About Gary King
I’m a writer, speaker and lover of all things that raise the heartbeat and tickle the senses. If there is one thing that I’ve learnt from my years of extreme sport and adventure travel is that life is for living - not spectating.
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Welcome to Gary King's Extreme Sports Blog
Danny MacAskill on his Bike
by Gary King on 05-Jan-10 12:58
This is really very watchable.
Filed under: Activities Video Snowboarding
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Skiing and Snowboarding in Scotland
by Gary King on 05-Jan-10 12:31
Snow, snow, snow, everywhere.
I know it paralyses the country. We're run out of salt, they're turning off the gas, the car's stuck in the drive, etc, etc, etc.
However, think Scotland. Although this was filmed in 2008 I bet it's darn snowy there right now. Just a shame that it would be completely impossible to get there. What with there being no grit!
Filed under: Snow / Ice Activities Video Snowboarding
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The Top 10 Worst Crashes
by Gary King on 28-Dec-09 17:33
Courtesy of Outside Magazine. Not for the faint hearted. Ouch and ouch again.
Almost certainly not the worst ever but watch them and wince.
Filed under: Snow / Ice Water Adventure Activities VideoComments (1)
Christmas Day Swimming
by Gary King on 27-Dec-09 17:07
A bunch of foolhardy nutters braving the Atlantic on Christmas Day in Cornwall. Not a wetsuit in sight. Good on 'em! Heading down there myself tomorrow and I reckon I'm going to pack my swimmers.
Filed under: Water Activities Video
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Injured soldiers find hope on the slopes
by Gary King on 22-Dec-09 18:08
Inspirational stuff
Filed under: Snow / Ice Activities Video Snowboarding Mountains
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VIO POV 1 Camera
by Gary King on 22-Dec-09 11:51
Road tested one of these cameras last year in Chamonix on the mountain and then on a story where I jumped off a wind tunnel. As you do. Great bit of kit.
The video goes on a bit but it will give you an idea of the applications.
And here's me jumping off a wind tunnel at Bodyflight in Bedfordshire. It's a fan descender called Vertigo.
Filed under: Air Activities Video High Tec Equipment
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Lives of the Artists
by Gary King on 16-Dec-09 13:04
Lives of the Artists Taster Trailer
See the full film at Lives of the Artists
Filed under: Snow / Ice Water Activities SurfingComments (0)
What's in a board?
by Gary King on 15-Dec-09 12:23
Jim Kempton from Billabong USA ponders the intricacies of surfboard design amongst the professionals.
"In 2008 Kelly Slater may have dominated the Pipeline Masters on a supremely unorthodox sled—a ride he and shaper Al Merrick dubbed “The Deep Six”—but it was hardly the first time (and certainly won’t be the last time) that somebody took a slightly different track and introduced the world to something out of the norm.
Over the years the famed Banzai reef has played a vital roll in the progressive development of everything from 7’6” pintail stilettos to 5’6” plugs. In the early 1960s when Butch Van Artsdalen and John Peck were first penetrating the lineup, their boards were the biggest barrier to entry. As board sizes started to creep down, and surfers demanded equipment to achieve performance possibilities. Mike Hynson and Dick Brewer explored the down rail concept; Gerry Lopez and Rory Russell were quick to adopt the new shift in design, and tube riding changed seemingly overnight.
The early 1980’s saw another revolution when Simon Anderson introduced his (then) radical 3-fin Thruster concept – and proceeded to prove its merits by winning the 1981 Pipeline Masters.
This year the 8 finalists in the Billabong Pipe Masters are as motley a crew as you could have ever predicted: ASP veteran brothers CJ and Damien Hobgood, Coolangatta tube terror Dean Morrison, local Pipe specialist Flynn Novak, consummate competitor Bede Durbidge, Backdoor dynamo Taj Burrow, power prodigy Dane Reynolds, and super-freak Kelly Slater. And their surfboards are as varied as their unique talents.
Taj Burrow makes no secret of his love affair with Backdoor – especially when he can get it with only one other guy in the line-up. His quiver starts with a 6’1” Firewire but if it gets bigger (as expected for Tuesday) he may opt for 6’5 or 6’7” All his shapes are 18 1/8 X2 1/8 rounded pins with fixed fins.
Dane Reynolds has been riding a 6-6 proton step up, round pin (his model just made for a little bigger stuff, like Pipe.) The board is single concave and has a lot of curve - kind of an old faithful one from last year.
On Saturday Kelly was surfing this year’s version of his “Deep Six” model. It’s a design from the board he rode at Pipe last year which by the way was his back up board. In short the board is sort of 2 boards stuck together: a gun tail and a short board nose - 5’11” in length and just normal dimensions for the rest , He creased the new one pretty good in his last heat so it’s on the shed getting fixed. The big difference with the newer version: 4 fins as to the 3 fins from last years.
When the comp starts back up however, anything could be pulled out of the bag.
It remains to be seen if Slater’s new-age alternative equipment will have nearly the impact, but it’s a safe bet that as long as people are trying to get deeper in the tube at Pipe they’ll continue to push the limits of the boards they ride."
Watch the action as it resumes Tuesday 15th December at the Billabong Pipeline Masters on www.billabongpro.com
Filed under: Water Surfing Equipment
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Freeride World Tour 2010
by Gary King on 14-Dec-09 12:37
”The Best Riders on the Best Mountains in the Ultimate Freeride Competition”
In 2010, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) will in its third year continue to align with iconic mountain resorts around the world and feature the world’s top riders.
The main tour will have stops in:
• Sochi (Russia) - host of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games
• Squaw Valley (USA) - host of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games
• Chamonix (France) – host of the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and home of the world famous Mont Blanc
• Verbier (Switzerland) - home of the now legendary Bec des Rosses
In addition, there will be no less than 17 Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) events taking place around the world – in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Big name European riders such as Xavier de le Rue, Henrik Windstedt and Aurélien Ducroz will once again be at the fore. Snapping at their heels will be Americans Cody Townsend and exciting newcomer Tim Dutton. On the female side FWT welcomes US Olympic Gold medalist Julia Mancuso.
Three Winter Olympic Games resorts plus the mythical Bec des Rosses in Verbier, untracked powder, heart-stopping cliff jumps, bone-shaking stomps and world-class brands – the 2010 edition of the Freeride World Tour really will be a case of ”the best riders on the best mountains in the ultimate freeride competition.”
Filed under: Snow / Ice Events Video Snowboarding
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Smack the Penguin
by Gary King on 10-Dec-09 13:57
It's a game, it's festive, it's addictive.
My record is 312.
Reckon you can beat that?
1. Click on the link below
2. Click once on the snowman to activate the penguin
3. Click again on the snowman to hit the penguin as descends down the cliff.
CLICK HERE: SMACK THE PENGUIN
Filed under: Games
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