Inflatable Canoes and Kayaks – Serious Stuff or Just a Bit of Fun?

Those of you who kayak or canoe regularly will be well aware of the difficulties of transporting your boat around if you don’t have a van, trailer or proper fixtures for attaching it to your car. The smaller boats are not so much of a problem, but when it comes to the bigger boys, you’re better off paddling to your desired location rather that trying to attach the damn thing to your vehicle.

Well this may well be about to change with the introduction of some ‘proper’ inflatable canoes and kayaks to the market. We say ‘proper’ as previous attempts at inflatable boats conjures up images of bailing out water from something that seems to be made of balloon material, patched up by puncture repair kit patches. Not these new dogs however, these have been functionally designed with reinforced panels and with actual usability in mind. We got the chance to take a Sea Eagle 330 out on the water and I have to say it was great fun. The moveable seats allow you to paddle solo or with a companion and the quality was a vast improvement to its inflatable predecessors. The material is strong (”tough enough to withstand dog paws” they claim) and bonded together using high frequency welds to form one solid structure.

The boats also seem to have other important additions such as skegs, inflatable spray skirts and self-bailing drain valves. All of which are needed if your going to be adventuring any further than your local pond. The best bit though is that they rarely way much more than 30lbs and can be taken almost anywhere.

Our verdict is that they are a very versatile addition and great for getting into the sport, but sadly have no change of competing with the solid hull boats which will out-perform again and again. We doubt inflatables will ever be a serious option for competition sports but we’ve been surprised before so we never say never.

Look out for second hand inflatable kayaks on our listings section

Extreme Sports Athletes Don’t Like Taking Risks

Research undertaken last year by sports science graduates, based at the St Lukes Campus of the University of Exeter, found that rather than being big risk-takers, most top performers in extreme sports are risk-averse.

The stereotypical representation of many extreme sports athletes is one of long hair, liberal views and daring personalities, take Shaun White for example. Many outside the industry believe that only those who are willing to push themselves that bit further or attempt new, more daring stunts can be at the forefront of their sports and win the respect of their fans and piers. This new research however, suggests that the best athletes do not consider themselves risk-takes, but instead calculate the risks involved very carefully and take action to reduce them as best they can.

Among those interviewed where a number of Downhill Mountain Bike riders who regularly face dangerous situations as they hurtle over treacherous terrain in pursuit of the fastest time. One rider remarked, “Sure this sport can be more dangerous than other sports but we never take unnecessary risk. We will look at all the options before doing something new and if it’s not worth it, then we won’t do it. There is no sense in risking injury for us as then we wouldn’t be able to ride”

The main conclusion drawn from the research is that although most extreme sports enthusiasts have lower fear levels than your average person and require more courageous feats to get their adrenaline kick, they also spend more time preparing for their actions and planning what to do if something goes wrong. It is not fearlessness that allows them to perform incredible feats but instead immense skill and tireless preperation and practice.

James Gallop who headed up the research stated that evidence of the cautiousness of extreme sports athletes has always been there (protective gear, tireless checking of equipment and environment, first-aid crews at events etc), only no one really asked the athletes and assumed they did these crazy new tricks because they weren’t quite sane.

As extreme sports continue to move further into the public domain, it is likely that safety-consciousness will increase and more regulations brought in to protect athletes and amateurs alike. Will this destroy the freedom that made extreme sports what they are, or improve their profile and promote greater participation? We hope the latter.

Kitesurfing Speed Demons Break Velocity Record

Sebastien Cattelan of France broke the kitesurfing world speed record, and the magic 50kts barrier, by achieving a velocity of 50.26 knots (93kph) at the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Namibia last month.

Cattelan was well placed to break the previous record of 49.84 kts, set by Robert Douglas of the USA, as he was one of the founders of speed kitesurfing and actually helped establish the speed strip at Lüderitz. Such speeds can be achieved at this unique location due to strong area winds being funnelled and accelerated down a shallow valley onto the lagoon’s smooth stretch of water.

Cattlean’s celebrations where however somewhat short-lived as his record was beaten a day later by fellow countryman Alexandre Caizergues, who reached a top speed of 50.57 knots (93.65kph).

The WSSRC is yet to ratify these new records as official sailing records due the fact there is some contention over the total speed of the kite and kitesurfer over the 500m distance. It is possible for the kitesurfer to pick up speed as he or she tracks the board away from the kite and so the kitesurfer can temporarily reach speeds higher than that of the kite. It is an issue that has caused problems previously but we will wait to hear the outcome from the WSSRC.

For the latest information visit www.sailspeedrecords.com

The Big Freeze – Real Snow, Big Air

Organisers of the The Big Freeze kindly sent EST some tickets to attend the industry day and take a look behind the scenes of what was to be an epic event for UK snowboarding. We got to see some of the world’s best riders in their heats and practice rounds before they took to the snow on the competition days in front of huge crowds at Battersea Power Station

The event itself was a welcoming one. Full of entertainment, Nintendo wii’s and simulated snowboarding machines to name but a couple. Bringing together perfectly real and virtual snowboarding in the rustic surroundings on the banks of the River Thames.

The set up was simply breathtaking. A 100m long, 30m high launch pad was the main attraction, featuring real snow and real pedigree with some spectacular jumps and some equally spectacular wipe outs! The competition was undoubtedly taken seriously as some of the jumps attempted were of the highest difficulty! Highlights for the festival were, Danny Kass, Scotty Lago and Lucas Magoon plus skiing stars Tanner Hall, Jon Olsson and Jacob Wester, testing themselves against the new jump which slotted into London’s scenery effortlessly. 

When interviewed about the event, Mark Simmers, CEO of SnowsportGB stated “To stage a Snowboard World Cup in the UK for the first time, is a massive boost for the sport, and will bring a huge amount of profile to our British Snowboard athletes when they compete at home against the world’s best. I must thank the International Ski Federation (FIS) for helping SnowsportGB to bring about the inaugural staging of the LG London Big Air.”

Further to the snowsports, the event also housed a 7,000 plus music auditorium featuring live bands. Headline acts from The Holloways, The Enemy, Cyprus Hill and DJ Annie Mac on the final day added energy and atmosphere in equal measure and were perfect conclusions to each of the four days of the festival!

All in all a great experience 10/10!

Orange Replacing Their Patriot With The Alpine 160

Orange Bikes have announced that for their 2009 range they have said goodbye to the great Patriot and are launching a bike that promises to be something special, the Orange Alpine 160.

Orange have slackened the angles slightly with the new bike, introducing a twin strut swingarm and dropping the top tube slightly to tune the geometry and offer an even sweeter ride

As with the Patriot there will be a coil build with Fox 36 Vans and a coil shock, or a lighter build with a Fox DHX air shock and air-sprung 36’s up front.

Here is what the standard build should look like -

Frame: Monocoque/6061-T6 Reynolds Custom Butted Aluminium Tube withFox DHX 3.0 Coil, 160mm travel Shock

Fork: Fox 36 Van R 160mm

Gears: 18 Speed. Shimano SLX Double [F]. Shimano Saint [R].

Shifters: Shimano Saint R Fire +

Wheels: Mavic EN321 Rims. Hope Pro 2 [F]. Hope Pro 2 [R]. DT Swiss Competition S/S Black Spokes.

Brakes: Hayes Stroker Trail V8 [F]. Hayes Stroker Trail V7 [R].

Drivetrain: Race Face DH Evolve Double X Type chainset, Shimano HG50 cassette

Extra Features: Truvativ XR Seatpost. Maxxis Hi Roller 2.35 Tyres.

For more information visit http://www.orangebikes.co.uk

Buchan Beats Slater To Take Quiksilver Pro France

Australian Adrian Buchan has one his first ASP World Tour event, the Quicksilver Pro France, which took place on the 24th Sep in Hossegor, France. He beat eight-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater to get to the top spot but the battle was tight (Buchan beat Slater 15.73 to 15.16). Buchan performance was a big step-up, his previous surfing not good enough to make it passed the quarterfinal rounds.

Slater was aiming for a sixth event win this season which would have seen him take a massive ninth ASP World Title. All he needed was a score of 7.51 to push him to victory but couldn’t find the wave to capitalise on, scoring only a 2.23, and had watch on as Buchan licked the waves clean.

“I tried not to think about it paddling out for the final,” Buchan noted. “I had visions of him winning the title but I just tried to focus on myself and what I had to do out there – get two really good waves. Luckily Kelly did not get that one at the end.”

Kelly was gracious in defeat saying “It’s cool that it came down to a wave in the end, at least it made it interesting…truth is though, Ace was more in sync with it. He got those open face ones and did the turns. I had one wave I surfed pretty good on that I knew was going to get me back in it. Then I just needed a chance in the end but there wasn’t quite enough time – I should have pushed for a 40-minute final.”

Buchan’s win moves him up the world rankings to No. 9. Ironically, if Kelly finishes 9th or better in Mundaka he will win the world title…for the 9th time!

Burton Global Open Series - Australia

Perisher Blue, Australia played host to the second round of the Burton Global Open Series of snowboarding earlier this month. The event which spanned 5 days and saw the action begin on the 2^nd Sep, came to end leaving Torstein Horgmo (NOR) and Jamie Anderson (USA) with grins on their faces, as they came through to win the men’s and women’s slopestyle competition

Horgmo’s  achieved the top spot with a gifted winning run, featuring a fakie backside tail 270 on the downrail, into a switch 50/50 Cab 180 on the battleship, followed by a backside 720 melon, into a frontside 900 indy, finishing with a huge big switch backside 1260 melon. Horgmo picked up $7,500 AUD for his efforts

Anderson earned her $7,500 AUD with a winning run that was made up of a tailpress on the downrail, followed by a noseslide-to-fakie on the battleship, sticking a switch backside 360 stalefish on the first kicker, into a Cab 540 mute on the second, finishing with an frontside 540 melon.

Current standings are as follows:

MENS STANDINGS -

Mitrani, Luke USA: 25209

Guldemond, Chas USA: 25167

Maurer, Stephan SUI: 24297

Korpi, Janne FIN:  23174

Reid, Charles CAN: 18972

WOMENS STANDINGS -

Anderson, Jamie USA: 31200

Staveley, Lauren AUS: 16625

Rennie, Kara CAN: 16496

Davis-meehan, Michaela AUS: 15202

Teter, Hannah USA: 14944

We’ve Jumped London, But Can We Surf It?

After talk early last year regarding the build of an indoor ‘Surfdome’ somewhere in the city of London, it seems the developers of Venture Xtreme have gone one better in proposing an open-air artificial break in the East London area of Silvertown Quays, Newham.

Planned for 2011, the complex will work by diverting water from the Thames and passing it though a large filter to create an area of safe and controllable surf, capable of producing consistent waves that roll for around 100m and have the potential to be 8ft in height.

With the British Surfing Association estimating there to be around 500,000 surfers in the UK, project directors of the new London surf park are hoping to convince a proportion to grab their surfboards and try out Venture Xtreme’s congestion-free alternative to the beaches of the West Country, where overcrowding and territorial surfing are becoming more commonplace.

Add to this the fact that decent surf is at least a 3 hour drive from the capital city, and more often than not it’s dead on arrival, there is certainly a strong argument for surfers to enjoy a little more reliability and convenience. You can expect to pay around £30 a time and early estimates state that you’ll get around 10 waves per session. Those in charge are quick to point out that this enterprise is not aimed at replacing the real thing but instead intended to supplement surfer’s time in the salt water and allow anyone to sharpen their skills whatever the weather, something we at Extreme Sports Trader agree with and can’t wait to try out ourselves.

Nissan Outdoor Games

At a time when all forms of extreme sports are in vogue, and where the outdoors is the object of their passion, The Nissan Outdoor Games has been able to create an innovative and original style. As a multi-sports event, it places first-rate athletes in the spotlight to share their passion through the medium of an outdoor film festival of various activities and demonstrations, all taking place over one week-end.

Without doubt the biggest gathering of its kind, the Nissan Outdoor Games projects outdoor sports onto the big screen. Due to the extraordinary backdrop provided by the region at the foot of the Eiger, the Mönsch and the Jungfrau, this innovative international film festival has found its natural home in the Bernese resort of Interlaken, which has hosted the event for the last four years.

5 teams have 5 days to conceive, shoot and edit a film which is judged on sporting performance, photography, originality of screenplay, sound and editing, to try and take the prize (2008 boasted a prize purse of $50,000).

The stars of kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding and BASE-jumping all put themselves in extreme situations. Under the gaze of the locals, the horde of young athlete take over the rivers, forests, mountains, glaciers and even the air space all for the purposes of their films. These modern games combine sport with aesthetics and creativity.

For all five teams, the competition started this year on June 30^th. The goal: to produce a short film of no more than 5 minutes, showcasing themselves performing their chosen sport. Each team chose their own photographer, cameraman, editor and producer in order to ensure the best production quality. A Nissan X-Trail was also made available to each team to help them get to the most spectacular “spots”.

The event made public participation a priority. For this year’s edition, the organisation centralised all the activities in the middle of town. On the program, there were demonstrations and try-outs all day long on Friday and Saturday, giving the public the opportunity to actively participate late into the evening.

If you missed it this year then make sure you check out the action in 2009!

http://www.outdoorgames.org