Chitradurga Fort

As you see, Jyothi Raja has become a favorite with the tourists, and their patronage has helped ease the poverty that had driven him away from his home and at one stage had driven him to commit suicide. He recounted his childhood days in a recent interview on Sun TV. Jyothi Raja wasn’t interested in leading a “normal” life like his friends, and it was frustrating for his mother to make him understand that his passion for climbing trees and every hill in the vicinity won’t feed hungry mouths at home. He couldn’t stick to the odd jobs he often landed into for his family. He ran away from home and finally reached Chitradurga. Life here too wasn’t easy without regular work, and one day, he quickly climbed the steep ramparts of the fort contemplating suicide. But when he went up, a group of people clapped and cheered from below. They had watched Raja climb up. Deterred by the crowd, Raja gave up temporarily the idea of leaping down.

One day, Raja was sitting in a desultory mood when his attention was caught by a group of monkeys that were climbing the steep rocks clinging on to every crevice and protrusions on the rock. Raja was mesmerized by this. From then on, he started watching every move of the monkeys very closely – how they flexed their bodies and balanced their weights while hanging on one hand. Soon rock climbing became a passion with him, and he developed his own style, absorbing every technique the monkeys used.

Raja has now made many fans for himself and he teaches free rock climbing techniques to young aspirants thronging to him. The moves are similar to Parkour, a new genre of sport that’s getting popular in many western countries. His mother is understandably proud of him.

Yes, with determination and hard work no height is unscalable.

The first hut on the trail to Monte Rosa was opened in 1894 and rebuilt in 1940. The materials for both those buildings were brought to the building site by mule, but because of the shortage of mules these days, this very green aspect could not be considered in the newest rebuild. The estimates for the transport of the building materials to be brought up by mules would have taken several years. The materials were instead prefabricated and transported by train to the foot of the mountain; helicopters airlifted them only the last lap.

Image source

The area in which the hut was built is a nature preservation area, which means that the old hut will not only have to be torn down, but the materials must be transported back to the valley. The planners of the new hut therefore included the tearing down of the new hut and the recycling properties of the materials used into the planning of the building.

The main goal of the building is its energy autarchy, the current set up guaranteeing a 90 percent self sufficiency for all energy used in the hut. This grade of autarchy is attained through solar panels covering the entire south facade of the building covering 85 square meters linked to on site electric generators. Surplus energy is stored in accumulator batteries to be used during peak hours. An emergency energy unit using rapeseed oil was installed as well.

Image source

The heating is based on a thermal system using a heat reclamation process from waste air. To supply heat during cold periods and when few people are staying there, an additional 35 square meters of thermal solar panels have been installed. Water is collected during the snow melting season for use in the building, and used water is recycled, cleaned in a bacterial filtering system and then reused in a secondary water circuit for flushing toilets and cleaning purposes.

To make this all work together the building has been completely digitalized and is run effectively from a computer centre located in the University of Zurich. All information relevant to the running of the hut are transmitted to Zurich, starting with the weather figures from the weather station built into the hut, through reservation orders, and feedback on energy used and efficiency levels of the individual units are constantly monitored by specialists. They will be using the gained data from this relatively closed system to further improve on the current design.

The hut has already been nicknamed ‘Bergkristall’ (Mountain Crystal) by the public. The hut will take up its operation in spring 2010. Monte Rosa Hut offers sleeping space for 120 climbers and proffers a communal eating area subdivided into smaller eating units. The spectacular views from the eating area’s windows is complemented by a panoramic stairway leading from the ground floor to the sleeping floors on the first and second storeys of the hut.

For pictures from the construction site, please visit the hut’s webpage.

Every year, on the last Monday of May, the people of Brockworth, in Gloucestershire, England, organise quite an unusual event: the Coooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling.

This event is at least 200 years old. People chase a round block of cheese down a steep hill. The aim is to catch the rolling cheese. It’s not easy and this rarely  happens because the cheese moves at a speed of 70 mph. So, the winner is the first person to cross the finish line at the botton of the hill.

There are cheese rolling races for all ages so everybody can take part.

All you have to do is stand at the top of the hill, wait for the command and be quick and careful, because you can end up rolling just like the cheese. Seems dangerous? Well, competitors and even spectators can get injured during the races, so there are paramedics everywhere, at the top and bottom of the hill. For something a bit safer, try the uphill race. In this race, all competitors just run up the hill.

The winners of all the races get a cheese as a prize. The competitors in second and third receive a small amount of money!

So? Are you a daredevil? Just remember!

Choose the right footwear and join in the fun!

Despite the danger, both indoor and outdoor climbing is an extremely fun activity.  For those interested in starting up, there are many climbing schools available.  One popular school is the Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School in California.  Lessons are offered for a large variety of skill levels and budgets.  Courses range from one to four days in length and provide excellent knowledge that will enhance your abilities to climb.  The helpful and professional staff is very experienced and willing to help.  Guided climbs help reinforce the skills that the instructors teach.  Reservations should be made in advance to ensure that there is space available.

Once you’ve decided to climb, there are a few things you should keep in mind.  Rock climbing uses most of the muscles in the body.  It is a complete physical workout and harder climbs will require peak condition.  Climbers should use their arm strength sparingly and rely mostly on their legs to do the work.  Your arms are what keep you on the face of the rock.  Grips should be firm and relaxed so you don’t overstress your upper body.  Use your legs to carry your weight and lift you up the rock or wall.  You must be able to learn to effectively shift your body from one position to another.  If you rely on momentum to move you upward, chances are you are going to lose your grip at some point.  Once you learn control, you’ll be able to perfect your other skills.

Sooner or later, you’re going to fall.  It’s all a part of getting better and perfecting your skills.  If you aren’t comfortable with the safety procedures being utilized, you are never going to be able to relax enough to complete your climb.  Make sure you are satisfied with the safety precautions before you even leave the ground.

Rock climbing can be fun, exciting, and sometimes dangerous.  Keep it safe and practice your skills and you’ll be rewarded with a great workout and stunning views.

Arturo Chuong is currently writing about sports, and travel related articles. Check out Jansport’s lightweight luggage, sporting, hiking, and business bags including, rolling luggage, laptop cases, and functional luggage.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Each and every year, hundreds of thousands of people decide to take the plunge out of a speeding aircraft.  Those brave souls risk falling to the earth in order to experience the thrill of free falling and soaring through the air.  Before you’re allowed to jump, you need proper training and certification.  This ensures the maximum safety and will help you get back to the ground in one piece.  Many places all over America offer training and jumps for a fee.  Here’s what you should expect once you locate a spot near you.

Make sure you call way ahead of time in order to make reservations.  The last thing you want to do is show up expecting to jump only to find that they’re too busy.  Once you’re set up, you’ll want to get yourself prepared for jump day.  The morning of your jump, you should always eat a light breakfast or lunch that isn’t overly greasy.  You might feel a bit anxious and that’s only going to get worse if you show up on an empty stomach.  Avoid things like fast food or fried foods prior to your jump.  Wear light clothing that you’re comfortable in.  Chances are you’ll be putting on something over your clothes, so don’t be too concerned with what you look like.  Lastly, make sure that you show up on time and don’t be late!  Instructors get annoyed when people show up late and you can sometimes lose your reservation or deposit.

Nearly all first timers are going to be experiencing a tandem jump.  This means that you’re going to be tethered to an experienced jumper that will be responsible for tracking altitude and wearing and controlling the parachute.  On a jump like this, you typically just strap in and enjoy the ride.  There isn’t much else required of you.  You’ll quickly reach terminal velocity and head straight for the earth at approximately 120 miles per hour.  Jumpers typically hop out at around 12,500 to 14,000 feet and deploy the parachute at around 3000 feet.  Once fully inflated, the open parachute can be steered toward the drop zone.  During a tandem jump, the experienced jumper will typically control the parachute.  People will usually jump alone after some advance training and experiencing a couple of tandem jumps.

If you’re seeking a thrill that is hard to beat, maybe it’s time to face your fears and go skydiving.

Arturo Chuong is currently writing about sports, and travel related articles. Check out Jansport’s complete product line of carry on luggage, sporting, hiking, and business bags including, carry on rolling luggage, laptop cases, and functional luggage.

I know that many people who see parkour or freerunning videos for the first time are simply amazed by what they see, and cannot help but to think, “Man, I WANNA DO THAT!”

Image via Wikipedia

Well, you’re not alone. I too started parkour with this same idea in mind. I looked all over the internet watching videos of how to do kong vaults, and repeatedly watching videos of backflips and somersaults. I literally submerged myself in these awesome videos for about 2 days, and THAN I along with my troupe of 3 friends set out on a mission. We were jumping into dive rolls, and “konging” over picnic tables. We thought we were naturals at parkour. The funniest thing is that we began video taping on our first run (oh the hilarity!). When we got back from that day out, we were four happy men, feeling accomplished from the playback of our videos.

The next step we took was a ride to the closest gym of 1 and half hours away, to practice flips. It was a bit scary to just try a flip on the mat, so the trampoline was our first victim. I was the guinea pig, so I weakly stepped onto the spring-stretched bed of the trampoline (I was scared I was gonna break my neck! – a natural at parkour…what a joke!) I jumped up and down and thrust my head and hands forward to start the flip. I landed on my butt and thought hey that wasn’t so bad. I quickly got up to do it again before anyone else could on the trampoline, went into another flip and yea…let’s just say that wasn’t so great. Well, eventually we got to the point where we could do frontflips on the mat, but when we landed it looked we were sitting down (This means they SUCKED!). We were too scared to jump up higher and flip so that we could actually land in stand up position. Anyways we left the gym, once again proud of ourselves; believing we had mastered the frontflip in one day!

A few days later we went out for another parkour run, and we brought with us the trusty camera. We thought we were so awesome, because now we could already do vaults AND we could front-flip! We went to go try front-flips on the hard ground and realized that our work at the gym was a waste of time and TEN DOLLARS!!!! What I’m trying to relay to you guys is two things.

The first message I’m sending out is to the individuals who criticize traceurs (people involved in parkour/freerunning). Parkour is not learned overnight, and although there are traceurs who flip off of walls or jump onto small ledges from a long distance, they are not idiots. They have practiced these movements over and over and over again (this entails months to years). Parkour starts small and builds up. Now there are some people who decide that they want to jump from their roof one day, and than call it parkour. This is NOT parkour. This should not be affiliated with parkour. This is stupidity, UNLESS your house is on fire.

The next message I want to relay is to those who wish to start parkour. You’ve made an awesome decision, and if you want to be good, you have to look at spending more time on conditioning and practicing technique rather than looking cool and being awesome. It may sound harsh but it’s the truth. Although this may not sound fun to some, I must assure you that the payoff is amazing. My personal testimony is that the best workouts you can do are pull-ups and muscle-ups #1 and than push-ups. These 3 exercises are great for parkour, and should definitely be implemented. There are also exercises specially developed for parkour which you can find on the site below. These are great and you should definitely implement these as well. If you do not have anyone to parkour with, or you just want to connect with more people from the parkour realm, check out people in your state on the forums of the American Parkour website (links are listed below).

*Word to The WISE: Don’t start parkour expecting to be the greatest gift parkour has ever seen, and the best thing you can do is find a buddy or two who will stay strong with you. Train hard, and always train even if you don’t FEEL like it, because “feel will make you fail”.

I am not responisble or liable for any injury that may occur during freerunning/parkour. This discipline is practiced at your own risk.

By the way if you’d like to see those funny videos just let me know. They are on youtube hehe!

These links are your friends:

American Parkour Main Site:

http://www.americanparkour.com

American Parkour Forums:

http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php

American Parkour Demon’s Drills:

http://www.americanparkour.com/content/category/10/27/407/

Good Training Videos:

http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_1969_do-parkour.html

1. Boarding on a Volcano

   

   These people race down an active 2,380 foot volcano. They reach speeds of 50 miles an hour and the only protection they have is the board that is between them and the volcano ash. To try this sport you really have to be a sports fanatic. Would you believe that there are thousands of people head to the foothills of Nicaragua’s Cerro Negro Mountain every year to get the thrill of going down this volcano on a board? They do wear protective jump suits, knee-pads and helmets. This fad started in 2005 and the boards they use are customized for this sport. Believe it or not this mountain attracts up to 10,000 people a year.

2. Roller Skating

   

   What use to be roller skating in a safe arena is now known as Limbo Skating today and it is certainly not in the safety of an arena. In India the latest rage with roller skates is skating under vehicles. You have to be more than limber to do this as it requires flexibility, strength and the balance of a gymnast. Looking at this picture I can assure you that if I could even get in the position this guy is in, I would need an ambulance to get me on my feet again.

3. Train Surfing

   

   This sport is illegal but that doesn’t stop these guys from climbing aboard this moving train. This is a very big issue in South Africa. Many of the young people that have tried this sport has ended up with serious injuries or death. The sport started in 1980 in Germany. It died out for awhile but was rediscovered by a gang in Frankfurt, Germany.

4. Bungee Jumping

   

   Bungee jumping is not unusual today; in fact you can see it almost everywhere you look. The difference in this bungee jumping is that they are going down into a pool of water that holds live crocodiles.  This changes bungee jumping to crocodile bungee. Makes you wonder how bored some people are with life!

5. Cliff Diving

   

   Diving of a diving board is apparently not thrilling enough for some people they take to cliff diving. This sport originated in Hawaiian Island of Lana’I in 1770 when Kahekili, the king, ordered his men to leap off the high cliff and enter the water feet first. This was supposed to prove their courage and loyalty. Today people are not forced to jump, in fact they do it very willingly but you have to admit it certainly still takes courage to carry this out. There are limits of heights set for these jumpers which are 28 meters for men and 23 meters for women.

6. Free Poweriser Stilts

   

   This sport is just recently on the scene. The things that you see attached to this guy’s foot are a cross between low stilts and pogo sticks. The object of this sport is to see what acrobatics can be done in the air and on the ground.

7. Underwater Hockey

   

   This surprisingly is not a well known sport but divers love playing this, especially in the winter when they can’t get to dive outside. This sport started in Great Britain during the 1950’s. All you need for equipment is a course stick protective gear and gloves and oh yes, we must not forget the snorkeling equipment. The game is played at the bottom of the pool which gets a bit tricky when you have to remember that you need air. The puck weighs over one kilogram. It is a tough and tiring sport. There are even national teams that take part in championship games.

8. Air Kicking

   

   This is a sport where you sit in a catapult, push a button and you are launched 26 feet into the air and hopefully you land in a swimming pool. The trajectory is water and air combined that sends you flying out of your seat.

9. Slacklining

   

   This sport totally depends on your balance on a nylon rope that is stretched between two anchor points. The rope is looser than tight rope walking. This rope stretches and bounces like a rubber band. The only thing that is a hint of safety is that the rope is flat to keep the foot in place. There are people that really do tricks on this type of rope. I will not be one of them.

10. Zorballing

    

    Basically what this sport is about is climbing into a ball and throwing yourself down a hill. The ball is designed with a ball inside a ball. You can choose to be strapped in or do a free fall. Sometimes water is added so the person that is going down the hill can slide on the way down. I don’t think I would need the water added I could probably add my own on the way down! This sport originated in New Zealand.

There you have it some new ways in sports that are as close to thrills as any sportman would want to get.

Image Source

The success of the inflatable bouncy-house for young children seems to be the perfect concept for this smaller, portable version that is created more for adults. The soft vinyl sphere is double-walled with an access port (or two) on the outside that connects to the inner sphere where the occupant resides. A gentle slope, flat ground or even flat water like a pond is all that is needed and the rider either allows the sphere to roll or in the case of flat surfaces, has more control over the course and can actually ‘walk’ the device called “ZORB.”

Close-Up of Zorb Sphere Interior

Image Source

Designed for one rider, it can accommodate two or even three occupants. The double-hull nature makes for a gentle cushioned ride and the occupants can bump around some and still be comfortable, and the soft vinyl construction makes the device lightweight and can be deflated for easier transportation and shipping.

 Some recreational courses for sphering or Zorbing are made by creating channels in the ground and the Zorb or sphere rolls within. This is becoming quite popular in New Zealand where the first Zorb rides began. Wiki cites that at least one franchise is making tracks like a ski-lift for Zorbs to travel and be retrieved from. I am envisioning a ‘waterpark-like’ series of channels and paths for these amazing devices.

Ready to Zorb

Image Source

Some Zorb spheres have straps to hold the passenger in place while others have none,allowing the rider to move about. The typical diameter of a Zorb sphere is around 3-meters (9ft 8in.) with the inner occupant sphere being smaller 2-meters in diameter. The inner sphere and outer sphere are connected by dozens often hundreds of connection ropes, which keep the inner sphere positioned within.

A Liquid Center?

Image Source

Apparently one can ride inside of a sphere in the un-strapped state, with a volume of water. The image here indicates that the water provides a slippery cushion for the rides that remains in a spatial position as the sphere ‘rotates around’ the occupant down the circuitous course. –Sounds like a lot of fun!

Wikipedia cites one accident in a sphere-like device; on June 19, 2008 when a reporter fractured her back and bruised one of her kidneys in a downhill ride at a ski facility in Lost Valley, Maine. But the injured party was not actually riding a Zorb sphere, but instead it was a doughnut-shaped ball and being a ski slope, perhaps the slope was steeper than a typical Zorb track which tends to be gentler and less steep.

Down the Hill in a Zorb Sphere

Image Source

“Zorb” and “Zorbing” are trademark names for the generalized recreational sport of “sphering” which, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary lists as “a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills.”

Jackie Chan in Operation Condor

When I first saw one of these spheres on a television show called “Gladiators,” it wholly reminded me of the ‘Rover’ devices on the old British TV series “The Prisoner.” In this Brit Sci-Fi/Action series which focused upon one captured British Intelligence Agent in particular identified only as “#6”, he was imprisoned on a penal colony of some sort on an island state called “The Village” after some perceived falling-out with upper echelons. This ‘Village’ was perhaps a place for captured, retired or disenfranchised Intelligence Agents to be held to either ensure their silence of secrets of state, or if it was being ran by some hostile nation, a place to extract secrets from their charges. The Village seemed to be populated with other Intelligence Officers and well as ’secret spies’ working in collusion with ‘The Village.’

On this island state a policing device that was somewhat alive despite being a ‘fabricated device’ seemed to behave with at least some autonomous intent, and was regarded as being ‘a guardian.’ Referred to once or twice as “Rover” apart from possessing semi-autonomy, it also served the many masters of the facility whom were identified merely as “Number 2.” The head person “Number One” was never revealed until the final episode and then, it was ambiguous at best. I was never really clear on the ultimate purpose of this rather bizarre television series despite being an avid fan at the tender age of, well; -let’s just say that I was young and leave it at that…

Somehow, if I ever were to climb into a Zorb sphere the ‘Rover sphere’ from “The Prisoner” is the only thing that I would be able to think about. I know I’d still have fun in one of these. Hopefully though, this device will not carry me away to “The Village” and try to extract information…

The Dakar Rally

This is the most dangerous race in the world, considering the fact that the cars, the motorcycles and the trucks that join this sport should travel miles per hour, specifically for motorcycles that need to travel not less than 30- 90 miles/hour. There have been a great number of deaths with this game, just looking at this sign would surely give you an idea of what is gonna happen: “Less than half the participants are expected to make it to the finish line.” Due to security reasons the route of the race always vary, but the sure thing is, it will be a 5700 mile journey for 15 days.

Street Lugging

This sport began in the 1970’s when teenagers back then tried to try extreme games like this sport. The rider should go as fast as 40 – 115 miles per hour depending on the type of race. The only thing that separates you from the ground is an aluminum board which is elevated 2 inches from the ground.

Base Jumping

What is dangerous about this sport is that you do not have anything but your parachute as you jumped off a building or a cliff. As we all know, parachutes will not assure us of safety considering the fact that the wind can just blow us away. Skydiving is safer due to the fact that Base jumping is done at lower altitudes, thus having less aerodynamic control to have a stable flight. The number of deaths of this sport from the year it was made until now is not less than 122.

Bull Riding

Bull riding is one of the rodeo type sports since the player should ride at the back of the bull and try to stay there for at least 8 seconds. Although there have been many criticisms done by the animal right activist, this sport still exists.

Cave Diving

Cave diving is considered to be the most dangerous diving sports because if there are any emergencies, the diver could not readily swim upward, but he or she should swim horizontally until he or she reaches the entrance of the cave. The common problems divers could have with this sport are having hypothermia, getting lost, not having enough oxygen to complete the journey. A total of 500 totalities have been recorded in Florida, Mexico, and Caribbean alone.

Speed Skiing

The first dated trial of this sport was in the year 1898 by Tommy Todd. This sport is the most dangerous non-motorized sport on land because most skiers would reach a speed of 125 miles per hour which is even faster than the terminal velocity of a skydiver. Although this sport has fewer fatalities than other sports, safety should not always be disregarded.

What are your own choice of dangerous sports you want to share?