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

Virgin GB Row

by Gary King on 21-Jul-10 16:20

What is the Virgin GB Row?

It’s 2,010 miles non-stop and unassisted rowing around Great Britain in some of the most dangerous tides on the globe, in the busiest shipping lanes and with some of the most unpredictable summer weather anywhere.

Together all those hazards make this officially the toughest rowing race in the world - tougher even than rowing the Pacific or the Atlantic.

In 2010, two teams of four rowers - one all-male team and a team of women - are competing for a possible first prize of £45,000 and to become the first ever winners of the Virgin Trophy, donated by Virgin’s adventure-hungry chairman, Sir Richard Branson.

The teams are also rowing to raise £250,000 for Help for Heroes and a place in the annals of rowing.

Only one other crew has ever before successfully completed a non-stop, unassisted row around Britain.

In 2005 a crew (pictured) , led by Lt William de Laszlo, completed the circumnavigation of Britain, from and to Tower Bridge in London, in 26 days 21 hours and 14 minutes, to set a world record.

Will de Laszlo is now the President of the Anglo American Boat Club who are staging this first-ever Virgin GB Row challenge.

The aims of the race are to:

Raise money for worthwhile charities. The 2005 row raised £277,530 for charity.

To inspire young people to do extraordinary things. We believe inside everybody is the ability to be extraordinary.

To complete a personal challenge in extremely adverse conditions and to achieve this aim by successfully managing and overcoming real and perceived dangers, while learning new individual and team skills.

And, above all, to try and set a new world record for rowing non-stop around Britain’s unique coastline.

Filed under: Water Adventure Sport Funny

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Kazak Bookmakers want to slice and dice Paul the octopus

by Gary King on 20-Jul-10 07:39

Kazak Bookmakers are joining the Argentines and the Germans in wanting to make Paul the world cup oracle Octopus into sushi. The bookies have claimed that Paul severely dented their profits when punters went with the eight legged cephalopod rather than following their own instinct. Click through the pic to read more or visit The Daily Telegraph.

Filed under: Other Sport Funny

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Run Rampage 10K Extreme Cross Country

by Gary King on 19-Jul-10 07:49

Run Rampage is an exciting and ground breaking 10K extreme cross country - multi terrain event which is to be held on the Sunday 16th January 2011.

The venue is the MOD's Bagshot barracks on the D1 and D2 alpine sites, home to the army’s vehicle testing tracks which are very, VERY steep! There’s also a wealth of uneven terrain, grade one and two hills, chilling water and thick muddy bogs.

This event is only for runners who like it tough and due to its testing nature is open to people aged 16 +.

Enter as an individual or gather your mates to compete as a team and share a day that you will never forget. There will be prizes for the top three runners in each category and for the best costumes.

How tough do you think you are? How much can your body take? Are you mentally robust enough to cope? Click through the picture above and check out Run Rampage?

Filed under: Adventure Activities Events Fitness

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Healthy Nutrition Expert on Sports Drinks

by Gary King on 15-Jul-10 07:16

Interesting blog from Katie Williams AKA Healthy Nutrition Expert. Food for thought.

Click through the pic to read.

Filed under: Other Fitness

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Five reasons to visit Whistler

by Gary King on 13-Jul-10 07:15

If you're thinking of booking your annual sojourn to the mountains then it's not only about the skiing. Here are five of the best things to do in Whistler. The article first appeared in Adventure Travel Magazine. Click through the picture above for all to be revealed.

Filed under: Snow / Ice Adventure Activities Snowboarding

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Snowboard Tips and Tricks with Marko Grilic - Board Slide

by Gary King on 08-Jul-10 06:12

Nice simple video featuring Marko Grilic demostrating a board slide. The perfect trick to be practicing on the rail in your local snowdome. Short and sweet.

Filed under: Snow / Ice Activities Snowboarding Equipment

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Lifestyles 2010 Extreme Sports and Culture Festival in Hunstanton

by Gary King on 07-Jul-10 09:04

The Lifestyles Festival in Hunstanton has rapidly become the eastern region’s biggest extreme sports festival.

Since first launching in 2005, the event has attracted tens of thousands of visitors, all wanting to soak up the festival atmosphere, watch the expert BMX, in-line skating, and skateboarding demonstrations, or follow the competitors in the British Kite Surfing Association’s grand prix competition.

The Victorian coastal resort of Hunstanton offers the perfect location for this event. The striking red and white striped cliffs provide the backdrop, whilst the shallow waters off the Hunstanton Coast present ideal conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing. At the heart of the festival is the opportunity for anyone to have a go at the activities on offer. Hundreds of people have participated in specially-designed workshops – an element which is being developed further for the 2010 festival.

In the evening the pace slows down, and the activity moves to the marquee with live bands playing into the night, long after the sun has set over the sea.

Filed under: Water Activities Equipment

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Mark Webber's Formula 1 Parliament Square Pit Stop

by Gary King on 05-Jul-10 07:44

LONDON, FRIDAY 2 JULY: Mark Webber and his Red Bull Racing Team created history on Friday morning by performing the first ever Formula 1 pit stop in the streets of London.

As Big Ben struck 6am, Webber showed he’s made a full recovery after last Sunday’s crash in Valencia by roaring up to the gates of the Houses of Parliament in his Red Bull Racing F1 car, where his pit crew were waiting to practice a full Formula 1 pit stop.

With less than a week to go until the British Grand Prix rolls into Silverstone, Webber and the full Red Bull pit team stunned onlookers and commuters on Parliament Square as they warmed up for next week’s championship showdown.

This year has seen the scrapping of refuelling during pit stops, allowing only for tyre changes during the race.

Webber, who last weekend in Valencia walked away unscathed from one of the most horrific crashes in recent years, jumped at the chance to show off his driving skills to the unsuspecting British public.

Filed under: Sport

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Lifeboat Tea

by Gary King on 02-Jul-10 07:05

Lifeboat 012a

Lifeboat Tea is a lovely full-flavoured, family-owned tea that has been created to provide sustainable funding for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - the charity that saves lives at sea.

For every pack of this deliciously refreshing tea sold through Waitrose and RNLI shops, 7 pence will go direct to the RNLI.

But it’s not just the RNLI that benefits, this pure Kenyan black tea is also grown on farms that are Fairtrade certified and approved by the Rainforest Alliance, which works tirelessly to conserve biodiversity and protect the rights and welfare of workers, families and communities. It’s also 100% natural and made using the freshest tips, just the bud and the two top leaves.

So drink Lifeboat for a truly good cup of tea!

For information on the full Williamson Tea range of fine quality teas, please visit:www.williamsontea.com

Filed under: Water

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Red Bull Stratos Team Announces Latest Test Results with Felix Baumgartner

by Gary King on 29-Jun-10 11:22

As Red Bull Stratos grows increasingly near to realisation, the mission’s aeronautics experts today announce encouraging results from the latest high-altitude test jumps and step-off procedure tests. Mission pilot Felix Baumgartner himself acknowledges feelings of both satisfaction and apprehension while the team prepares to move into a new phase of testing.

During the last week in May 2010, the Red Bull Stratos team conducted three important tests:

Capsule step-off: At Sage Cheshire Aerospace in Lancaster, California, the capsule dangled from a 40,000-tonne crane to simulate its suspension from the balloon flight train, with Baumgartner practicing his movements inside, exiting and stepping off. The purpose was to determine how the vessel reacts to Baumgartner’s motion, and whether those reactions could compromise his descent. Even a relatively gentle tumble created by imprecise step-off could not only hinder Baumgartner’s ability to break the sound barrier but also suddenly devolve into a dangerously rapid “flat spin” once he encounters a level of increased air density.

Step-off technique bungee jumps: Next, the scene turned surreal as a group of pre-eminent aerospace experts and test pilots – including Joe Kittinger, who holds the records Baumgartner will try to break – gathered in a deserted Palmdale fairground to witness something they’d never seen during all their combined years of experience: a bungee jump in a pressurised space suit and helmet. After multiple jumps from a crane basket suspended 200 feet above the ground, Baumgartner’s exit technique had evolved into something that one team member described as “perfect.”

High altitude skydives: The finale to the week of testing was a series of skydives over the desert in Perris, California, reaching approximately 26,000 feet. This test, conducted on May 27, 2010, was the first in a fully pressurised suit and was a follow-up to a similar day of flights in early spring. Baumgartner had been frustrated by the awkwardness of his equipment, especially by the way his chest pack – a vital technology hub for the descent – jammed his helmet and inhibited movement on descent and blocked his vision while landing. Objectives were to get a clean step-off from the rear-exit airplane; assess controllability and various body positions in the fully pressurised suit; experience suit deflation upon descent; and test a new chest pack system that allows one side to move out of Baumgartner’s line of sight so he can spot his landing. Baumgartner’s technique and the improved equipment worked so harmoniously that the team was able to accomplish all objectives.

Filed under: Air Felix Baumgartner

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