Cost: $6800 for 8 nights accommodation and 100,000 vertical feet of skiing.

Forget the hotels, forget the lift tickets, forget the well groomed snow that’s beneath your feet when you’re having a fun time skiing down the “black diamond” trails at the resort.  Forget everything you thought you knew about skiing. Big mountain skiing is BIG…and STEEP. It is so BIG that you need to hitch a ride in a helicopter to reach the mountain summit at 15,000 feet; it’s so STEEP that a slight pop of the skis when sliding down the mountain slopes can send you flying through the air for 20 feet. There are no closed trails, no boundaries, no maintenance crew, no paramedics. You can ski any lines you want; you can ski any time you want, the lift does not close at 4:00pm (actually, there aren’t any lifts at all). But at the same time, you can hit a rock buried under the snow and tumble down the mountain at 40 mph (64 km); you can set off avalanches that will bury you under 50 feet of snow. There’s no one but your friends to save you when shit goes down; you’re playing a dangerous game with the mountain. Most of the time, when she’s feeling good, she lets you have some of the most amazing time ever. But don’t get it twisted, when she’s in a bitchy mood, there’s no telling what she’ll do.

Big mountain has evolved a long way from the early days of Andre Tournier skiing down Aiguille d’Argentiere and Bill Brigg skiing down Grand Teton at Jackson Hill, Wyoming. The video industry has brought the extreme sport to the general public through movies like the Blizzard of Ahhs and STEEP. When Blizzard of Ahhs first came out 1987, the film literally revolutionized the skiing industry. Avid ski enthusiasts can all remember where they saw the movie and what they were doing at the time, even to this day. It created a new breed of big mountain skiers in Doug Coomb and Shane McConkey who pushed big mountain skiing to the forefront of extreme sports.

The uniqueness of Alaska Chugach comes from the wide open canvas of snow that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Unlike mountains like Chamonix, where the presence of 1000 foot vertical cliff drop and big rocks block many of the long stretches of skiing lines, Chugach is much more wide open. The many unobstructed ski slopes really allows the skier to really get after the lines they want to ski. Skier who has been to Chugach often describe their experience as out of this world. Due to the dry weather condition in the Alaskan mountain range, moisture gets sucked out of the freshly laid snow, which turns it into perfect white powder. Sometimes the snow gets picked up by the ski and follows you down the slope; it almost feels like they have a life of their own and are dancing around you as you carve your way down the mountain. To most skiers(which probably includes you), it is one of the most incredible and exciting experience in the world.

Alaska Heli Skiing Part 1

Alaska Heli Skiing Part II

So without further ado, for the first post of the series, the adventure is located within the Swiss Alps, but it’s not skiing. You get to…

Fly a jet fighter along the mountains and valleys of Swiss Alps

cost: $2950-$5950

my eyes were glinting with excitement after finding out that I can have the opportunity to pilot an L-39 jet fighter. Soaring through the mountains and blitzing through the valleys Swiss Alps at 500 MPH, daring yourself to get closer and closer to the wall, you don’t need the video to tell that this must be an amazing experience. It’s almost like Proximity Flying, except you’re in a much bigger and faster wingsuit. The best part is, almost anyone can do it!!! (as long as you’re in reasonable health) They provide the training and the equipment, as well as pictures and videos of the amazing experience. Honestly, I don’t think life gets much better than that.

To learn how you can fly the plane, visit here

L39 flying upside down in the Alps

Fly faster, so no one can catch up to you.
Fly higher, so no one can look down upon you.
-Connie and I

Ever since I was little, flying has always been a dream of mine. If I can become any animal for the rest of my life, I would choose to be a falcon. To me, flying is the ultimate expression of freedom. I can break the chain and escape from the cage called social obligations. I don’t have to speak with people for the sake of networking; I don’ t have to attend boring career workshops and pretend there is nowhere else I want to be. I wish god made us so we were born with wings, but i guess he was afraid that we’d fly higher and closer to him until the day he can no longer look down upon us anymore.

L39 on the airstripe in the Swiss Alps

Until she said “I do” to Glen Singleman, Heather Swan was trying her best to live her double life as a successful corporate executive and a single mom. However, that all changed when she was dragged into the world of skydiving and BASE jumping back in 1999. Like she said:

“My first jump was not until a year after we married and I found it terrifying. Before then I’d been just a safe corporate mum working hard at my desk and chatting at the watercooler.”

Glen Singleman gliding above the clouds, courtesy of Baseclimb.com

Ever since then, Heather has turned into an authentic adrenaline junkie. 6 years after that first skydive, she finally overcame the nerve and stepped up her game to join the elite club of BASE jumpers.

Heather BASE jump

Finally, in 2006, after 6 years of meticulous planning, she truly earned her place among the greatest BASE jumpers when she embarked on a 23-hour climb up Mt Meru and flew off in a wingsuit from 6672 metre up in the air. Till this day, she’s still the Guiness World Record Holder for the highest BASE jump ever attempted.  Jumping from the rarified air, she and her husband took a mere 2 minutes to glide down, reaching the terminal velocity of over 200 km/hr. After she landed, she finally achieved something so extrodinary that no one else, not even the founder of BASE Jumping Carl Boenish had attempted.

Heather and Glen jumping off Mt Meru, courtesy of Barcroft

Now Heather is a professional BASE Jumpers along with her husband Glen Singleman. She’s also a motivational speaker inspiring people around the world. She’s got a newly released book called “No Ceiling“, as well as a documentary called “BASEclimb 3″ recounting their experience during the Mt Meru trip. To learn more about Heather Swan, Glen Singleman, as well as their amazing endeavours, click here

This is how BASE jumping taught Heather how to conquer her fears, now she challenges everyone to do the same:

“Do one thing that you don’t think you can do, and I guarantee you will succeed”

Readers, will you take up her challenge?

sources: 1 2 3

A few days ago, I was looking over some more BASE jumping videos, and found the above video by chance. Within the first 30 seconds, I was left speechless with goose bumps across my body. While combining Backcountry Skiing with BASE jumping may seem like a natural step in progression, Shane McConkey was the one crazy enough to push forward. When I showed the video to my girlfriend, she said he must not value his life (she’s probably the polar opposite of a thrillseeker). I simply laughed.  Shane said it best in the video:

“I have had 6 season ending injuries in the past 10 years, and people always ask me: is it worth it, getting hurt that much. And the answer is yes. I would do it all over again, I would have 6 more season ending injuries in the next 10 years in order to do what we get to do. There’s nothing better than flying down the snow, flying through the air.”

Shane McConkey blitzing downhill

Shane never compromised in life, and skiing was his life.

“There’s something really cool about getting scared. I don’t know what it is.”

To most, that may sound like a person who has a slight suicidal tendency. But looking from another perspective, just like Jeb Corliss, he has already accepted the fact that he may one day die from skiing. To come to grip with the fear of death allowed him to embrace his life. To live your life on your own terms, isn’t that something we should all do?

Click Here to see Shane McConkey’s photo gallery, provided by Freeskier Magazine.

While Wangan literally means “Bayshore” in Japanese, it’s not a place where you admire the beautiful scenery of the waterfront during the night. From Dusk to Dawn, at the so called Shuto “Wangan” Expressway in Tokyo Japan, highly modified tuner vehicles often prowl the streets, looking out for worthy opponents to humiliate. Japanese supercars like the Nissan GTR, Mazda RX-7, and Honda NSX-R dominates the street during the night hours. If you want to run with the best of the best on the Wangan, make sure your skill and your ride is good enough to top 200 mph. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to stay close enough to eat your opponent’s dust.

Night at Wangan Highway

Wangan street racing became prominent during the 1990’s when a racing team called Midnight Club rose through the ranks in the underground street racing world. They started hosting top speed runs across Tokyo and Yokohama. Racing speed over 190 mph (300 km/hr) mph were commonplace during their hosted events. The ultra exclusive club only has around 30 members, whose rides can all top 200 mph (320 km/hr). Being admitted as a regular member of the club was seen as an upmost honor. They often represent the elite of the elite in the underground racing scene. Think of them as the Ace fighter pilots in the US Air Force. They are the top dogs, and when they walk through the door, everyone notices. However, excitement at this type of speed often comes with a heavy pricetag. During one night in1999, the danger finally caught up to them. A major accident happened when a few of the club members were a race with local biker gang, causing 6 critical injuries and 1 death. From then on, the Midnight Club was forever disbanded. However, through the 14 years of existence, Midnight Club became one of the most well known and respected club in Japanese illegal street racing history. Just like how Michael Jordan globalized Basketball, and how Michael Schumacher transformed F1. Without Midnight Club, the state of Wangan would not be where it is today.

Wangan Racing at Night

Since the hay days of Midnight Club, the Wangan has transformed into a social gathering place for many auto enthusiasts. People would often meet at the roadside parking lots, checking other people’s ride, and often go out together for a blissful joyride. The vehicles are often heavily modified to suit each individual’s taste. Because only a handful selection of production car models are suitable base for modification to run on the Wangan, car owners tend to use unique bodykits and crazy paint jobs to differentiate themselves from each other. However, when it comes to performance, most serious Wangan racers typically tune their vehicle to output around 500-600 hp, about the same as a Ferrari or Lamborghini.

The title of the “Fastest on Wangan” currently belongs to Mr. Kazuhiko “Smoky” Nagata, the brain and inspiration behind Top Secret Performance Engineering Service, one of the most respected performance tuning shops in Japan. Mr. Nagata was also once a member of the famed Midnight Club, and has been running along the Wangan for most of his life. His latest monster creation Toyota Supra V12, with a capable top speed of 222 mph (356 km/hr), is so fast at the top end it is rumored that nobody even tries to keep up with him anymore.

To put the performance figure into perspective, a top speed of 222 mph (356 km/h) is faster than any supercar not named Bugatti Veyron or Maclaren F1. At a rated 950 hp, it has twice as much horsepower as a Ferrari F430 and 370 hp more than a Lamborghini Murcielago. At its top speed, the supra cuts through the air like a golden bullet, traveling the length of an entire football field every second!!! For your average family sedan to reach 80 mph, the Top Secret Toyota Supra will be doing close to 200 mph.

200 MPH Top Secret Supra

While another racing team like the Midnight Club may never be established again due to increasingly tight traffic regulations and police enforcement, the Wangan Expressway will always be about the car enthusiasts chasing their own perfections, pushing the physical limitation of the body and the mind. To those like minded people, the natural adrenaline high that comes from knowing you’re walking on blurred line between life and death is intoxicating. Wangan is like that hot but crazy bitch that every guy just can’t let go of. From a logical standpoint, everyone knows racing at over 200 mph on the public road is simply insane. However, just like how the guy knows the mentally unstable girl in front of him will probably destroy his career, distant his friends, and completely fuck up his life, he just can’t resist the guilty pleasure that often comes with the craziness. That’s why, to those who are daring enough to experience her charm, Wangan is an addiction like no other.

Herman Maier recently retired as one of the greatest apline skier in the history of his sport. In his 13 year career, he won 4 World Cup, 2 Olympic gold, 3 World Championship Titles, as well as a asounting total of 54 races in the World Cup series. Undoublty number one in his time and arguably one of the best of all time, not only because of his competitiveness and obsessive preparation, but more so because he made one of the most imporable sports comeback.

During August 24th, 2001, Maier was sideswiped while riding a motorcycle and critically injured both of his legs. Doctor seriously considered severing his right legs because it was already half severed from his body. While the leg was saved, everyone thought the “Herminator” had died in that accident. However, due to his sheer determination to get back to the top, he finally came back to the international competition scene after 2 years of rehab and got a win in the legendary course at Kitzbuhel in Austria only 2 weeks after his re-entrance.

Hermann Maier, we will always remember your amazing performances, and I wish you’ll still be involved with the sport one way or another.

Often times the most exciting things are also the most dangerous. BASE jumping probably rank fairly high on that list. BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span, earth. Instead of jumping out of an airplane from 13,000 ft, BASE jumping entails leaping off of a fixed object like a cliff, bridge, tower, or building. Since the jump is typically made at much lower altitude. BASE jumpers rarely reach the terminal velocity of 200 km/hr, because there is simply not enough distance for acceleration. However, if your name is Heather Swan, then you need not apply. When she jumped off the cliff of Mt. Meru at 21,000 feet, she was able to reach 200 km/hr even with a wingsuit. While BASE jumping evolved from skydiving, make  no mistake; the former is far more dangerous than latter. Statistically, 1 in every 100,000 people dies from skydiving; 1 in every 60 dies from BASE jumping. Through 500 BASE jump, the chance of you spending time in the hospital from a serious injury is 99%. The odd of you getting injured at least once is 100%. Jeb Corliss, the most respected BASE jumper today, having jumped over 1000 times around the world, often compare BASE jumping to the military. Initially, it may sound ridiculous to compare the recreational thrill seekers to the people that lay their lives on the line to protect our country. However, once you put some thought into it, it’s not too far off. Just like every soldier, every BASE jumper understands and accepts that he or one of his friends may die today; every jump could be their last. There may be 5 people getting on that helicopter to the summit, and only 4 might see the light of another day. In the back of their mind, there’s always a lingering question: “who is it going to be this time?” It surely isn’t a sport for the faint hearted. Now just out of curiosity, would you ever want to attempt BASE jumping?

Imagine standing at the edge of the cliff at the picture above, staring at this amazing view. You suddenly feel a chill crawling up your spine; the sensation is giving you goose bumps. You try to blame it on the chilly wind that is brushing against your skin, but you know better. In a moment, you’re about to leap off of this 10,000 ft cliff, free falling towards the ground at 140 km/hr. The spine tingling sensation is from the massive dose of adrenaline being released inside your body. Your friend beside you is doing the final countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Let’s Rock!!! And with a final push, you leap forward. The descent is slow at first, but gravity never fails to work her magic. In mere seconds, you approach the mind boggling velocity of 140 km/hr. The ground below is quickly approaching, and any wrong move, the turbulent wind might slam you right into the cliff wall. At this velocity, even a brush with the cliff can be fatal. But the funny thing is, none of that matters at the moment. There is no fear, there is no what if in the back of your mind. Only the fact that you’re free, free from the daily stresses that chain you down, and free from the limit that has caged you ever since birth. “That’s too dangerous,” “That’s physically impossible,” “You can’t do that,” These are the words often uttered by most of your elders and your peers when you were growing up. But now, with a slight smirk, you can look straight into their eyes and say: “Guess what, I did the impossible.”

So where’s the difference? What makes BASE jumping 1500 times more dangerous than skydiving? Skydivers often use airflow to stabilize themselves before opening up the parachute. The faster you’re going, the more control you have. In BASE jumping, since the velocity is slower, body control is more difficult. Therefore if the parachute is opened when body is not fully stabilized, there’s a high chance of parachute entanglement as well as off heading towards an obstacle. To further heighten the risks, skydivers typically have 3 minutes between the time the parachute opens and the time they land; it’s around 10 seconds in BASE jumping. Therefore, if the primary chute malfunctions, BASE jumpers do not have the luxury of opening up their backup in time before they fall to the ground [1].

Today, flying techniques and equipments have advanced greatly since its origin. With the recent invention of wingsuit, which is a special diving suit that turns the human body into an airfoil that creates lift, a new form of base jumping called proximity flying started appearing. BASE jumpers started experimenting with wingsuit to see how close they can fly alongside the cliff, tracing out the contour of the wall. The video below shows some amazing footage of proximity flying. In the video, Loic Jean Albert, a well known BASE jumper said: “At the beginning of wingsuit BASE jumping, we try to fly as far away from the wall as possible. Now it’s getting boring, so we play around.” Man…talk about a nutcase. At one point, Loic was gliding a mere 2-3 feet away from the cliff wall at 160 km/hr!!!

Proximity Flying

So what’s next for these insane BASE jumpers? Word is that Jeb Corliss is attempting to land on the ground using only his wingsuit. There are also people trying to put mini jet engines on their suit to achieve sustained flight. The latter idea has made some headway in the past few years. In 2005, Visa Parviainen jumped from a hot air balloon wearing a wingsuit with a jet engine on each leg. He was able to sustain a 30 second flight with no altitude loss. In 2008, Yves “Jetman” Rossy, flew across the 35 km English Channel with his special designed carbon fiber wingpack. He hopes to one day be able to truly soar through the sky like the falcons. While these ideas may all sound crazy, but so are the people attempting to accomplish these lofty goals. When crazy people try out crazy ideas, sometimes it just might work. After all:

“limits, like fear, are often just an illusion.”

-Michael Jordan

Source:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASE_jumping

[2] http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/wiki/BASE_Origins