More Than Just A Sleeping Bag

I've had my North Face sleeping bag for about 3 years now, and I'm still pretty happy with it. When I was shopping for a sleeping bag, I had no idea about temperature ratings, goose vs. synthetic fill, weight, shape...I just went with the cheapest I could find.

Sleeping bag technology has come a long way from the days of cowboy bedrolls. These days, there are a number of high-tech materials and designs available to keep you warm and comfortable during the coldest outings. But for some people these are not the only characteristics they are looking for....


ChumBuddy is 7 feet tall sleeping bag shaped as a shark, hand sewn and is filled with 30 pounds of soft fill designed " to make sharks more cuddly ". May be not practical, but might be a good present for one of your surfing buddies...

Winter Night River Surfing In Munich

I've already written about Munich , Germany as, allegedly, a birth place of river surfing. The landlocked city boasts some of Europe’s best waves. Located in Munich's Englischer Garten Park, the Eisbach wave is probably the most watched and surfed wave in the world. It’s literally surfed 24/7 all months of the year and is located under a road bridge on Prinzregentenstraße.

Teach Yourself A New Skill

"The amount of money that comes to you is dependent on the value you add to yourself."

I'm not sure if Jyoti Raju heard this expression or not, but that's exactly what this guy did. A man who taught himself rock climbing and acrobatics to escape poverty in India to become so accomplished he's been given the title "The Monkey King."

He started climbing 4 years ago when he hit rock bottom. Unable to make ends meet he considered throwing himself off a cliff. Instead, he climbed it.

Get Your Adrenaline Pumping During Bridge Day In West Virginia

Do you know how many official and unofficial "national days'', festivals and holidays we have ? 365 !

National Dress Up Your Pet Day , Public Sleeping Day, Be Nasty Day, Blame Somebody Else Day...( here is the full list ). Don't believe it's true ? Just Google one of those days.

But the craziest, most exciting, adrenaline -filled day/celebration would be Bridge Day in West Virginia.

Bridge Day is an annual one-day festival in Fayetteville, West Virginia held on the 3rd Saturday of October that commemorates the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge.

But it's not just that. Bridge Day is one of the world's largest extreme sports festivals that celebrates the outdoors with a show you've got to experience to believe.

On this day, all four lanes of the bridge are closed to automobiles and opened to hundreds of spectators and adventure seekers. One day festival is packed with adventures of all kinds: BASE jumping, skydiving, whitewater rafting, rapelling, ziplining/highlining. Check out the vedeo

3 Best Places To Watch Storms ( And Surf ! ) In Washington State

MSN.com recently came up with "10 best places to watch storms on the West Coast" list.

Guess what ? 3 beaches in Washington made the list !!!

If you don't want to be just a passive observer, grab a board and go surfing !

 Ocean Shores, La Push, and Long Beach are among the best places in Washington to surf almost all year round !

Diving With... Crocodiles

Till recently," diving with sharks ", was the most exhilarating, adrenaline-filled adventure for many recreational divers and thrill seekers. But now, the bar has been raised a little bit higher...

Crocosaurus Cove park, located in Darwin, Australia — offers adventurous visitors a chance to “swim” with saltwater crocodiles inside a five-inch thick, 10ft-tall perspex box which runs along a monorail track across four crocodile enclosures.

A transparent perspex cage, called the "Cage of Death," allows park visitors to get face to face with 1,750-pound, 18-foot long crocodiles while the the 5.31-inch thick cage is immersed inside the crocs' tank.

$1,008,060 For World’s Most Expensive Bicycle

This is the world’s most unique and expensive bicycle to have been created. House of Solid Gold, a California-based company has designed a mountain bike which is almost entirely covered in gold simply known as “The Gold Bike”.

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But It Does Buy A Wave Runner...And It's Pretty Close

"Money doesn't buy happiness."

"Uh, do you live in America? 'Cause it buys a WaveRunner. Have you ever seen a sad person on a WaveRunner? Have you? Seriously, have you? Try to frown on a WaveRunner. You can't! They're so awesome, it's just throttle. People smile as they hit the pier. Because you forget, you need gas to turn. It goes against your natural instincts. Some of you aren't laughing; we all miss your cousin, but not laughing's not gonna bring him back. He's dead for a reason. He was a show-off, and he tried to spray us. "I didn't wanna get wet!" I yelled at his mother at the funeral. " ~ Daniel Tosh

Since summer in Seattle lasts for only 2- 2.5 months, I've always thought that owning a jet ski ( or a boat ) was impractical. Besides, honestly, I've never considered jet skiing to be fun. Well, may be I was just doing it wrong...

Paddleboarding With Sharks

Do you watch "Shark Week" on Discovery Channel ?

One of the episodes called " Great White Invasion " featured Chris Fallows SUPing alongside a 14-foot great white shark.

With that "stunt" Fallows, who is regarded as an expert in shark behavior, wanted to prove that sharks are mostly "curious harmless animals".

Said Fallows: "To prove this point I have free-dived, paddle-boarded, body-boarded and kayaked with them, as well as being dragged on a sled less than 15 feet from a breaching great white. In essence, I have done pretty much everything that a shark is likely to encounter in the form of a human. In virtually all instances the sharks chose to ignore me and it was often a battle to get them to come close."

We all remember the names of other "experts" in wild animals/marine predators ...and what happened to them...

Riverboarding In Washington.

The goal of my blog is to introduce "regular" people to the variety of outdoor activities and help them experience every adventure that our state has to offer in the most affordable and safe way. So far, I've covered many activities and adventures. But today, I want to write about one that will not be available to the general public ( at least in our state) any time soon - Riverboarding.

Riverboarding is the North American name for a watersport in which the participant is prone on the board with fins on his/her feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and white-water sledging in New Zealand.

I have tried bodyboarding in the ocean, on my trips to Hawaii and California. But I have to tell you, there is absolutely no comparison between these two sports ( actually, I wouldn't even call bodyboarding a sport). Don't believe me? Check out this video:

Scuba Diving With Underwater Scooter

A diver propulsion vehicle (DPV, also known as an underwater propulsion vehicle or underwater scooter) is a great tool ( toy ) and tons of fun to use !

DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) is designed to provide divers with greater mobility and less air consumption, giving them more bottom time (within tables) and far greater range. They scoot you through the water without kicking which saves you a lot of energy and can lower your air consumption up to 50%.

There are primarily two types of underwater transportation systems for recreational and technical divers - DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) and underwater scooter.

The difference between DPV and underwater scooter is simple: a DPV is a vehicle with an integral saddle that a diver physically rides. A scooter is a unit that tows the diver along by the arms. As a general rule, Scooters tend to have smaller battery capacity than DPVs .

7 Amazing Grand Canyon Facts

... visiting the Grand Canyon last year was an amazing experience ! ...it's definitely one of the (few) places I'm going back to...

Check out these "7 Amazing Grand Canyon Facts", and may be this will motivate you to visit one of the great World Wonders !

Fact #1 -  At its narrowest, at Marble Canyon, the Grand Canyon is only 600 yards (548 meters) across. At its widest, the gorge spans 18 miles (29 kilometers).

Extreme Aerial Bowfishing

For some folks, bow fishing isn't just a sport or a weekend hobby. It's not even fish they’re after…

Bowfishing is about the most accessible form of bowhunting out there. There is no sitting around like you would when waiting on a deer to walk by or for a fish to bite. There is no whispering and being cold. Instead, there’s lots of shooting, and on a good day, reeling in lots of big fish. And a bowfishing spot is rarely far away.

Visit The Manitou Cliff Dwellings ( If You Can't Visit Mesa Verde NP )

The American Southwest contains more than its fair share of natural wonders: Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park are only three of the most famous natural attractions that draw people from all over the world. The region is home to a wonderful and vibrant mix of Anglo, Latino, Hispanic, and American Indian traditions making it one of the more diverse and interesting corners of America with regards to history, landscape and culture.

During my trip to Colorado, I was looking forward to seeing such famous landmarks as the Great Sand Dunes and Rocky Mountain National Parks, Mesa Verde, Dinosaur National Monument, and of course, taking an iconic photo at The Four Corners !

I was especially fascinated to learn more about the rich history of Native Americans in this area. Originally, I was planning to visit the famous Mesa Verde National Park, but due to weather conditions, and time travel from Denver ( about 7 hours ), I decided to leave it for my next visit.

Luckily, while visiting Colorado Springs, I heard about the no-less famous Manitou Cliff Dwellings. And I believe was a great substitute for Mesa Verde NP.

The Healing Power Of Fly Fishing

I actually had a friend who told me a lot about how relaxing fishing, and especially fly fishing could be. "Fishing requires such intense concentration and awareness of the environment that when you're out on a stream, you can't think of anything else."

I've never been much of a fisherman. Never had enough patience. When I was a kid I had a Scoleciphiobia ( the fear of the worms ).

But now I start realizing that fishing is more than just fish. I think one of the best parts of fly fishing is the sense of escapism. It allows you to get alay from all of the strains in your life and all of the things that consume your life: work, family, relationships, etc. And some of the places look so amazing that it makes you feel blessed just to be alive...

River SUPing/Paddleboarding

River surfing on standing waves has been documented as far back as the mid 1970s in Munich, Germany and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But I'm pretty sure that it was ( whitewater ) kayakers, just a few years ago, who thought of using stand up paddleboards ( SUP ) in whitewater.

This "new sport " is still in its infancy. But little by little the (R)evolution is happening, there are more people on SUPs in whitewater, and despite of all that mocking from "hardcore kayakers " whitewater surfing, SUPing and riverboarding are here to stay.

Even if you are not ready to "run a river", surfing standing waves looks like a lot of fun:

Youngest Kitesurfer - 3 Years Old

...personally for me, kiteboarding/kitesurfing is THE MOST technical outdoor/action sport. Kiteboarding is like learning two sports at the same time - board riding, and kite flying, It requires skills, dedication, and a lot of patience !

Though, you can start learning how to kiteboard at any age ( check out my post about 85 year old Poul Rasmussen from Denmark, who started kiteboarding early in his 80's !!! ), I think the earlier you start the better. It might be as early as... 3 !

Check out the video of Davi Ribeiro - The Youngest Kitesurfer

Bucket List Idea: Try Dog Sledding

There’s something about experiencing the Winter Wonderland from the perspective of a dog sled that snowmobiling or a ski tour simply cannot match.

Maybe it is the slower pace that gives plenty of time to take in all the impressions or maybe it is the combination of sled dogs panting plus the rhythmic beat of their large paws, a sound that is suddenly magnified against a backdrop of pure silence.

Dog sledding allows you to get back to the basics, our roots in non-motorized transportation. Exploring nature from the back of a dog team is something hard to top. Every run with a team of dogs is an adventure.

Extreme Glacier Surfing In Alaska Video

What do you do when you see sheer ice faces of over 400 feet calved away from a glacier, crashing into the waters below and setting off tsunami like waves of up to 25 feet ?

You surf those suckers !

Snow Kayaking

Some people's imagination doesn't have boundaries...I mean, how else would you think of something like "snow kayaking" ?

In reality, it's pretty easy - find a kayak, drag it up a hill, get inside and hang on for dear life. Kind of like sledding...for adults.

It's not a "mainstream sport" ..not just yet. But I'm sure that with Red Bull's involvement in "everything extreme", we'll see people kayaking down the local ski area's slopes in no time...