Everyone’s going Paddleboarding

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     paddleboarding, Stand up Paddle boarding, surfers against sewage, Surfing, watersports

Sat on the beach, watching the surfers searching for waves, the jet-skis scooting past and the tourists on airbeds out for laugh, you can’t help but notice new arrivals on the waters.

At first glance, they appear like canoeists, just stood on their boats. However, these are not kayakers having a lark, or surfers playing games, they are paddleboarders.
Stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is not a new, trendy, hybrid sport; the practice dates back to the origins of surfing, when Polynesian used a paddle and a board to get between islands. read more

China: The new extreme sports superpower

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Asia, bungee jumping, china, extreme sports, Paragliding

Sport in China was once far from ‘extreme’.

The extreme sports and adventure sports ethos is one of freedom: Freedom to experiment; to take convention and turn it on its head; to pioneer new sports and live life to the fullest.

And it’s a freedom that China is now embracing: To the max!
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Rainbow Nation: Adventure Sports Destination

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, Africa, botswana, extreme sports, mozambique, namibia, south africa, World Cup

In case it escaped your attention, South Africa is currently hosting the World Cup. With all eyes on the footy, it’s easy to forget the opportunities this country provides the adventure sports fan.

It has always been a place of adventure, and one of real significance in the history of exploration. The Cape of Good Hope, battered by the colliding Indian and Atlantic oceans, was always a landmark for sailors. read more

Hybrid extreme sports…what’s next?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     climb-diving, freefall paintball, korfball, snow-surfing, wave-skiing

One defining characteristic of the extreme sports, adventure sports community is its ingenuity; it is forever coming up with new sports.

So what’s next on the list, what’s next year’s adventure sports darling or future Olympic hopeful?

Here’s a few sports that are appearing on our radar – some are genuine, others less so – let’s see how many you can add to the list.

Wave-skiing?

Born after professional skiers Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend decided to ski on waves, instead of surfing them. read more

If nature is our playground….

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     nature, plastiki, roz savage, tree hugger

If nature is our playground, how do we give something back?

As much as we claim to be one with nature in our adventure sports, it’s really a one-way thing:
We use nature. There is no direct benefit to the environment as we hurtle past it, through it and over it. What the experience fosters, however, is a deeper understanding, an awareness of nature’s fragility and its resilience.

Is simply clearing up after ourselves enough, should we not be making our activities in the natural world to the benefit of the natural world?

The Plastiki - sailing on an eco-mission

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Massage and exercise: A brief overview

Tim B    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     hot stone massage, massage, swedish massage

When taking part in exercise, we often think about how our fitness and skills are improving as well as whether we are enjoying the experience or not. Very little time is spent thinking about how we should prepare for the sport, or what type of recovery is needed afterwards.

Massage has been used for centuries as a way of relieving aches, pains and stress, and improving feelings of well-being. It can be used before exercising, as a way of preparing muscles for action, and after exercise, as a way of relaxing and soothing the muscles. Massage can also be used effectively to treat any injuries that occur during activities.

A pre-sport massage can help to warm up muscles by using short and quick techniques that increase the blood flow. Stretching exercises should then be carried out to the muscles that will be used during your specific sport. read more

What’s left to climb?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     china, climb, climbing, everest, Nepal, pakistan

We are forever hearing about Everest expeditions, and K2 and the other usual suspects, but which mountains still unconquered are on mountaineers’ to-do lists?

We all to easily forget that the vast majority of the Earth’s peaks have yet to be climbed. A quick glance at the geo maps from China reveal the true scale of the challenges ahead.

According to the country’s national data, Karakorum mountain peaks at 8611m, that’s only 237m short of Everest, and there are five more mountain ranges that top out at over 7,000m. Now, who is looking to take climbing to new heights and get onto these new on challenges? read more