no cat

Announcing the first BIG Super Fun Days Out Competition (In assocation with Daytona Racing and Teamworks Karting)

It has so far been an exciting year for us. We have developed the site from its humble roots as an online directory, to offer you the chance to book activities directly with a host of different providers across the U.K. We are proud to be able to add to this every week offering the chance to book activities ranging from gorge scrambling to paintball at the prices offered by the providers themselves.

In addition we now have the facilities and ability to offer bespoke activity packages, whether they are for stag groups, hen groups, corporations or simply groups of friends. This has been an exciting development for us and it has delighted us to be able to provide you with action packed packages.

You will also notice a host of changes across the site in the coming weeks, including an improved search function, better social media integration and the chance for you to become more involved and to tell us your stories. But enough about that, on to the competition!

The Competition

At the start of 2011 we will be launching our new Super Fun Days Out vouchers, redeemable on any booked activity or package on the site. The voucher will include three separate extreme sport pictures and this is where you come in. We want your photos!

Photos must be representative of a Super Fun Day Out! To get you started, below are some possible ideas:

  • A picture of you or a friend trying an extreme sport for the first time
  • An action shot – perhaps a kart at full speed or a skydiver in freefall!
  • An artistic shot of your favourite activity or even its equipment!
  • Anything fun relating to any of the 80 activities on the site

The only rule is that all photos must have been taken by the submitter and they must have the right to distribute the photo. Any entrant breaking these rules will be disqualified. We will also disqualify photos which we feel are unsuitable for publication on our site. Please do bear in mind that your photo will appear on a voucher used by people of all ages and this will influence our decision!

The best 3 entries will be used on our vouchers throughout 2011 as well as winning 2 Arrive and Drive Adult Karting Passes each, redeemable at 7 of the U.K’s top racing venues. (Kent, Manchester, Sandown, Milton Keynes, Letchworth, Birmingham and Reading)

7 Lucky runners up will win 2 tickets to the jumps on U.K’s longest zipwire in Cornwall.

All photos which will adhere to the rules will appear in our final competition gallery on both the facebook page and the site.

To submit your photos, simply email them to sfdoteam@superfundaysout.com along with your name, email address, home address and a contact telephone number. Please also indicate your preferred location for the arrive and drive passes.

The Closing Date is Friday 17th December, so get snapping!

Greg James, Radio 1, Testing Extreme Sports!


So far Greg James has undertaken horseriding, skydiving (above) and rollercoaster rides!

Bank Holiday? What to do?!

Wondering what to do today? In the UK it’s a bank holiday, so where are you going? Weather’s not looking too amazing out of my window, but don’t let that stop you! There’s a great range of activities advertised on Super Fun Days Out via the search map – and currently we’re in process for some exciting new developments on the site (and on the social media) – look out for us over the next few weeks – you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Kite Buggying

What’s even more fun that kite-boarding – how to do you take it to the next level?

In trading the traditional kite board for a kind of go-cart, Furman is able to soar across the Wrightsville Beach sand like a dune buggy would only without the engine.

You can get lifted 10-15 feet in the air if youre strapped in,” Furman says. And with speeds ranging anywhere from 40-70 miles per hour, this sport is almost as much fun for spectators as it is for participants.”

Read more on Wrightsville Beach Magazine.

Banff: Radical Reels Film Festival

Visit the site to find a screening near you…. there’s some amazing extreme sports caught on camera, and reminds me why I’ve wanted to visit that area for such a long time – one day!

Adrenalin Sports on Video

I can’t find any more information on this festival, aside from that it was around this time last year… looks like fun! YouTube descriptor says it was under-attended, but looks like thos who were there had a complete blast!

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BASE Jumping Competition

Are they mad? Skiing off a building into a car park (well, that’s just a couple of them) – some interesting sound effects, and some crazy stuff going on!

Underwater Backgammon

In looking for an image to use in a revision session “final checks”, I came across an image hosted within this blog entry, covering the 2009 “Extreme Underwater Backgammon” competition. I’m guessing it’s good practice for buoyancy… but the original rationale was that it was too hot above water, so it was more refreshing to play underneath. If you’re particularly looking to add that twist of adrenalin, try the “extreme rules”:

“Underwater backgammon rules include a single tank per player rule and as a twist for adrenaline junkies (just to make things real interesting), only buddy breathing is allowed, meaning no own air in the final decision-game. Here, it’s “do-or-die”, as one tank is given to both players and a single octopus is shared between moves. The two finalists do not have access to any air until their move is completed. So players must think fast, …and play faster.”

BAGUS Movie: Indonesia

Making of BAGUS MOVIE – Indonesia from Ne3ko on Vimeo.

Bagus The Kitesurfing Story, is a vibrating movie shot on RED one about all the different aspects of the sports from the beginning to nowadays.

Starring Robby Naish, Pete Cabrinha, Flash Austin, Lou Waiman, Gisela Pulido, Kirsty Jones, Aaron Hadlow, Kevin Langeree, Etienne Lhote, Guilly Brandao and many others …

The film is still in production, as is expected to be available in 2011, so we’re looking forward to that!

Parkour: China’s Growing Sport

Parkour ChinaThe 1st National Parkour Tournament attracts hundreds of fans in Beijing this month. The extreme sport’s popularity is growing quickly in China. [Photo: CFP]

Romain Abeck came to China three years ago when parkour was just a French word pretty much unheard of in the country. Now he is happy that he has found his niche here.

Parkour, sometimes called free running, is an urban sport focusing on surpassing all obstacles in one’s path as smoothly and fast as possible using just the body.

Originated in France in the 1980s, the sport is now gaining popularity among young Chinese enthusiasts.

Abeck, the 27-year-old French parkour enthusiast, is now operating a training club in Beijing. He also works there as a parkour coach, teaching members how to move, jump and avoid injuries.

He recalled that there was virtually no parkour training school or club in China when he first arrived in Beijing in 2006.

“Very few people had any knowledge about the sport,” he said. “So one of my dreams was to start one myself in China.”

Today there are at least 100,000 people participating in the sport in China, according to an estimate by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association.”

Read full story.

And as I couldn’t find a website for the tournament itself, I thought I’d add a link to “5 best Parkour Fails

Skatehut.co.uk

“Skate Hut has a whole host of exciting skating products available for all ages. The website has a wide range of outstanding products for those who love extreme sports. Skate Hut stock everything from longboards to scooters and are proud to supply one of the must have toys for 2009.

skatehut.co.uk

Skate Hut has the most talked about products in the world of extreme sports. The website features products such as the Ripstick which is a skateboard with a twist. The unique design combines all the features of a surf board with the design of a snowboard on skateboard wheels.

This product is ideal for all ages and abilities and comes with additional wheels to tone it down for novices. The website also has great deals on the more traditional products such as urban longboards and ice skates. Customers can order superb longboards, skateboards and accessories online today. Skate Hut provides clients with stress free shopping and allows visitors to purchase exceptional gifts online at the touch of a button. Receive longboards, scooters or the coveted Ripstick delivered direct.”

I’ve never personally had a go on a skateboard, but my nephew love(d?) it, and this looks like the place I would have gone to get him a good Christmas present! Think he’s into Top Gear, football andgolf now he’s a teenager though…

Rock Climbing

Climbing WallNEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – British climber George Mallory famously said he wanted to climb Mount Everest because it was there.

But there or not, experts agree that climbing is a great workout, so if you cannot get to a mountain, fitness centers are bringing a mountain to you.

“Indoor rock climbing is one of the best workouts you can imagine,” said climbing instructor Abby Nelson of Chelsea Piers Sports Center, which offers climbing classes in New York City. “You use legs, core, arms, hands, and it gets the adrenalin running.”

In fact, Nelson said scaling the 65-square-foot indoor rock wall at Chelsea Piers can be a more efficient workout than climbing the real thing.

“If your goal is to get as much climbing in as possible, sometimes that doesn’t happen outdoors, where you need to find your climb,” she explained. “Indoors the ropes are already set up and working out is easy. If you can climb a ladder you can climb a wall.”

Read full story.

Wild Weather Pays off for Some

kite-surfer

“Two kite surfers from West Sussex took advantage of strong winds on the south coast to realise an ambition to jump over Worthing pier.

Jake Scrace, 25, and Lewis Crathern, 24, had been planning Monday morning’s jump for three years but had to wait for perfect weather conditions.”

Amateurs: do not attempt!

Read full story from the BBC.

Downhill Skiing (in HD)

THE THIN LINE: Life on the Edge – HD Trailer from VOOM HD on Vimeo.

Here’s a video for the passionate downhill skier – Super. G (Super Giant Slalom) – a pure adrenaline rush in downhill skiing by master athletes (via Highball Blog).

British Ski and Board Show (31st October-1st November)

Get ready for the British Ski + Board Show 2009 “Get ready for the British Ski + Board Show 2009 at the NEC Birmingham. Whether you’re looking for the thrills and spills of spectacular freestyle aerial displays, or hunting for some amazing deals on ski holidays, checking out the latest ski and board kit, learning about survival in the most extreme of conditions, looking to learn some new techniques on the practice slope, or simply looking for a fun day out – we’re sure you’ll find it all at this year’s British Ski + Board Show.”

Read more

More Information?

Extreme Sports Sponsorship

relentlessblog41-432x288 “The extreme sports lifestyle culture is developing. Time was when an old camper van would suffice for vert-ramp BMX rider, surfer or skateboard athlete through a career in the discipline they loved.

But like most other areas in entertainment, extreme sports have become part of a wider entertainment industry. Not quite in the mainstream, which suits its protagonists, but they are now on that sports/entertainment/music/fashion landscape, their silhouettes visible to a young generation to whom ‘extreme’ is synonymous with chic and hip. (like surfer Jayce Robinson, a Relentless-sponsored athlete, above)

Very often, and still in many cases on a shoestring budget, athletes are finding their way through their chosen path into better contracts, and into European and world tours where it was once simply impossible to fund.

Yet over 50 athletes and artists, in four countries, are now assisted with funding by Relentless, the drinks brand.”

Read More

Parkour and the Art of Getting There

Participants in extreme sports such as parkour, off-course snowboarding and motocross risk life and limb to seemingly defy gravity. Witness their stunning feats in these online videos.
Parkour and the Art of Getting There
Resembling the moves seen in action movies, parkour requires participants to make creative use of their surroundings to get to their destination as swiftly as possible. A combination of running, climbing and jumping, parkour is an incredible test of strength, endurance and discipline that has become more mainstream in recent years. An official definition of parkour refers to it as “gett[ing] somewhere using the most effective movements with the least loss of momentum.” Watch a tribute to parkour from YouTube, and see more videos!

XBox360: DiRT 2!

Screenshot from XBox DiRT2!

The Games Spiel?

“Codemasters’ Racing Studio brings you DiRT 2: off-road racing, now with attitude. DiRT 2 combines the excitement and aggression of off-road racing with the style and flair of extreme sports. Tour the world, racing against real-life off-road superstars in eight varied disciplines on tracks ranging from Malaysian jungle sprints to roaring stadium runs in L.A. Head online for completely customisable 8-player racing across all the game’s tracks and race types.” Read more.

Want to Try it for Real?

Games not enough for you, then try rally driving for real!

XBox360: DiRT 2!

Screenshot from XBox DiRT2!

The Games Spiel?
“Codemasters’ Racing Studio brings you DiRT 2: off-road racing, now with attitude. DiRT 2 combines the excitement and aggression of off-road racing with the style and flair of extreme sports. Tour the world, racing against real-life off-road superstars in eight varied disciplines on tracks ranging from Malaysian jungle sprints to roaring stadium runs in L.A. Head online for completely customisable 8-player racing across all the game’s tracks and race types.” Read more.

Want to Try it for Real?
Games not enough for you, then try rally driving for real!

Bridge Day: 30th Anniversary

Base Jumping“A first skydive in 1992 led Jason Bell to a love of jumping from very high places.

“I was hooked,” the 38 year-old West Virginia native said. “I’m one of those people who always wanted to skydive. If I say I’m going to do it, I do it.”

Bell will be one of several hundred jumpers who will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Bridge Day by BASE jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, W.Va., on Oct. 17 and parachuting to the ground below.

Bridge Day is the one day each year that jumping from the 876-foot-high bridge is legal.”

Read More

Vertical Visions, the company which organises the event.

Freestyle.Berlin

Freestyle.Berlin“After 15 successful years in Zurich, the guys responsible for Freestyle.CH decided to put on not one but two action sports extravaganzas for 2009. In addition to the well-known one that went down at the end of September, they brought the love to Berlin too.

For the first time, snowboarders and other extreme sports athletes were flying through the air at former airport Belin Tempelhof this year.es we’re flying through the air former airport Berlin Tempelhof this year.”

Read more.

Freestyle.Berlin

Freestyle.Berlin“After 15 successful years in Zurich, the guys responsible for Freestyle.CH decided to put on not one but two action sports extravaganzas for 2009. In addition to the well-known one that went down at the end of September, they brought the love to Berlin too.

For the first time, snowboarders and other extreme sports athletes were flying through the air at former airport Belin Tempelhof this year.es we’re flying through the air former airport Berlin Tempelhof this year.”

Read more.

Jack Osborne: Adrenaline Junkies

Jack Osborne What were Jack Osborne’s 5 scariest moments in the TV Series “Jack Osborne: Adrenaline Junkie 3″?

What Now?
Jack Osborne drives the Mongol Rally in a £350 car!

What does “GirlRacer” think of Jack Osborne?

“Jack Osbourne and his Adrenaline Junkies were back in town and what better sport to separate the men from the boys…Powerboat Racing with Sarah Donohue!! My phone rang and before I knew it I was off to Dubai to meet the Adrenaline Junkies and get it all set up and underway. Jack himself, Hollywood Sex Symbol Jesse Metcalf, Joanna Page from ‘Gavin & Stacey’ and good old Reggie Yates the Radio 1 DJ!

These were the celebs about to find out what real adrenaline felt like. This was no bungy jump or heli-swing. This was 120mph in a boat that on reaching optimum speed is weightless, a power-to-weight ratio that supersedes all others like it, and acceleration better than Class 1. The celebs were about to dive head first into the world of X-treme Catamaran Racing…the X-Cats! “

Read More

@Sfdo on Portwiture

SFDO Portwiture 28th September
The other day, we stumbled upon “Portwiture” (through a Tweet, of course), which describes itself as grabbing “photography fromFlickr that matches the content of your most recent Twitter updates. The result is a serendipitous visual representation of your Twitter profile.”  Being curious to see what it would produce for @sfdo, on 28th September, we were pleased to see that the screen was full of images of adrenalin sports, which is of course what we are all about – we were clearly talking about a lot of watersports, snowsports and adrenalin cycling on that day, so on the evening of 3rd October, we took another look, and there we are, still full of sports images, although we’ve clearly been talking about horses a lot today!
SFDO Portwiture 3rd October

Brasil: Oi! Megaramp

If you speak Portuguese, enjoy the commentary of the ‘Oi! Megaramp’, a real adrenalin sports competition which finished in Brazil recently! The ramp is on its way to Australia for Megarampage, to be held at the end of October.

WhiteAir 09

We missed WhiteAir09 on Brighton Beach last weekend – looks awesome …. did you make it? What did you think of it? Is there one planned for 2010, because I’d quite like to go!

Extreme Sports Included….

  • Aero GP; Aquathon
  • BMX; Bocking; Brush Boarding
  • Capoeira
  • FMX; Freesports Park
  • Gliding; Graffiti
  • High Diving
  • Inline Skate
  • Jet Ski
  • Kayak; Kitesurfing
  • Land Windsurfing; Land Yachting
  • MMA Martial Arts; Motocross FMX; Mountain Bike Freestyle; Mountain Bike Trials; Mountain Boarding
  • Orb
  • Parachute RAF Falcons; Paragliding; Paramotoring; Parkour; Powerboat; Powerfan
  • Red Arrows & Falcons; Roller Derby; Rollerskis; Ropeboarding; Running
  • Sailing; Sailing Dinghy; Scuba Diving; Skate; Slackline; Standup Paddle Boarding; Street Boarding; Street Dance; Surf Lifesaving; Surfing
  • Thundercats; Triathlon
  • Wakeboard; Windsurfing

See more:

What’s the Craziest Sport You’ve Ever Tried?

kiteboardingBex: “The snowboarders park on skis in Saas Fee. This video gives some idea… afterwards, it went into half-pipes, etc. I gave them a go!” (Read more)

Dom: “AK-47 Shooting in Poland, and being told by our driver, if you want to kill someone, use a silencer. No wonder I missed every target.” (Read more)

Hugh: “Duel Hydro Zorbing. Two of us in a giant ball with water, bouncing down a hill on the coldest day of the year! Brrrr! It was like across between a washing machine and bouncy castle !?.” (Read more)

Yaz: “Only tried Horse Riding once and I know its not that crazy but sitting on the back of something that you do not have full control over, scared the living daylights out of me (although my wife said I hid the fear quite well – the horse knew if you ask me!)” (Read more)

Now: Your Turn! We want to know what’s the craziest or most extreme sport that you’ve ever tried, or is that your idea of a nightmare?!

Jealous? Me? Never…

An awesome video created by Brendon Held, containing action packed video footage of his/friends extreme sport adventures around the world. In this video you will see kitesurfing, Surfing, Wakeboarding, Snowboarding, Sky-diving, Bungee Jumping, Mountain Biking, Jet-skiing and much more… Some of the destinations include South Africa, Mozambique, the USA and Austria. Bex says, “I can’t complain, I did a lot of these on my trip around the world… not tried kite-surfing yet though!”

Wheelchair Backflip

In July 2006, the first wheelchair backflip ever was made. This was just so amazing, I
had to add it in – was making my heart pump just watching it!

About Yaz El-Hakim

Name: Yaz El Hakim

Place of Birth: Truro, Cornwall

Now Lives: Southampton, Hampshire

When I’m not having a SFDO, I will be found earning pennies as: Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Winchester (teaching Sport Psychology), setting up www.superfundaysout.com, or at home with my (very patient) family.

Sum up a ‘Super Fun Day Out’ in 10 words: Fun, Smiling, Fresh, Adrenalin, Community, Service, Helping, Excitement, Experience-based (can that count as 1?), Awesome

The most ‘Super Fun Day Out’ you’ve ever had: I did a sponsored parachute jump (static line for anyone who has also done one). It was a Super Fun Day Out but scary as hell because I very nearly thought my parachute hadn’t opened and moved my hands on to the cut away (opens the reserve chute) just to look up before I did and see a glorious open chute above (serious relief) and loved the ride down from there!!

Earliest Memory of a SFDO: I did a camel ride in Africa when I was very young which was fun at the time. But I guess my first one was aged 7 on an assault course in Cornwall. It was set up by the army (I think) at a time when Health and Safety did not rule the world and 7 year olds could hold on to handles with leather straps around their wrists and fly down a 40ft zip wire! Left me smiling for ages.

Craziest Sport You’ve Ever Tried: Only tried Horse Riding once and I know its not that crazy but sitting on the back of something that you do not have full control over, scared the living daylights out of me (although my wife said I hid the fear quite well – the horse knew if you ask me!)

Next adrenalin activity you plan on trying: Hovercrafting at Adrenalin Quarry (hopefully on my Birthday in August). In the same week I also intend to Surf for a couple of days and also do the UK’s Longest Zip Wire also at AQ.

Highest Height (excluding regular flights): 4,000 feet parachute jump

Deepest Depth: Around 5m caving

Longest Distance: Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award The Peak District (76ish miles in 3 days hiking)…beautiful rain for 2.5 days!

Favourite Extreme Sport: It would be a toss up between three, Paintball, Snowboarding (no waiting for waves) and surfing (when you catch a good one – it feels awesome)

Wackiest Sport You’ve Ever Heard of: Cheese Rolling (for at least the past 200 years) – Agree with Bex, looks fun but very painful

Why you are involved in SFDO: I have always wanted to have my own business (then being a workaholic has real benefits) and have always loved helping people and doing fun things. This idea had many attractions within it and after positive conversations with some activity providers and two hard working colleagues (now partners), I thought ‘Lets do it!’ So I am involved, in order to provide a helping hand to anyone wanting to find out where an SFDO is and how to contact them (as well as joining a community of others who are also interested). Whilst, helping the businesses to get really cheap national advertising as small businesses don’t have the budgets of national businesses to market themselves on that scale.

Sum up your ideal day: ‘Love Life… Live It’: Sunrise –Hot air balloon ride to watch the sunrise then skydive down to a snow capped mountain peak (with snowboard attached ready to release at the top), board all the way down. Then grab the paraglide waiting to take me from the end of the snow down the rest of the way to the coast (shooting some pals with a paintball gun – acting as an airborne target myself). Land on the beach and grab the handle at the seas edge to enjoy a little wakeboarding for a bit. Midday – press a button on my snowboard and it transforms into a surfboard (spend rest of day with friends on the beach and surfing. Having a BBQ watching Sunset and then sit around the fire playing games and chatting with drinks followed by a good nights sleep (under the stars would be best but a big bed could be very tempting).

That sounds awesome!!!

How I like to challenge myself: I constantly try to challenge myself because they are the times in life that I am most alive and love life the most.

Extreme Sports Film: Either Point Break or Drop Zone

P.S. Never ever watch Frostbite!!!! – If you do let me know how far in you got before switching off – I managed it all as a dare but I will never get that 90 minutes back!!!

Adrenalin sports I have tried include: Skydiving, ZipWire, Archery, Abseiling, Rock Climbing, Assault Course, Camping, Horse Riding, Surfing, Hiking, Cycling, Skiing, Motor Racing, Sea-Fishing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Coasteering, Jet-Ski, Waterskiing, Windsurfing, Sailing, Body Boarding, Water fun parks, Theme Parks, Snorkeling, Air-Rifle, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Off-Roading, Tractor Driving (from Cornwall), Paintballing, Laser Quest, Quad Biking, Golf, Camel Riding, White Water Rafting, Snowboarding and Mountain Biking.

NOTE: awaiting photo.