Many of us like the occasional swim, but would balk at the thought of swimming in the sea once it starts to turn colder. Imagine instead, submerging yourself in water at sub zero temperatures and competing against other individuals. Welcome to the world of Winter Swimming. We asked Jack Bright, a leading winter swimmer in the Czech Republic to provide us a small insight:
Jack: Winter swimming isn’t only crazy people taking a short dip at Christmas time. It is an exciting,exhilarating and extreme sport and provided you follow a few guidelines almost any healthy person can participate. You see once you have acclimatised and can understand not only your own body but the power of nature a little more, it really is all down to the personal psyche of the individual. When you know what it feels like to swim in near freezing water there is a certain amount of will required to get into the water each time, particularly when also facing sub zero air temperatures.
Luckily here in the Czech Republic winter swimming is highly organised, with weekly races and an ongoing cup competition that starts in October and finshes in April. The complicated yet excellent rules are the foundation for the tremendous organisation of the sport.
Take a look at my website www.extremewinterswimming.com there is an excellent article that talks about tried and tested ways of starting with this sport.
The main things to remember are respect your own body as well as nature, take things step by step and finally less is better rather than trying to take on too much at once.
Winter Swimming is a tough and challenging sport and it is important that if you want to try it you understand the risks and the training necessary. Keep an eye out in the future for an exclusive article on body conditioning and the requirements if you want to give winter swimming a go.
Jack has also produced an excellent promotional trailer for the sport which you can find here:
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!
The numbers partaking in extreme sports are growing rapidly, and media coverage is also growing accordingly.
“What are the reasons for this escalating extreme lifestyle? Are our lifestyles becoming increasingly regulated and stifling and people need to break free from that or is it just that these extreme activities are simply becoming more accessible to ordinary people?. These adrenalin-fuelled activities seem to offer a respite from officialdom, an escape from reality and a level of achievement and self-actualisation that outstrips that of more conventional pursuits.”
“But what makes someone jump out of an aeroplane or flatten the accelerator? Many men and women who engage in extreme or alternative sports maintain that it’s not about the sport, but that it’s about pushing the boundaries and overcoming their own limitations.”
“John Wooden who said : “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do’.”
Read the full story, and check out some options you can do in the UK, including a custom-built day for you and your friends!
Take one crane, some kind of board, a parachute, and someone slightly mad, and you get the above!! Want to find something a little closer to home, and maybe a little less dangerous: check out SFDO’s UK activities.
“Pump up the adrenaline by taking to the air, climbing a mountain, hurtling down one on a bike, or kayaking through turquoise waters in Fethiye and Ölüdeniz. The variety of this area’s active sports is second to none. For vacationers who want to do more than lie by a pool or prop up a bar, this is the essential information
Careening down a winding mountain road in a dolmuş taxi is enough adventure for some visitors to southern Turkey. For others, nothing beats flying down the same road on a mountain bike.”
Sports include:
Paragliding
Microlighting
Sea Kayaking
Mountain Biking
Wind & Kite Surfing
Read full story. Fancy something closer to home: check out the activities that SFDO has to offer.
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.
“A MAJOR new festival is coming to Scarborough in September. The “extreme sport 360″ festival will run between Friday September 17 and Sunday 19 at the Open Air Theatre.
It will feature competitions in up to six extreme sport events and will also include a concert, with a big headline act announced next month for the Saturday night.
Surfing, skateboarding and brush- boarding events have already been confirmed and the organisers, the Cirrion Group, are negotiating with three more sports.
The event will also link in with the annual motorbike races at Oliver’s Mount. Fiona Sidwell, chief executive of Cirrion, said: “Our ultimate aim is to build an extreme sports centre in Scarborough that will compete with the main European extreme sports destinations”
“Urban sports are much safer, when compared to extreme sports. You can probably guess by the name, extreme sports involve much greater dangers. In many cases, the execution for extreme sports is hazardous and involves more skill. The human limit is constantly being tested and pushed in extreme sports. The return for taking on such risks is an irreplaceable adrenalin rush.
If you are thinking of taking up a sport, start by assessing the activities in your area. It could be street soccer, skateboarding, stunt biking, or even basketball. As long as the sport takes place in the city, it’s considered an urban sport. Take note of the similarities from these sports activities.”
Get prepared for urban sports with the full article.
According to this press release from Active Mate, climbing and extreme sports can make a man more attractive to a woman – doesn’t seem to appear the opposite way round – wonder if we can see the original survey!
“A survey by psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman ranked 15 common sports into a “sexiness scale”, with 57% of women finding climbing the most attractive sport, closely followed by extreme sports (56%), football (52%), and hiking (51%). Bottom of female respondents’ list came golf, with just 9% of their vote.
Men, Wiseman discovered, said they’d be most attracted to women into aerobics (70%), yoga (65%), and the gym (64%). Bottom of their list came bodybuilding (5%), rugby (6%), and – again – golf (18%). The online survey polled 6,142 people.”
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!
“If I die, it’ll be doing something enjoyable – it’s got to happen sometime, why not today?” Visit the website of ‘Tough Guy‘, “The original and toughest test of its kind anywhere in the World. Run on the last Sunday in January, you will need every last ounce of mental and physical strength you can muster to rise to this challenge. Your fear of heights, tight spaces, fire, water and electricity will be tested to the max. Everyone bar the very toughest will be beaten!” If you’re feeling fit enough, there’s still time to enter, and it’s not restricted to ‘guys’ either!
ITN Source describe it as a “horrific two-mile obstable course in the Tough Guy race in Staffordshire, United Kingdom, designed by a former Grenadier Guardsman near the village of Old Perton. The annual race starts in the village with an eight-mile run, before competitors have to wade through energy-sapping mud and plunge into ice-cold water to reach the finishing post. As if this wasn’t bad enough they also have to negotiate flames, smoke bombs and taunting marshalls.The course is so bad that runners are required to sign a disclaimer which reads: “It’s my own bloody fault for being here” just to take part.”
If you get a chance to watch this series of videos (by the BBC, Region 2 only), then take the opportunity. If you have access to the iPlayer, the episode ‘Creatures of the Deep‘ has another 19 days to run! Although the main focus of the programme is upon the creatures who inhabit the deep, the final 10 minutes of the programme demonstrates how some of this amazing footage was captured (and there’s nothing like hovering in the seabed whilst a large ray drifts majestically past) by expert scuba divers! These divers were breaking new ground … literally for one section, as they drilled through 2 metres of ice, and investigated life underneath for an hour at the time (before air/heat started to wear out). Over 100 dives were made under the ice, and the programme makers also created a new reef in the Bahamas. The programme took over 4 years to make!
“Hilarious vid that made me laugh out loud. John Symms heads to Asia to take a look into the emerging freeski scene in South Korea. XDragon and his X-Crew show off their outfits, cuisine, and passion for the sport at ski area that’s open 24/7. If this episode doesn’t make you smile, you need a new sport. Definitely worth a look see.”
When I saw “horse-surfing” come up in my Google Alerts, I was SURE that there was going to be a horse surfing along on a board, nice gentle waves, and being patted gently by his/her owner, but no, here’s what actually happens:
Read more on the Extreme Horseriding site, the site of Daniel Fowler-Prime: “The guy who got hit by the brainwave of combining the power of the horse with the power of the swell was trick rider Daniel Fowler-Prime. Bored on a British beach back in 2005, Daniel hooked up with a couple of kite surfer buddies to begin wet running the then colt of a sport. Understandably, there were nerves at first about being at the mercy of an animal with its own temperament, but this unpredictability is part of the rush – and there’s always a trained rider at hand in case the stallion gets too spirited, or the filly too feisty.” Daniel says this sport is very much suited to the British climate as “Unlike in normal surfing, you don’t want too much in terms of waves,” explains Daniel. “The board needs just of few inches of water. The secret to getting speed is to stay as shallow as possible – but it’s a gamble too because if you catch the sand with your board you’re going to fall down hard.” (Quote from Environmental Graffiti).
“Kickflipboards.com is a fast growing and dynamic skate and extreme sports store with an extensive brand and product portfolio including skateboards, longboards, terrain boards, ice skates, quad skates, powerstriders and safety equipment.” Visit the store.
Extreme Ironing is such a well-established sport that it has its own Wikipedia entry, and quite an extensive one at that… but I’m guessing that the ironing is not really the objective of this sport, as we see men ironing shirts under waterfalls, etc. (I’m not being sexist, but in very few of these are there women)!
Extreme Ironing was invented in Leicester in 1997, then going global, with the first Extreme Ironing World Championships being held in Munich 2002. The sport combines “the thrill of extreme outdoor activity – rock climbing, mountaineering, canoeing, scuba diving or surfing – with the satisfaction of well-pressed clothing. Participants of the sport are known as ironists and pride themselves on returning to work on Monday morning in a shirt which was ironed at the weekend whilst dangling from a rock face or riding the rapids.” Phil Shaw, the sport’s founding father.
I’m not sure if the website is working, but if you can read German, try here – I can’t, but I think the photos give it away!
“IT says everything about Jenna Downing’s chosen sport that she can be instantly recognisable in America but hardly given a second glance in this country. It’s even more ironic when you consider that she’s a World Champion … although few people in South Yorkshire would be aware of that, nor have any real idea of what her sport is all about. Welcome to the all-action roller blading world of Extreme Inline Skating where tricks, stunts and spins on ramps are commonplace.” …
“”Extreme sports are very popular in America, so, with TV appearances and everything some people, particularly teenagers and children tend to know who I am. They ask for my autograph and have their picture taken with me but it’s nothing like on the scale of footballers in this country,” added Jenna. In this country, however, it’s much more a case of spreading the word about her sport and highlighting her projects with Sport England and the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, both of which involve working with young people.”
Wow, wow, wow – these guys have got timing, they’ve got rhythm, they’ve got bounce! I just like having a taste of adrenalin sports – these guys have SERIOUS dedication to their art! Thanks to Tom Minter from Socks for Happy People for drawing it to my attention.
“Born in 1962, Alain Robert is the world’s most accomplished urban climber. He has scaled more than 85 buildings around the globe including the Eiffel Tower – 314m (1,027 ft), the Sydney Tower – 319m (1,047 ft), the Petronas Twin Towers – 452m (1,488 ft) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sears Tower Chicago – 443m (1,453 ft) and Taipei 101 – 508 m (1,667 ft).
Robert began climbing as a young boy, scaling rock cliffs in the area around his home. His ‘buildering’ career began at the age of 12 when he forgot his keys and was locked out of his parents’ eighth-floor apartment. Instead of waiting for them to return home, he simply scaled the exterior wall…”
“Away from the glitzy shows, travellers looking for a different thrill will relish a night-time visit to the top of the Macau Tower. It is highly recommended: from the viewing platforms located 230m above the street, the lights of the city spread out before you like a giant glittering carpet. Come here before 7.30pm and the brave can walk along the outside rim of the tower, connected only by a safety harness. Not for the faint of heart.
If this Skywalk doesn’t get enough adrenalin pumping you could also try the planet’s highest bungee jump at the Macau Tower: a 233m, 200kmh plunge. Take the plunge and a video, t-shirt and membership of the exclusive Macau Tower bungee jump club will be your reward.
And if you’re still after an extra extreme-sports delivered rush, you can take part in a two-hour outdoor climb up the mast to the very top of the 338m high tower. A head for heights is a must, but the view from the top is one that only a few get to experience.”
Wend Magazine brought this video to our attention, saying “It reminded me of just how crazy Gravity Sports really are: downhill inline skating, street luge, buttboarding, downhill skateboarding, andgravity biking aren’t your average sports to say the least. But strap on some protective gear, throw yourself down a hill at over 50 mph and some people will call it fun.”
“Shaun Gladwell critically and poetically links personal experience with contemporary culture and historical references through performance, video, painting and sculpture. Gladwell’s works engage these concerns through forms of urban expression such as skateboarding, hip-hop, graffiti, BMX bike riding and break-dancing.”
“Crawford was chairskating, an extreme sport he invented with fellow chairskater Mitch Vernon. Like all great ideas, chairskating was mostly born out of boredom.
Besides chairskating, the two dabble in other extreme sports including skateboarding and building climbing.
“Any kind of extreme, crazy sport we can get our hands on,” Vernon said.
Chairskating requires four things: a skateboard, a flat surface (preferably a decline and off campus), a suitably awesome chair to sit on top of said board, and a willingness to throw it all together and go for a sweet ride.”
As YouTube describes it: “FREE STYLE stars HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALs Corbin Bleu in an uplifting story about a young man and his determination to win a coveted spot on the Grand National motocross racing team. With the support of his loving mother (Penelope Ann Miller, KINDERGARTEN COP), precocious little sister (Madison Pettis, THE GAME PLAN and upcoming SEVEN POUNDS) and new girlfriend (Sandra Echeverria, Telemundos MARINA), Cale proves against all odds that he has the heart, the willpower and the courage to never give up on his dream.”
Want to Watch It? Sounds a bit of an Americano morality tale to me, but could have some good action images, although the reviews on IMDB have not been strong, and the Seattle Times says that you’ll only enjoy the motocross if you’re NOT a motocross fan, but that the story has some interesting parallels with the life of Barack Obama!
A free weekend of extremesportsaction at the coast, Xperience’09 will featureBMX, in-line skating, surfing and snowsports – perfect for those who like an adrenaline rush. Taking place in Tynemouth, Xperience’09 will play host to thousands of extremesport enthusiasts from across Europe. Spectators will be able to join in on the action and learn from the very best in the business. With over 20 years of experience, Team Extreme will not disappoint with their exhilarating performances. Other highlights will include a live music stage, urban art and more.
“THE brains behind the new multi-million pound Minehead Eye youth and community centre celebrated a landmark in its construction by touring the site for themselves this week.
The steel frame has been erected and, for the first time, the scale of the heart of the building, which will house extreme sports facilities, has been revealed.
….
As well as catering for extreme sports, Minehead Eye will provide access to facilities which encourage creativity in sports, art, music and media.”
“They used to be known as Hollyoaks’ Max and OB, but since leaving the soap actors Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries have been taking on some andrenalin-packed adventures.
The pair have just spent three months travelling the world filming Red Bull Rivals, an extreme sports show where they take on a different challenge each week.
They even roped in some celebrity mates to get in on the action and say they picked up some inevitable injuries.”
“They used to be known as Hollyoaks’ Max and OB, but since leaving the soap actors Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries have been taking on some andrenalin-packed adventures.
The pair have just spent three months travelling the world filming Red Bull Rivals, an extreme sports show where they take on a different challenge each week.
They even roped in some celebrity mates to get in on the action and say they picked up some inevitable injuries.”
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is the film “Whip It”, a comedic action film, which has received a good rating on IMDB also, is based around a teenage girls desire to no longer be a misfit, but to join an adrenalin sport which gives her an opportunity to own her own voice.
Roller Derbys? Although the sport still skates the thin line between legit competition and trashy entertainment, derby is making its second big swing back into the mainstream.
How is it played? Here’s the gist: Each team has five skaters, one of whom — the jammer — scores points. The teams play two 30-minute periods, each split into a series of jams, which are races for points. The blockers start in a pack ahead of each team’s jammer, whose job it is to lace through the pack and score points by legally passing the other team’s blockers.
“Cameron paints complicated tricks in his head before trying to land them on a half-pipe in his backyard. The 90-pound competitor recently won the first two legs of a national five-leg freestyle scooter competition called Raise the Gnar. (Raymond Warner, of Murrieta, won the advanced division of the first leg.)
With several dozen tricks in his pocket, Cameron is young to reach the intermediate level, by most standards, having competed at least five times and, as he likes to say, “On the cusp of pro.”
“It’s full-time fun for me,” Cameron said casually from underneath an oversized skater hat emblazoned with a skull and wings, clutching one of his six scooters before diving into hours of practice. “I’ve been doing it long enough now (a year-and-a-half) that I can’t stop doing it. Even if I tried, I couldn’t stop because I’m so addicted.”
“LONDON – Action Man makes a return to toy shelves today after a three-year absence dressed not in military uniforms but as more modern heroes such as extreme-sports participants.
Tesco is stocking thousands of the Action Man figures that despite having apparently been discharged from the armed forces continue to come armed with a range of weapons.
The range, which starts at £5, includes a scuba patrol and a desert moto-cross bike rider.
Action Man first appeared in Britain in 1966. Earlier this year the Ministry of Defence licenced a range of authentic HM Armed Forces action figures.”
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
Bex: “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?!
Extreme Ironing was invented in Leicester in 1997, then going global, with the first 
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“LONDON – Action Man makes a return to toy shelves today after a three-year absence dressed not in military uniforms but as more modern heroes such as extreme-sports participants.
