The First Mountain Bikes : Fat-Tyres and Clunkers

Mark Pawlak    mountainbikingholidays     mountain bike holidays, Mountain bikes, mountain biking, MTB, MTB gear

Mountain bikes are about as technical as bikes come. Frankly, in terms of innovation, some look light years ahead of road bikes.

The MTB Today

But don’t think they just turned up. The first mountain bikes are as old as the hills – well not that old – but let’s take a look back over the last 40 years and see how they developed.

There are a few familiar names here, so you’ll get to see that some MTB manufacturers really are old skool.

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Walking gear : how getting your kit off keeps you warm

Mark Pawlak    ash     clothing, Nepal, trekking, trekking gear, Trekking in Nepal, Walking clothing, walking gear, Walking kit

Sounds crazy? But that’s right, the best way to keep warm is to get your walking gear off  – well, as much of it as possible…

We all keep on far too many clothes when it warms up, leaving us with little else to put on when the temperature drops again – no wonder we still feel cold when mummified in winter jackets and fleeces.

Layer up when you need to, kit off when you don't. Image: Flickr/thedanphotos

The same applies when we come in from the cold or shelter for a while when out walking. Basically , we play the layer game when the temperature drops but don’t like to reduce layers when it rises again.

The key to getting your layers right is to not judge temperature by what’s outside, but on how warm you feel inside.

Some of these skills come with experience, but arguably you can learn them walking to the shops: you don’t need to be trekking in Nepal to apply the onion-skin approach to layers.

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Geographically embarrassed : Is it Red Sea or Dead Sea?

Mark Pawlak    ash     Dead Sea, Diving Holidays, Diving in the Red Sea, Egypt, Jordan, red Sea, Scuba, Scuba Diving, scuba diving holidays

There are a number of travel trivia questions that always turn up in quizzes and conversations. And every time they have you scratching your head in a, ‘I really should know this’ kind of way. Well, we’re looking at the places and countries causing this confusion, starting with the Red Sea / Dead Sea mystery.

Diving in the Red Sea, not a dead sea Image: Flickr/derekkeats

As it’s likely to be a geography question that reveals your confusion, let’s start with location then explain more about these two very different places – pay attention, we will be asking questions…

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Trekking Machu Picchu:should we trek on sacred ground?

Jonathan Tait    trekkingholidays     Colombia, Machu Picchu, trekking, trekking holidays, Trekking in Colombia, Trekking in Peru

Ciudad Perdida, Machu Picchu, Roraima.  All sacred places and all top trekking holidays for thousands of tourists every year. But is it right for us to walk free over this holy ground? Does our modern impact anger the gods?  And if we are trekking Machu Picchu and other sites of religious significance, can we ever balance our needs with those of the places we visit?

The view onto Machu Picchu Image: Flickr/Active Steve

Roraima, the great tepuy of Venezuela’s Gran Sabana and inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, is a sacred link between earth and sky for the native Indians of the area. It’s their Mount Olympus, and with its endemic life forms and constantly shifting weather systems, it’s a mystical wonder even to an avid agnostic.

A telling sign of the lasting importance of Roraima’s spirituality is the necessity of all treks to be accompanied by at least one native Indian. It is his duty to offer a blessing to the 1800-metre rock face, and request divine permission to scale its heights. Whilst it may seem phoney to the western tourist, it’s no effort to respect these beliefs and be glad that there is a job that no one can be more qualified for than a native.

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Kiteboarding set for King’s Cup

Mark Pawlak    sailingbreaks     King's Cup, kiteboarding, Sailing, Sailing Holidays, sailing regatta, thailand

People who love sailing in Thailand will be able to add kiteboarding to their list of activities to check out at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

The Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA) has announced that it will be holding an invitation-only event at this year’s King’s Cup, which is celebrating a quarter century of competitions in 2011.

Kiteboarding, coming to Phuket's top sailing event. Image: Flickr/tibchris

The inclusion of the developing sport shows that the King’s Cup is at the forefront of new forms of sailing, with some 20 kiteboarders expected to compete at December’s event.

People visiting the King’s Cup who’ve not watched kiteboarding before will also be able to witness the best the sport has to offer – with pro riders from the World Tour likely to be among the competitors.

At the helm of the demonstration will be all-round kiteboarding legend Narapichit “Yo” Pudla. The Thai kiteboarder and two-time Asia champion will be joined by two-time Japanese freestyle champion Aya Oshima and Philippines champion Ken Nacor, suggesting that fans of sailing events attending Phuket will be enjoying the cream of the kiteboarding crop.

The sport is already well-established in Thailand, but its inclusion at the King’s Cup will throw it open to whole new audience who are more familiar with general yacht racing. The international tour has been held in Hua Hin for the past two years, while professional kiteboarders are also used to the exquisite Thai waters thanks to the country’s status as a Kiteboard Tour Asia stop.

Willy Kerr, KTA tour director, said: “This year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will feature a thrilling KTA race event which will be a unique addition to the Phuket King’s Cup. There is a growing interest in the sport across much of South East Asia, and we’re very excited to be able to bring this spectacle to people who may not be familiar with the stylish, cool fun of the professional kiteboarding scene.”

Kevin Whitcraft, president of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee, said: “We’re delighted to welcome an exhibition event by Kiteboard Tour Asia at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup. This is a bold step for us in terms of broadening the regatta, and we hope this new element will have very strong appeal to kiteboarding enthusiasts and a younger sailing audience. Kiteboarding continues to grow in popularity in Asia, and Thailand in particular offers an accessible and exciting opportunity for anyone who wishes to see pro kiteboarding events.”

Established in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of the King of Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup will celebrate 25 years when it gets under way on December 3 at Kata Beach.

5 of the best beginner surfing spots in Australia

Mark Pawlak    surfingholidays     australia, learn to surf, Surf Clothing, surf schools, Surfing, surfing holidays, Surfing in Australia

It is all too easy to become a beach bum in Australia. With so many glorious sandy stretches, there are ample opportunities to kick back with a cold brew and enjoy some quality sweet-doing-nothing me time. But watching so many surfers gliding effortlessly out at sea, curiosity might start to get the better of you.

Oz: the place to catch your first wave. Image: Flickr/daveconray

And why not? Surfing is Australia’s national sport and with so many surfing schools dotted around the country, it is one of the best places to learn. So, check out 5 of our favourite places to learn to surf in Australia whether you want to avoid the crowds, need a convenient location close to the city or want to hide your wobbly falls or bikini mishaps from the boys.

Find out how you could win a free surfing lesson for you and 3 friends in Australia below, then visit the HostelBookers blog to get involved!

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Kitesurfer takes national speed record at Lüderitz

Mark Pawlak    kiteboardingholidays     kite boarding, kite surfing, kiteboarding holidays, record, World record

Kitesurfing champion Wolfram Reiners has broken the German Kitesurfing Speed Record and crept closer to being the fastest man on the water.

Adding 4 knots to the previous record,  he hit almost 50 knots over the 500m section recording an average time of 46.26 (86km/h).

Wolfram setting the German record

Wolfram is now the fastest German under sail after his recent performance at the 2011 Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Namibia also gave him the Outright Speed Sailing Record for Germany (that’s all classes of sailing crafts).

As Sport Director of the Kitekahunas Team he gets plenty of practice at his favoured training spots on Sunset beach, Cape Town.

The event at Lüderitz has a history of turning up top performances. Key to it all is a channel devised to suit kite surfers, wind surfers and hydrofoil boats.

It’s thanks to the town’s location on the edge of the Namib Desert and exposure to the Atlantic that the winds are so strong. It’s now a favoured spot for kitesurfing holidays as well as for the select few skilled enough to push their craft further towards 60 knots.

Now, just how fast could they go?