cold enough up here that we've kept the natural snow and we have made a lot of snow", said Bill Berry, Saddleback's Owner.

This school vacation week is an important one for all Maine ski areas. At Saddleback things are looking up. The conditions there as good as they've been all year. If the skiers do turn out this week, the folks who run Saddleback hope they'll tell their friends about their experience. In the ski business a satisfied customer is often the best form of advertising.

Deep Beneath the Forest, A Subterranean Adventure Awaits

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:49:22 GMT

Aventuras Tierra Adentro doesn't just take to the air. Its caving tours follow the Rio Camuy through the splendid cave system that is one of the island's top attractions. Caving involves zip lines, rappelling into the breathtaking Angeles Cave (a 250-foot drop), and plunging into underground rivers to explore the cave system's wondrous natural formations as few people get to see them.

What Equipment Do You Need for Caving?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:45:35 GMT

Caving is classed as an extreme sport. This is not so much due to the potential risk to life associated with the sport (although there are many), but more due to the extreme physical nature of it. Caving is generally a safe sport if the right equipment is used, but any accident can have devastating effects even resulting in death, due to rescue operations being made very difficult. In order to prevent accidents, it is important to have the right type of equipment.

Caving Equipment Minimum Requirements
Although not governed by law, many caving guides will not allow anyone to partake in a caving trip unless they have certain equipment as a minimum. This includes:

A good attitude, an interest in caving and a commitment to cave conservation – caves are fragile natural and biological environments and need to be respected.

A head mounted light with four sets of spare batteries and two spare bulbs. The most recommended lights are Night Blaster and Coleman and both are available at very reasonable prices.

A flash light with four sets of spare batteries and two spare bulbs, to back up the head mounted light in case of an emergency.

A hard hat – although specialist caving helmets can be found and are very useful, the most important thing is to have a hard hat, whether that is a skater helmet or a construction helmet. Whilst caving, you are very likely to bump your head, so this equipment truly is vital.

Boots that are suitable for hiking under strenuous conditions.

Water bottles with sufficient water.

High energy snacks, such as a granola bar or a candy bar for example.

Duct tape – this can also be useful to strap a torch to your helmet.

A space blanket (you can also use extra large sized trash bags).

It is important that all this equipment can be carried on your body whilst leaving your hands free, as you will be needing your hands whilst caving.

Caving Equipment Suggested Extras
It can be advisable to bring the following items as well:

A small bag or back pack to store your items in.

Gloves

Very warm socks such as thermal socks

Thermal underwear

A camera with flash

An extra flashlight

Spare sets of batteries and light bulbs

Knee and elbow pads

A first aid kit

A change of clothes

Candles and matches or a lighter

Waterproof packaging (particularly for the electric equipment, candles and matches)

A whistle

Pen and paper

A compass

Extra boot laces

Generally, caving is done through organised trips and any additional equipment will depend entirely on the cave that will be explored. The company that organises the caving trip should provide you with all other equipment such as ropes, safety harnesses, clamps and so on. They should also hold responsibility for checking weather conditions in relation to possible floods, but you could also research this yourself, of course. The most important thing is to be in good physical health, to enjoy strenuous activity and to be committed to conservation.

Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike Review

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:35:59 GMT

The Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike is the latest hardtail mountain bike in the Diamondback range. Unlike full-suspension mountain bikes, the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike combines utility with hardtail performances. That makes the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike perfect for many different situations like cruising around the neighborhood, gravel trails or even just around town.

The Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike gives you several beneficial upgrades over the standard version. These upgrades include the more substantial Weinmann double wall rims, as well as 6 inch disc brakes from Tektro Novela. Combine these upgrades with the smooth rapid fire trigger shifter, allowing you to move quickly and smoothly between eight different speeds, and you will be ready for any terrain that dares to stand in your way.

Specifications
Available in five different frame sizes – XL (22 inches), L (20 inches), M (18 inches), S (16 inches) and XS (14 inches).
Hardtail mountain bike with 26-inch wheels
Matte Blue color
DB 6061-T6 aluminum frame
SR Suntour XCM 120mm suspension
Shimano rear and front derailleurs

Pros and Cons of the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike
Since the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike is made of aluminum, it is both lighter and stronger than bikes made over the last decade or so. The brakes are quite strong and like a lot of other offerings from Diamondback it looks incredibly sharp. The shifting gears are obviously entry level, and the tires feel somewhat on the heavy side but still acceptable. The biggest downside to the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike is the front shock, which barely feels like it offers any absorption at all, yet it doesn’t feel like it will be likely to break.

Overall, the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike is a great bike that has mid-range components and a nice high-end frame. It arrives well-packaged and is quite easy to assemble, but you should count on spending a full afternoon setting everything up correctly if you decide to not take it in for a professional tune up before you hit the road.

If you plan on doing any serious track riding with this bike, you may want to think about upgrading the pedals. The included platform pedals are ok if you are simply riding around town and on local park trails, but are somewhat lacking for more serious tasks. Another upgrade you could see a lot of benefit from would be to add a high quality suspension seat post. This will give you some lighter weight as well as soften some of the rough bumps you will undoubtedly feel thanks to the subpar front shock absorber.

Extreme Sports Final Thoughts
Diamondback Mountain Bikes have done an incredible job packing features and quality into such an affordable package. You are unlikely to find anything else on the market that provides as good a value as the Diamondback Response Sport Mountain Bike does. The RRP of this bike is $499.99, and at the time of writing Amazon were offering 45% off – you’ll be pushed to find many well known bike manufacturers offering such great prices. With over 35 four and five star reviews on the site, you can be sure of a quality product – there are few rated higher on Amazon and other bike stores online.

The 2012 IBA Pipe Challenge is pumping big waves

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:44:57 GMT

The 2012 IBA Pipe Challenge is on and pumping great waves. The opening stage of the 2012 IBA World Tour saw Australian Lewy Finnegan scoring the best wave of the day.

The 17-year-old bodyboarder took off deep on a six-foot Backdoor wave, pulled in and road behind the curtain, came out long after the spit, and raised his fist as he pulled off the back. Claiming waves is cool.

Ruben Quiñones, Timmy Hamilton, Nick Omerod, JB Hillen, Alex Lincoln and Bud Miymoto won their Round 2 heats and are through in the path of the dream.

Tanner McDaniel, the youngest bodyboarders ever competing in the main event of the Pipe Challenge, listened to Mike Stewart's tips and paddled out against riders ten years older than him.

Although McDaniel wasn't able to advance into the next round, he will surely be winning many heats and contests in the near future. The young Hawaiian has salt in his blood and an incredible passion for bodyboarding in his eyes.

In the Women's event, Japanese rider Aoi Koike and Australian Emma Cobb dominated the first waves at Pipeline and scored +9-point barrels during their heats. The 2012 IBA Pipe Challenge will be pumping 10-foot waves.

Aussie surfers rescued off Hawaiian island of Haleiwa

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:25:27 GMT

The swell on Oahu Island's famous North Shore, home of The Pipeline and Waimea Bay, leapt from about two metres to more than six metres in an hour on Tuesday. The two surfers, aged 21 and 26, were reported missing near the Jockos surf break about 7.45pm.

A helicopter crew from The Honolulu Fire Department began searching for them about 8pm and the US Coast Guard then launched a helicopter about 9pm. The Coast Guard helicopter rescued the surfers about 10:30pm when they were found clinging to a single surf board about 1.5 kilometres offshore of Haleiwa.

Vancouver skier Osborne-Paradis hoping to race World Cups

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:50:58 GMT

With the Canadian men's alpine ski team now on a bit of a roll, the roster should get a little deeper before the end of the month.

Vancouver's Manuel Osborne-Paradis, injured on Dec. 29, 2010 in a crash during a downhill at Chamonix, France, said this week that he wants to race the two World Cup super-Gs scheduled for Crans Montana, Switzerland Feb. 24-25. He then wants to do the downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway on March 3.

"I do like Kvitfjell a lot but it is quite a demanding race," he said this week of the course on which he won a World Cup downhill on March 6, 2009. "Even though I would like to race it and I think it's very good to get back into the routine of racing before the summer, I'm not expecting anything fantastic there. It's more to get back in the game. It will be my first time on downhill skis.

"Hopefully I'll race Crans Montana and then get back into the season."At Chamonix, Osborne-Paradis suffered a broken left fibula and a torn ACL. He recovered and was hoping to compete at Garmisch last month but a couple of days before he was scheduled to leave for Europe, he sprained the L-4 vertebrae in his back while training at Panorama.

In July, he had somehow managed to fall off a bus during the Calgary Stampede. He suffered road rash and had his recovery delayed a month. So no wonder he sent out a Feb. 8 birthday tweet saying that he was happy to turn 28 and have his 27th year behind him.

"I was just happy that that year is over and we're moving on," he said this week. "Too many injuries, too many things going wrong while I was 27. "I feel now like I'm a bigger and better person than I was when I was 26. I feel better and very re-charged on life and skiing with all this time off."

After a slow start, Canada's men have hit the last three downhill podiums. Invermere's Ben Thomsen finished second in a downhill Saturday on the 2014 Olympic course near Sochi. On Feb. 4 at Chamonix, Jan Judec of Calgary won the downhill with Mont Tremblant's Erik Guay third and Thomsen fifth. On Jan. 28 at Garmisch, Guay was second.

"I've been chomping at the bit (to get back)," Osborne-Paradis said. "It's been really hard. I was three and a half months in the gym from when I was cleared to really start working out again. There was six weeks of skiing and I was in charge and skiing well. Then, the second last run before I was heading over to Europe (for Jan. 26-29 races at Garmisch) I tweaked my back.

"A sprain is three to four weeks before it starts feeling normal, so we'll see."Osborne-Paradis has had success in downhill at Kvitfjell. He finished third a day after the win. In his las five races, there he's finished fourth, fifth, first, third and 21st.

Surfer Julian Wilson Bests Kerr at the Breaka Burleigh Pro

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:01:31 GMT

February 8th through the 12th, 2012 the Breaka Burleigh Pro was held in Burleigh Heads, Queensland. The 4-Star Association of Surfing Professionals' (ASP) event served as a superlative warm-up for the upcoming Quiksilver Pro competition scheduled for later this month. It also sported an enticing $95,000 prize purse. Here's the straight skinny on who won:

Results
During the course of the event the surfing conditions were tough and so was the competition. Some of the sport's top competitors were on hand to test their skills and quivers in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Among them were two-time World Champion Mick Fanning, master of the aerials Josh Kerr and 2011 ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year Julian Wilson. Fanning went into the competition smoking hot. He was blowing up the score card within a matter of minutes courtesy of a blistering set of top-turn hacks. Josh Kerr matched his intensity with a salvo of colossal aerials. In my opinion, Kerr has one of the most creative approaches to aerial maneuvers in the sport today. His Kerrupt Flip and Crazy Spins are the stuff of legends. The 23 year old Wilson was not deterred by the lack of big waves or the fierce competition. He ultimately unleashed a barrage of aerial reverse maneuvers that helped him walk away with a combined 16.54 points and the win. Kerr finished second followed by Fanning and Bede Durbidge.

About Julian Wilson
Julian Wilson, known as J-Dubb among his fans, is poised to have a break out 2012 season. He's shown steady progression since his stint in the juniors. Who could forget his Sushi Roll maneuver in 2007 or his 2010 surf film Scratching the Surface? He managed to close out the 2011 ASP World Tour season with a 9th place ranking and seems hungry to climb further up the charts in 2012. After this weekend's performance, he certainly appears capable of achieving such a goal. However, in order to achieve it he'll have to knock out the likes of Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson, Owen Wright and Taj Burrows. All are formidable surfers, so Wilson's ride to the top won't come easy. He is expected to compete against some of them later this month at Snapper Rocks. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going.

Teen wake surfing with dolphins off St. Pete Beach

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:02:30 GMT

Imagine the thrill of being able to surf with dolphins! According to some, it happens all the time, just offshore of Pinellas Beaches. Check out this video of 15-year-old Mitchell Overton wake surfing behind the Trade Winds on St. Pete Beach.

A dolphin comes right up to Mitchell and surfs with him. Mitchell’s dad, Steve Overton says they first started noticing the dolphins a few months ago. This video was shot on New Year's Day in Pass-a-Grille channel. He says at first his son was frightened but now it happens quite frequently. He says the dolphins will surf along with his son for 30 minutes or more.

The video, which is posted on the St Pete Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau, has gotten nearly 10,000 hits and they’ve gotten inquiries about out from as far away as Australia. Wake surfing is when you ride the wake of a boat with a small board. You start out skiing and then when you get to the sweet spot of the wake you let go and ride the surf. So it’s half skate board and half surfing.

Nordic skiing: Warrior boys, Flyer girls and three others head to state

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:34:45 GMT

DETROIT LAKES — The Brainerd Warriors boys snapped a six-year drought, while the Little Falls Flyers girls made it seven straight Tuesday. The Warrior boys and Flyer girls advanced to the state Nordic ski meet by winning the Section 8 meet at Maplelag.

Brainerd, led by Riley Nelsen’s second-place 23:08 and Zean Baker’s third-place 23:11, captured the boys title by a “decisive” 12 points over second place Bemidji. “We’re delighted and happy for the boys team,” said Warriors co-head coach Mary Claire Ryan. “The big difference today was our third and fourth skiers had great races. Gerrit (Garberich) skied very well and Noah (Baker) had his break out race and saved it all for today. They both had been steadily and slowly improving through the year. Today they were just on fire.”

Garberich skied a 10th-place 24:44 followed by Baker in 11th place with a 24:55. It’s the first state trip for the boys team since 2004-05, but it will be the second Nordic state meet for Nelsen and Zean Baker. Also returning to the state meet are Brainerd’s Allison Kosobud and Sarah Fairbanks. Those two along with the Little Falls girls team will return to Giants Ridge for the state meet Feb. 16.

“Those two have been consistent skiers all season and today wasn’t an exception,” said Brainerd co-head coach Chris Hanson. “Sarah skied extremely well and was right behind Allison and in sight of each other. Things didn’t change a whole lot for the second race. Both knew the other skiers who they were around. They were familiar with a lot of the other girls and so they knew what they needed to do. They weren’t really in any danger of not being repeat state participants.”

Kosobud placed eight in 28:12. Fairbanks finished 10th in 28:52. Winning the girls race was the Flyers’ Maria Hauer, who completed the classic and freestyle races in 27:00. Mauer’s win, along with three other top 10 finishes, helped the Flyers advance to state for the seventh straight season.

“We had a really good challenge against Cathedral, who skied very well in the skate portion of the girls race,” said Flyers head coach Terry Wasland. “The girls had to really come back strong in the classic event and they skied outstanding in the afternoon. They were able to pull and that was good to see our girls respond like that.”Chelsea Rutz placed fifth in 27:40. Kaitlin Geisenhof was sixth in 28:04 and Mattia Hendrickson was seventh in 28:06.

Little Falls’ Preston Zimny will also return to state. He placed eighth in the boys race with a 24:19. It will be his third state meet. “I thought he held his own in the freestyle, which is his weaker of the two races,” Wasland said. “He came back really well in the classic so it was a nice day for Preston.”

Boys team scores: 1-Brainerd 378, 2-Bemidji 366, 3-St. Cloud Tech 343, 4-Little Falls 334, 5-Detroit Lakes 332, 6-Mora 294, 7-St. Cloud Cathedral/Sartell 264, 8-Trek North 262, 9-Alexandria 246, 10-St. Cloud Apollo 206, 11-Ottertail Nordic 187

Individual winner: Jake Richards (DL) 22:24

Brainerd results: 2-Riley Nelsen 23:08, 3-Zean Baker 23:11, 10-Gerrit Garberich 24:44, 11-Noah Baker 24:55, 22-Matthew McDonald 24:26, 44-Connor Gunsbury 27:53, 46-Benjamin Hanson 28:00

Little Falls results: 8-Preston Zimny 24:19, 16-Nathan Almen 25:30, 20-Mathew Massman 26:00, 26-Brian McNamara 26:23, 29-John Gottwalt 26:53, 34-Isaiah Korver 27:21, 39-Gunnar Kleinschmidt 27:50

Girls team scores: 1-Little Falls 385, 2-St. Cloud Cathedral/Sartell 365, 3-Braienrd 329, 4-Mora 326, 5-Bemidji 310, 6-Trek North 307, 7-Detroit Lakes 298, 8-Alexandria 275, 9-St. Cloud Apollo 250, 10-St. Cloud Tech 216, 11-Ottertail Nordic 254

Individual winner: Maria Hauer (LF) 27:00

Brainerd results: 8-Allison Kosobud 28:12, 10-Sarah Fairbanks 28:52, 23-Victoria Johnson 31:28,34-Gabriella Haire 32:21, 35-Serena Schreifels 32:27, 37-Sara Whiteman 32:39, 45-Michaela Quast 33:16

Little Falls results: 5-Chelsea Rutz 27:40, 6-Kaitlin Geisenhof 28:04, 7-Mattia Hendrickson 28:06, 13-Josie Lange 29:31, 31-Chloe Houle 32:09, 40-Ingrid Floersheim 33:01