Bobby Brown knows a little about sick aerial freestyle skiing. At just 20 years old, Bobby is an X-Games regular and is the only person ever to have landed a Switch Double Misty 1440, o
r a Triple Flatspin. He was one of the first skiers ever to have landed a Triple Cork 1440. Luckily, Red Bull managed to grab it all on HD film and get Bobby to take us through his thought process during this insane trick in slow-mo. Enjoy.
Featuring Tommy Czeschin, Drew Danielo and friends, On The Loose showcases wakeskating, one of those fringe sports we at Nerve Rush HQ are big fans of. Beautifully shot, and seems like a sport I’d be down for on a clear, warm day.
32-year old Dave Cornthwaite is downright cool.
Former graphic designer turned adventurer and motivational speaker, Dave became disenchanted with work and, having recently taken up longboarding, decided to set out on an adventure. One year later, Dave skateboarded his way from Perth to Brisbane–yes, across the entire continent of Australia–received his first world record and book deal and never looked back.
Since then, Dave has paddled 2 of the world’s longest rivers from source to sea, crossed England (and Lake Geneva) by Stand Up Paddleboard, broken a world speed record on a human-powered hydrofoil — I could go on. The man is righteously adventurous.
I’m thrilled and humbled that Dave took the time out of his schedule to chat with us here at Nerve Rush HQ. We asked him a few questions about his Expedition1000 project, particularly his August 2012 plan to swim 1,000 miles of the lower Missouri River.
Until recently I wasn’t interested in doing a swim because I didn’t think I’d see anything, but then slowly I realised I would have a view, just a different one (two inches above the water!). Despite appearances, I’m not totally crazy, so I decided to swim downstream on a river with a decent current, and the Missouri fit the bill.
I’m not after any records on this one, it’s simply a personal challenge for someone who doesn’t swim so much to see how it feels to be in the water for so long. It’ll take 50 days, 20 miles a day between Yankton, SD and St Louis, MO. I’ll be dragging my own gear on a raft but will also have a team on the water around me. I love trickling down my experience to others so am assembling a team to do everything from still photography to safety kayak, all of them will be paddling the full 1000 miles on canoes, kayaks and SUP. If anyone would like to join the team here’s the link:
Hah! Well, now you ask…. I can’t remember the last time I swam more than 50 metres. I’ve just sailed across the Pacific and didn’t even touch the water. And I’m about to cycle a 4-wheeled bike from Miami to Memphis. I’ll do about a month of basic swimming, but nothing can prepare you for an expedition like the expedition itself. So I’ll take it easy the first couple of weeks and build up my strength. Besides, I figure I’ll be a brilliant swimmer by the end of the trip!
Sure. If you want to call this a career, my goal is to undertake 25 separate journeys, each at least 1000 miles in distance and each using a different form of non-motorised transport. Along the way I’m encouraging people to get off their butts, to combine sport and travel to stay healthy and get in touch with nature a little more. I’ve not met anyone who spends time outdoors and keeps fit that hasn’t seemed pretty much at peace with themselves, so I figure the more people who do it the better. I’m also aiming to raise £1 million for charity, including the breast cancer awareness organisation CoppaFeel. Great cause, it’s all about giving ourselves as much life as possible.
I’m really social media active on my journeys, sharing tales through video, words and still images. Check out www.davecornthwaite.com, I’m @DaveCorn on Twitter and www.facebook.com/expedition1000.
See you there!
Featured in the 2006 Reel Rock Film Tour, First Ascent is a film about those places in the world that are too dangerous, too remote..or just too hard to climb. It’s about the glory of being first, of doing something nobody has ever done before. Another beautiful documentary from Sender Films.
![5 Gut-Wrenching Activities [Inspired by Game of Thrones]](https://www.nerverush.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/5a.-daenerys-targaryen-500x333.jpg)
This is a guest post by Yael Levy of dreamBIGLY.
Dragon-taming! Jousting! Walking through fire! The characters in the fantasy hit TV show Game Of Thrones (based on George R.R. Martin’s series of books, A Song Of Ice And Fire) get up to all kinds of dangerous activities in the land of Westeros.
These heroes and villains can barely leave their castles without mortal peril befalling them! (How’s that for adventure?). Embody the Game of Thrones spirit by mastering one of their extreme skills that allow them to fight another day. Their gut-wrenching challenges make perfect additions to any adrenaline junkie’s life list – here are some of our favourites:
Arya may be the smallest character, but she is a total badass and is drawn to sword-fighting like a moth to a flame. Luckily for modern-day knights-in-training, the art of sword-fighting has not completely been lost. There are schools and courses that offer sword-fighting lessons for those of us that want to learn how to do a bit more than just ‘stick ’em with the pointy end!’
Academie Duello, the self-described ‘centre for swordplay’, offers Weapon Mastery, Warrior Fitness, and even Mounted Combat training! For more specialised weaponry skills, take a look at the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, who offer training for the longsword, sword and dagger, rapier, cut & thrust progression, and the awesome-sounding ‘renaissance grappling’. Your new life as a Ser begins here!
Jon Snow and the rangers of the Night’s Watch are the ultimate protectors of the realm, and as rugged as they come. Leaving everything they know behind them, they risk their lives crossing the Wall to the vast unknown, where wildlings, giants, wild animals and the Others await them.
So, embrace your inner ranger and venture in the wild! Take a leaf from Bear Grylls’ book, who, by the way, would absolutely dominate the Nights Watch, and go native. There are some incredibly remote places on Earth where it really is every man for himself, where you can test your mettle by living off the land, surviving the elements, animals and poisonous mushrooms.
Our top candidate for your adventure? Tristan de Cunha, an archipelago of small islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and the most remote inhabited place on Earth. It is only accessible by boat, and there isn’t a regular service. Eek.
Brandon Stark is a prolific climber who likes to scale anything and everything. If he was a real boy, he’d probably have already made epic YouTube videos of him ascending ridiculously high peaks without safety ropes whilst drinking a Red Bull.
So, chances are Bran would love to climb Spider Rock, Arizona – an 800-foot sandstone monolith spire that rises out of the ground like some otherworldly structure. It wouldn’t look out of place in Westeros, so get your gear, friends, and head on down to conquer it like a Stark!
Tyrion is the black sheep of the Lannister clan, and, after being thrown in jail for an alleged crime, Tyrion demands a trial by combat!
One of my favourite stories is that of the 60-year-old British man who, in 2002, tried to invoke the ancient practice of trial by combat rather than pay a £25 motoring fine. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the UK courts rejected his offer of a fight to the death with the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, but the question remains – how badass would it be to settle a disagreement with a good old fashioned bout of fisticuffs? If it’s good enough for Tyrion Lannister, surely it’s good enough for us?
A great modern-day equivalent to a duel is a character-building endurance test. There are a plethora of events specially designed to break you into little pieces and make you squirm.
A firm favourite is the Tough Mudder – Enroll yourself and your enemy, and you’ll face a 10-12 mile obstacle course, replete with 12-foot walls and underground mud tunnels, testing your strength, stamina and grit. The first person to the finish line gets ultimate bragging rights until the end of time. Sorted.
So Daenerys’ family are really into dragons, which apparently means that she’s impervious to fire! Handy!
Become an honorary Targaryen by learning how to fire-walk. Yes, there are professional fire-walking companies that can teach you how to walk over hot coals without feeling a thing (allegedly). You could go one step further and join a circus skills workshop, where you could learn how to partake in a spot of fire-eating, fire-breathing, or fire-juggling! Burn baby burn! (Dragons are optional!)
Game Of Thrones is full of activities that’ll get your adrenaline pumping. Level up your life by adding your ideas to your life list today. But be quick – Winter is coming…
[Image Sources: hbo.com, William Attard McCarthy/Shutterstock.com, toughmudder.com]
Yael Levey is the co-founder of dreamBIGLY – a website that’s all about getting you to live your dreams through the power of the life list! Yael lives in London, UK, and is passionate about helping people live the life they want. Follow her on Twitter.
This video is less about real climbing — have you seen Alex Honnold? — than it is luscious cinematography, but alas, certainly Nerve Rush worthy. Tombstone Rock is in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, UT, where Bear Grylls first learned about climbing from his father. Watch him reconnect with his roots, courtesy of Degree’s Masters of Movement series.
A few months ago, good friend of Nerve Rush and fitness blogger, Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness, booked a round-the-world trip for $418 – a self-funded 120,000+ mile, 16-country, 18-month adventure. Doing everything from pushups to pullups, parkour to handstand pushups, he decided to document his adventures by putting together an epic 3 1/2 minute video of him exercising around the world inspired by the original “Where The Hell Is Matt?” videos. Take that Nike – looks like he made it count.
We always say the favorite part of running an adventure site is the people we get to talk to. Today is no different. As soon as we found out about the GORUCK Challenge, we tracked down the people in charge of this massive gut-check adventure and told them we needed to talk. We got in touch in with Lead Cadre, Lou Lepsch – the ex-special ops agent in charge of this ridiculously awesome event, and in true Nerve Rush fashion, we bombarded him with questions.
Also, as a bonus, at the end – we’ve got something awesome to give away, so you’ll want to check that out. But before we get to that, here’s a little bit more about the GORUCK Challenge from Lou himself.
Simply put, the GORUCK Challenge is 12-14 hours of simulated Special Operations selection processes. Participants cover about 20 miles wearing GORUCK gear filled with bricks (meant to simulate kit -i.e. ammo.) They are led by a GORUCK Cadre with a Special Operations background. The Cadre poses problems to the group, thus turning 30 individuals into a team over the course of the Challenge. Longer story, the GORUCK Challenge is a gut check – a test of one’s intestinal fortitude. It’s a slice of Special Operations training that gets your foot in the door.
I got involved after a night of pool water with Jason when he visited me at Fort Bragg. He briefed me on the CONOP (Concept of Operations), and I thought it was awesome. We sat around drinking pool water while Java (GORUCK dog) tore up cases of Bud Heavy, and I was hooked. Jason and I worked together in the Special Forces Q-Course, and the opportunity to work with him again was a no brainer.
First thing the Cadre does is a boots on the ground reconnaissance of the ground and some target analysis – working out potential missions for the participants. We get a route from HQ a few days before, but the Cadre needs to spend a good four hours minimum – sometimes longer – to work out how that route will play out in real life.
During the challenge, the Cadre poses scenarios to the team, events to test not only the individual but the team. The Cadre’s main job is to bring those individuals together as a team and form friendships for life. They just experienced something life changing and definitely not a 5K, and the bonds last a lifetime.
No.
The team, the city, and the Cadre. Much like Special Operations training that the Cadre all went through, you never know what to expect. You’ve got to focus on the task at hand – while also focusing on the bigger picture. The bigger picture is the team. Our events are in cities, and the route is designed to be a guided tour – a shopping tour with many coupons along the way.
The city provides those real life problems for the team to solve. It’s not as if we are renting out a ski resort and putting logs there for people to carry from this cone to that cone. The Cadre separate us – you’ve got that legitimacy, but it also makes it a more personal event. It’s one Cadre with thirty people, and you really get to know each other. They always hate the Cadre at first, but by the end they love us. In the end, we want every single person to walk away knowing they accomplished something.
It doesn’t matter, because you’re still going to be sore. But I would recommend a CrossFit regimen with some minor distance running for cardio. But in the end, it’s 90% mental. Don’t take it so seriously. Partake in some ACRT (Advanced Cellular Repair Technology, aka beer) like we all do.
Visit GORUCKChallenge.com and also check out @GORUCKChallenge on Twitter. The Cadre all tweet during the event, and we get a lot of suggestions from people following the challenge at home. It’s like watching GORUCK TV in real time!
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Huge thanks to Lou and the GORUCK Challenge team for taking the time to speak with us. After this interview, I was so excited about GoRuck, I just had to do it. So I’m signed up for the first GoRuck Challenge as soon as I get back to the states.
Now for the cool part: If you want to give GORUCK Challenge a shot for yourself, we’ve got a free entry pass to any of the GORUCK Challenges across the country (sorry international guys, GORUCK hasn’t quite made it across the pond yet). If you want to win a free pass to any GORUCK Challenge, let us know why below and our unbiased team of judges will pick our favorite as the winner.
Stay adventurous out there!
Introducing, one of the most fit and balanced people on the Internet superhighway. That is all.
Seriously, who is this guy?
Compared to the rest of our gut-wrenching inventory, this is one of the mellower clips we’ve featured at Nerve Rush HQ. That said, some gnarly cool riding from the guys at Young Wise Tails in Hawaii. Well done, guys.