In the 1970s, on the fringes of the running craze, people realized that a marathon just wasn’t enough. Ordinary people began to found entertainment in the wilderness, giving birth to the sport of adventure racing. It started in New Zealand, and since then the number has grown from just a few hundred into thousands and thousands of racers around the world. Mark Burnett brought adventure racing to the United States, producing the first Eco Challenge in Utah in 1995. It was considered one of the world’s most difficult races. In this short promo video, learn about adventure racing and the MAX Adventure Racing company.
Author: Alan Perlman
-
Meet Steph Davis, Female Rock Climber and BASE Jumper
Professional climber and BASE jumper Steph Davis heads to Mineral Canyon, Utah. Watch her re-discover an old and difficult Steve Hong route, where she BASE jumps off the top.
-
Kayaking with Steve Fisher in Minnesota
Steve Fisher and local kayakers Andy McMurray and John McConville hang out at Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
-
Paragliding and Speedskiing in the Belledonne Mountains
“Here in St. Hilaire du Touver, we fly,” says Antoine Boisselier. Watch Antoine and his buddies go paragliding, skiing and speed skiing in the Belledonne Mountains on difficult-to-access slopes.
-
Mad’ Mike Whiddett Drifts Crown Range in New Zealand
At 47 corners and 1076 meters elevation, New Zealand’s Crown Range is the country’s highest paved roadway. For this brief moment, the road belongs solely to Mike Whiddett. It’s considered one of the most demanding and technical drives of the country. Mad Mike hits the streets.
-
Adventure Race Documentary: Race the Rockies
A great look at the world of adventure racing. This is a short documentary about the sport of adventure racing, revolving around Race the Rockies. Race The Rockies is an 18-hour adventure race in the rugged mountains of British Columbia, Canada.
-
Ski BASE with JT Holmes and Shane McConkey
“My name is Shane McConkey. I’m a professional skier. I also like the BASE jumping.” Watch this short clip of McConkey and professional free skier and friend JT Holmes merge skiing and BASE jumping in Bella Coola, British Columbia. They also take on the Eiger and the mountains of western Norway. RIP Shane!
-
Tommy Caldwell Climbs the Dawn Wall
At the age of three, Tommy Caldwell’s father introduced him to rock climbing. Considered one of the world’s best rock climbers, Caldwell was climbing routes at age 13 that his father couldn’t complete. At age 16, he won the World Climbing Championship. For the last several years, Caldwell’s dream has been to free climb the 3000ft. Dawn Wall. It’s one of the hardest, blankest, continuously steep walls in the world. Attempting this thing, as one climber put it, “is outer space. It’s silly hard.”
-
Kayaking Switzerland’s Rheinfall at Night
Kayaker Ron Fischer has a little nighttime fun in Switzerland, kayaking Rheinfall. Looks pretty gnarly with the glow-in-the-dark fluorescents and whitewater.
-
La Dura Dura: The Most Difficult Rock Climb in the World
Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra spent two years working together to climb the world’s hardest route, La Dura Dura (5.15c / 9b+). It’s located in Oliana, Spain and is unlike any rock climb you’ve ever seen before. This short clip tells the story of their collaboration and documents Ondra’s historic first ascent.