The Razor's Edge

[Wingnut]

We need a thread dedicated to extreme sports and those who live on the cutting edge... and lest we forget some of the hardcore pioneers in extreme sports, I'll post a few links. These guys may all be dead, but they lived life to the fullest while they were alive. Here's to Dan 'The Man' Osman, Dean Potter, Jeb Corliss & Uli Emanuele... four of my biggest heroes. Some folks look up to football stars or other 'mainstream' athletes, but I always respected these hands who put their lives on the line every time they pulled some crazy $h!t, lol. No gettin' around it, they lived their lives on the cutting edge... and when they died, those into extreme sports acknowledged their contributions to such sports. I hold them in higher regard than I will EVER hold some chump who plays or played in 'mainstream' sports... there's just no comparison. Later, I'll post some cool rock climbing, surfing, skateboarding & freestyle MX videos, maybe even some old Evel Knievel videos, lol, but for now, these links will do to get the party started. Here ya go:

Dan Osman

Dean Potter

Jeb Corliss

Jeb Corliss

Uli Emanuele

I threw in an extra Jeb Corliss video for Tank-Girl, the film of Ball's Pyramid off the coast of Australia... what a cool video! Jumping out of a chopper and soaring past the world's tallest volcanic stack in the ocean... and landing in the water to be picked up by the crew of that boat, lol. Those guys know how to live! I would LOVE to do this very same wingsuit flight, if I had the money... I flew in many choppers in the Army, so I wouldn't have a problem dropping from one as it hovered high in the sky. That shot of the 'Brazilian Speed Freak' stepping off the skid of that chopper is CLASSIC, just dropping away into open air with a heller view of the stack. I used to LOVE doing 'elevator drops' on my skateboard, that adrenalin rush is always powerful, lol... maybe one day, I'll stumble upon a fortune in some lost gold mine, and I can outfit myself to go make the Ball's Pyramid jump. I'll be sure the pickup boat has plenty of provisions in the form of steaks & beers, lol. A stainless steel grill bolted to the stern pulpit as well, gotta have that to cook the steaks!

 

[Wingnut]

Ya know, a guy can break his neck skateboarding, so lemme toss in this Lance Mountain video which I always liked!

Lance Mountain

And here's a Bob Burnquist takeoff on that video, lol... gotta love Bob Burnquist, he absolutely rips! Here ya go!

Bob Burnquist

Now, I would post all of the 'MASTERS OF STONE' videos here on general principle, but I've found that shorter videos come through better with less problems, aye?

So please feel free to post videos here in this new thread, but maybe keep 'em shorter so they don't f#% up, lol. You know, anything under 10 minutes... homemade video or pro material, doesn't matter to me. CHEERS!!!

 

[Wingnut]

Here's a cool video of Alexander Huber pulling a difficult free solo in the Dolomites back in 2002... at the time, a bold free solo pushing the envelope, lol. Alexander & Thomas Huber are two top German climbers, and they put up quite a few impressive routes of their own in their heyday. Like Wolfgang Gullich (another top-rated German climber), they set standards in their day. Some of you may wonder why Alexander is wearing a crash helmet in this video, as any fall would kill him pronto... the helmet is for protection against rockfall, a fairly common objective hazard in the Dolomites and any of the European Alps. Here ya go, best to watch this video in full screen mode, same as the other videos previously posted. Might as well live large, aye? FULL SCREEN = "MO' BETTAH!!!"

Alexander Huber

P.S. I'm a bit surprised that he's wearing a watch---maybe it's an altimeter or some other piece of gear---most climbers I met in the past didn't like anything strapped to their wrists, as that object would interfere with hand jams. Meh, I reckon Alexander was just that good, he could always remove the watch before a jam session, then put it back on while perched on dime-thin edges and ridiculous toeholds, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Okay, this morning I randomly selected three 'Freestyle MX' videos, the MX standing for Motocross (for those unfamiliar with the term). These pro riders make it all look easy, but the potential for injury or death is ever-present in such riding. Folks like Bacpacker and others here who ride (or used to ride), I sincerely hope you enjoy these videos, lol. Hey, that 'Bike Flip' trick is a new one to me, I've been in the boondocks too long... but I LIKE it, and the 'Triple Backflip' is pretty crazy, didn't know they'd gotten that far. I know some BMX riders have been working on the 'Quad Backflip', and they may have already pulled it off, I dunno...

As for that industrial riding venue, well, don't try that at work! Those are some crazy tricks the guy's doing! I love that one trick where he "kisses" the underside of that suspended container with his rear wheel while upside-down, that shows finesse. All these riders exhibit absolute mastery of their bikes, but know that they've also paid the price at times, with broken bones and other damage. Moi, I'm old school, I still like the simple WHIP, but modern pros have taken the sport to a whole new level. Some of the tricks they're doing are pretty wild! Hope y'all enjoy these videos, they're definitely worth watching even if you don't ride! Cheers!

Freestyle MX 1

Freestyle MX 2

Freestyle MX 3

P.S. Don't forget to watch in FULL SCREEN mode!

 

[Wingnut]

Here's one for my friend Mikey J., a former professional surfer who could actually ride waves like this... he had 29 photos published in the surf mags, including a beautiful centerfold shot of Mikey standing in some HUGE BARREL, lol. Moi, I was more of a sailor and skateboarder, though I was pretty good at body surfing and could ride some large waves. There's an art to body surfing, ya gotta get a good takeoff, then cut left or right and plane on your arm and shoulder (some body surfers also use a 'Handgun' for additional planing surface), that way you can catch longer rides. Take off on the shoulder of the wave and the barrel will catch up to you as you're planing along at speed... anyway, here's one for Mikey J! Gotta like the ugly wipeouts too, a break like this can and will kill those who don't belong out there...

Cloudbreak Video

 

[Dani]

I applaud true athletes, but will honestly say I do not watch any sports. What I have been seeing in the news is all these men competing against women for the win.

 

[Wingnut]

I don't think that tranny grinder BS has reached extreme sports yet, lol... more like a mainstream sports thing, and I don't watch any of those anymore either. Rodeo & extreme sports, that's about it... I guess rodeo could be CALLED an extreme sport, it's certainly dangerous enough, aye? I've noticed that many if not all of the riders wear helmets, lol...

P.S. I quit watching so-called "news" years ago, after I realized I was yelling at my 65" curved screen TV, lol...

 

[Dani]

I would have called this extreme sports.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/26/pat...ransgender-pro-boxer-represents-everlast.html
https://goldfiremedia.net/2019/05/0...nsgenders-continue-to-dominate-womens-sports/

 

[Wingnut]

Meh... boxing... mainstream BS... it's all rigged anyway, same way the Kentucky Derby is now rigged.

I sure hope you're not gonna drag all that tranny grinder BS into this thread, lol... there's no place for it here.

I can just see tranny grinder rodeo riders getting beaten up by rednecks in the dirt parking lot, lol...

 

[Cascadian]

Our youngest

son was a bit of a daredevil. To the point it got hard for us to watch. Because of him we got advanced first aid training and eventually EMT certifications. He grew out of it after high school thankfully.

 

[Wingnut]

Too bad... he looks like a good rider! But I get the part about being concerned... as those who participate in extreme sports pay their dues sooner or later, lol. I know, I've paid mine, especially back in BMX and skateboarding days, not to mention MX. If I had a nickel for every time I picked up some road rash, concrete rash, trail rash, etc., I'd now be a rich man, lol. Meh, I'm wealthy in life experience, and those memories keep me going as I get older... even when I was falsely charged and had six months of my life ripped off as I waited for my hearings, they could never break me, since I had all those good memories to keep me company. Every day, while sitting in some dinky and grungy jail cell, I'd think of trail riding, sailing to the islands, skating and riding BMX bikes in parks & pools with friends, the whole nine yards. I think good positive memories are crucial to happiness as we age... I don't wanna look back upon my life and realize that I never did anything worth mentioning, I don't wanna be remembered as a "droid of society."

Here are some more videos to keep this thread rolling, lol... and here's another observation, I don't mind living vicariously by watching some snowboarder tear down a big ol' mountain, as I never really had the opportunity to snowboard. All the ski resorts & snowboarding venues were far from my home on the beach, you understand, too much trouble to get there when there were so many other activities to enjoy in my local area. I always reckoned I'd make a decent snowboarder, due to my skating experience, and the fact that one's stance is similar... I never liked skiing, the few times I tried it, same way I didn't really like ice skating. As an old school vertical skateboarder, I never liked ANYTHING strapped to my feet... I had to have the option to BAIL if necessary, lol. And that ice in the rink might as well be concrete, hard as it is when ya fall. Sure, snowboarders still have bindings or whatever, but the stance makes all the difference... no parallel stance for this kid, it just doesn't work for me, lol. Surf or skate stance, no problem... regular foot, not goofy foot!

Extreme Sports 1

Extreme Sports 2

Wingsuit Compilation

Now, that wingsuit video has some really cool footage, but those mass or group jumps would NOT be something I'd like to try... too much could go wrong there, you understand. I'd be more into staggered starts, just to keep that "safety cushion" around me... perhaps this viewpoint stems from my training as a truck driver, lol. However, I'm pretty sure that jumpers have been injured or killed by piling up in midair, or getting their chutes tangled when the time came to deploy. If I'm gonna engage in ANY extreme sport, I wanna do it RIGHT, and not invite disaster, lol. Well, as "right" as one can possibly do it, aye? And that "Parkour" number? Definitely NOT my cuppa tea, though I did once drunkenly & foolishly run along a building ledge 9 stories up without any safety gear. Don't get me wrong, that Parkour looks radical, but there seems to be too much danger involved... in my younger days, I'd gladly free solo a tall cliff on a route within my ability, lol, but jumping over heller gaps between buildings? "FUHGEDDABOUTIT!!!"

 

[Dani]

Meh... boxing... mainstream BS... it's all rigged anyway, same way the Kentucky Derby is now rigged.

I sure hope you're not gonna drag all that tranny grinder BS into this thread, lol... there's no place for it here.

I can just see tranny grinder rodeo riders getting beaten up by rednecks in the dirt parking lot, lol...

I said my little tid bit. I'm done with your pure masculine thread. .

 

[Mountain trapper]

I get enough adventure in just day to day living around here.

 

[Wingnut]

On the contrary, there are quite a few women who are exceptional athletes in the world of extreme sports... Lynn Hill, Steph Davis & Katie Brown come to mind right away in the realm of technical rock climbing. Lynn Hill was the first person---male or female---to free climb 'The Nose' on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley in a day, a stunning achievement to this day. Steph Davis free soloed 'The Diamond' in Colorado with absolute mastery... I greatly respect & admire these women for breaking stereotypes and pushing the envelope in extreme sports.

Lynn Hill

Steph Davis

In the future, I will undoubtedly post more videos of women in extreme sports... right now, I have to go water before it gets dark, as the rain never materialized today and it doesn't look so good for tonight either.

 

[Wingnut]

Time to check the nautical scene...

Hydroplane Action

Those hydroplanes go as fast as Indy cars, but they're on the water, lol... here's a video of the big cats sailed in many regattas today, these big cats are part boat & part plane, and onboard computers play a big part in modern racing.

Big Cats

Skipper & crew wearing helmets, lol... that fact alone qualifies the video for this thread. Here's my favorite racing monohull, a 100' super maxi called Comanche which shattered the record for crossing the Atlantic. Good video, even if it is a bit longer... that one crewman is hilarious when he mentions sleeping down below with feet forward, so as not to break his friggin' neck if the boat should collide with anything (like an iceberg or some other hazard).

Comanche

That video also shows folks how these carbon fiber boats are built... they are big, they are bad, they are super strong yet much lighter than conventional fiberglass boats. Y'all don't know this, but I did a fair amount of glasswork back in the day, and my best friend "T-Bone" from the surf shop was (and still is) a master glassworker. The shop was sold years ago, but my friend still repairs boards, kayaks, whatever for folks in Coronado. I reckon I'll dedicate that last video to him, lol.

 

[Cascadian]

@Wingnut yeah my son was a natural at Desert Racing. He started on a Kx80. His first race there were about 50 bikes wide. He was nervous and said what do I do?. I looked at the KTM 300 next to him and said just follow that guy. In the first 300 feet the Ktm was behind him. I saw my son look back. He never saw the KTM again. He finished 8 minutes ahead of the next 80cc beginner. They weren't going to give him his trophy because they thought he was from out of state and was more experienced or something. An old racer and friend said I know that kid and it is his first race. Nobody said it was his first day on a dirt bike. They gave him his trophy. At one time there was talk about sponsorships and stuff when he was still on an 80. He said why would I want someone to tell me when and what to ride? My wife and I continued to support the search and rescue support in desert racing for years after he quit racing. I think it is about the only part of the desert we miss. Here is a brief desert race video.

 

[Wingnut]

Nice video... puts ya right there in the thick of the racing, lol. And that cross-country racing ain't so easy, modern cameras tend to "iron out" ruts and make sandy patches look solid, 10-4? I like the part where a rock or dirt clod flew up and hit the camera... looked like most of those riders were well-outfitted with protective gear, which is good. Some of those larger boulders seen in the 9th minute of the clip looked as if they offered some heller cool boulder problems for climbers, lol. The desert camping scene brought back some excellent memories, though my friends and I tended to gravitate to more remote areas where there were less riders... 'Valley of the Moon' was a good example, before the illegal aliens and Border Patrol ruined it. Back in the day, my friends and I would go out there for days on end and never see another person, lol. Beautiful high desert venue, with huge rock outcrops reminiscent of Joshua Tree... we'd camp, ride, shoot weapons, climb outcrops, just have a blast until we were out of steaks, beer, ammo, bike fuel, etc. One could also explore the old Elliot Amethyst Mine (circa 1930s) and pitch a tent in a large boulder cave below Tahe Peak... it was a great venue while it lasted!

 

[Magus]

Does anybody remember the tiny skateboards of the '70s and '80s? It's a wonder we survived!
I gave it up fairly soon, nobody, where I lived, could find "the dead Kennedys or the exploited on 8- track.

 

[Wingnut]

Stumbled across this CLASSIC climbing film from Wales, back when they used rocks & machine nuts for "protection" in cracks, lol. Check out the thin laid rope (or cr@ppy webbing) they used for slings on those pieces of pro, lol... how would ya like to take a hard fall on some of THAT cr@p? That's why climbers of that era were REAL MEN, lol, not some f@gtard tranny grinders angling for exposure on a modern Bud Light can...

Welsh Climbers

The film even mentions Joe Brown, a climbing legend in the UK back in the day. Good closeup views of pitons too, the soft junk they used early on and the better stuff developed by Yvon Chouinard. Same goes for nuts, stoppers, chocks, etc, shown in the video... Yvon Chouinard was the man, lol. The kind of CEO we NEED on this planet, giving back to the community and the planet. You can Google 'Yvon Chouinard' and see what I mean, lol. The guy ROCKS!!!

P.S. Okay, NOW my wine cooler is done and I am off to decorate those bathrooms, lol... I promise!!!

 

[Wingnut]

Here's a downhill run in Switzerland... I used to like "tucking in" more and using "surf style" on grades like this, but the slides are nice and expertly-controlled, so here we go, lol.

Swiss Downhill Run

One thing I can tell y'all about downhill runs: if you aren't prepared and wearing the right gear, a high-speed wipeout will lead to SERIOUS ROAD RASH, lol. Don't ask me how I friggin' know this...

P.S. I like when the guy meets the vehicle pulling the grade, lol... good thing he wasn't in that lane when it happened. Our downhill runs were made with spotters on sketchy curves... greater chance of survival that way, lol.

 

[Cascadian]

I was gonna make a joke about tucking. Nevermind let's stay on topic.

 

[Wingnut]

Some climbing videos... Adam Ondra is an odd duck, but he's one of the world's top climbers, as you'll see in this first video. Unlike "trad" or traditional climbing, this is "sport climbing"---so bolts are pre-placed on rappel or direct aid, and possibly by other methods (extension ladder, cherry picker, whatever). There's no way a climber can place protection (or climbing hardware) on these severely-overhanging 5.15+ routes, it's hard enough just to stay on those ridiculous holds, hence the pre-placed bolts with runners & carabiners hanging from 'em along the route.

The trick for top climbers is to determine where to place the bolts for the best protection from falls... most modern bolts are 3" x 3/8" stainless steel expansion bolts. Ya drill a hole in the rock while hanging in a harness (tied-off on rappel, for instance), then pound the expansion bolt in with a hammer... the deeper it goes, the tighter the grip due to expansion. A flanged metal eye or "bolt hanger" goes on the outer threaded end, with a nut to secure it... climbers clip that hanger with a carabiner, often extending the bolt placement with a "runner" of webbing and another carabiner.

Those runners or extensions help reduce "rope drag" as a climber ascends a route... if the rope has to zig-zag back and forth, major rope drag ensues, so by extending various placements of hardware a climber can "straighten out" the line and reduce that rope drag to a minimum. A typical 50m x 11mm climbing rope weighs around 7 lbs., which can make a difference on dicey holds higher on a route. 10.5mm climbing ropes weigh a little less, but I always liked the fat 11mm ropes, and I also preferred Edelweiss ropes, the world's best... with Mammut ropes a close second (both are Swiss).

Going back to sport climbing, the pre-placement of bolts has allowed top climbers with vision to attempt incredibly difficult routes which would otherwise not be climbed, except perhaps by "direct aid" where a climber is literally hanging in harness from equipment and hardware placed in or on the rock. Nowadays, a top sport climber with vision can establish or "put up" an incredibly difficult route, a line so tenuous that only a few people in this world can actually pull it off, and those people can be counted on the fingers of one hand (thumb not included, lol). This is how top climbers push the envelope...

Now, "free climbing" means that a climber is under his or her own locomotion, but still protected by rope & hardware, as well as a "belay partner" at the other end of the rope. "Free solo" is where a climber has nothing but shoes, chalkbag, fingertips & brain to tackle a route... no rope, so a fall from height usually means death. Many free solos are done AFTER a climber has already done the route while roped... the gnarliest free solos are "on-sight solos" where a climber has no foreknowledge of holds or sequential moves required to successfully ascend the route. A tough way to free solo...

One final observation: a climber can still "solo" on direct aid and be protected by rope & massive amounts of hardware. One can "free" a route and still be protected in the same manner... only "free solo" indicates an ascent with no rope and no hardware, just climbing shoes & chalkbag as previously mentioned. I include a couple of short videos wherein some clown tries to rank the world's top free solos... I don't agree with his choices, but the videos DO show some rad routes & climbers, including Wolfgang Gullich on 'SEPARATE REALITY' in Yosemite, a mind-blowing free solo done in 1986.

Adam Ondra

Here's one for the ladies... bear in mind that this gal can climb better than most guys on this planet, lol.

Julia Chanourdie

And here are the two videos purporting to rank the world's top free solos, pffffft... I should add that "buildering" is NOT in the same class as free soloing on rock, though the routes on tall buildings can still be impressive.

Top Free Solos 1

Top Free Solos 2

Okay, I'm done for today, I just had to get my mind off my two cats who are MIA... no sign of 'em yet.

 

[Wingnut]

Found this video on the web just now, looks like a good one, lol. Hey, Bacpacker, there's some killer BMX & MX footage in this one, these riders are GOOD, yeah?

People Are Awesome 2017

Whaddya know? There are sequels, lol...

People Are Awesome 2020

People Are Awesome 2021

Well, those videos get Wingnut's seal of approval, lol... great job by the film editors!

 

[Bacpacker]

Wow, some of them are nuts. Cool videos

 

[Wingnut]

I hear ya... those are definitely cool videos! I don't have a problem with heights, but some of those folks up there on those buildings are clinically insane... perhaps criminally insane, lol. That $hit cannot be legal, lol... that one dude had a balaclava just to hide his face, 10-4? Maybe he works on that job site, lol. Hope ya enjoyed the BMX & MX action, some of those tricks were FRIGGIN' AWESOME, lol...

 

[Wingnut]

Time to revisit BMX, one of my first loves... skateboarding being the other, there was parallel & intermixed development of and between the two sports. These sports even pre-dated my lifelong love affair with small craft sailing, which is actually what I do best... or used to do, anyway. However, I was drawn to BMX at an early age because there's so much precision involved, so much commitment... same goes for vertical skateboarding. Furthermore, I was at an age when I was just learning to use tools: wrenching on bikes & boards was a good way to get started, aye?

I can still remember the best jump I ever made, a "canyon jump" across a deep 180* berm cut into a 10' embankment. My friends & I used a nearby horizontal log to support the dirt launch ramp, then a rider would soar across the canyon below and land on the far slope. The jump was around 15' in length, with a rider dropping around 6-8' before landing on the far side of the downsloping embankment. As the designer of this jump, I tried it first and ate $h!t... got back on my bike and pulled it off the second time. Nobody else would try it, it was too gnarly... so I was 'King of BMX' for the day, lol.

Later, my friends tried it and pulled it off, but it was a gnarly jump, the only good thing about it was that a rider who ate $h!t landed in dirt and eventually sand, since the embankment fronted a bayside beach in Coronado. So there wasn't any concrete rash to worry about, but the potential for injury was still great. I recall when I first endo'd upon landing (endo = end over end wipeout), one pedal whipped by my ear so close that I could feel it's passage in midair, lol. But my friends didn't call me the 'Bulldog' for nothing, and I was right back on that bike to try again, dirt rash or no dirt rash, lol.

Anyway, I have fond memories of BMX, and, like skateboarding, the sport has come so far since the early-to-mid-'70s! Today's riders (in both sports or disciplines) are doing things we never even dreamed of doing, but we were still pioneers in our own right. We were pulling off gnarly jumps and riding vertical and having a blast! And we paid our dues too, we had spectacular wipeouts at times, earning our "cred" through blood, sweat & tears! To this day, my friends & I still refer to BMX bikes with 20" wheels as 'circus bikes'---here are some videos which show you why, lol. Enjoy!!!

Best BMX Tricks

Vans BMX

BMX Freestyle Worlds '96

That last video is dated, but it makes no difference, it shows the absolute precision required to pull freestyle tricks on 'circus bikes'---some of the riders are good enough to actually be in a circus, lol. I really like their footwork, it's so precise, like a bicycle ballet, lol. I used to call rock climbing "the vertical ballet"---there's footwork involved there too, but it's a different kind of footwork, lol. Anyway, that video is totally worth watching, just for the footwork alone! Riders who are good at BMX often make good skateboarders, if they apply themselves, lol. Here's one more BMX video, the quality of the soundtrack sucks but there are still good tricks to be seen... just turn the audio down, lol.

BMX Street

Poor quality audio and some fuzzy video, but the tricks were worth watching, lol. Last but not least, I stumbled across another one of those crazy Parkour videos, I still don't see the fun in it, but I understand the need for precision and total commitment, lol. I'm thinking sloppy Parkour practitioners don't last very long, lol. But hey, if those crazy b@stards wanna risk everything doing this, well, I say let 'em rip... but you probably won't find me trying this friggin' insanity anytime soon, lol. Some of those jumpers remind me of monkeys in a zoo... and maybe that's what they are, lol, but they're pulling off some pretty gnarly stunts! I wonder what the broken ankle rate is in Parkour? Or broken necks?

Extreme Parkour

 

[Bacpacker]

Cool stuff Wingy

 

[Wingnut]

Yeah, my whole point in creating this thread is to put together some kick@$$ videos for those site members into extreme sports... and though I'm not drawn to that Parkour business, there's no denying that it's edgy & radical, lol. Some of those Parkour types probably look at skaters, BMX riders and rock climbers as lunatics, lol... to each his own, I reckon. Funny thing, even at my age I'd try wingsuit flight in a heartbeat, but that Parkour madness is beyond me, lol...

 

[Bacpacker]

My crazy days are well past. I'd end up crippled now days. But those were fun days for sure

 

[Patchouli]

Heard my 9 y.o. grandson was taking Parkour "classes".
Maybe I've mentioned this before...alpine slide in PA. I was barely an adult. Don't know how I ended up hanging around with a bunch of guys all the time, future husband included, but we enjoyed the slide in the summer time (sight of a snow ski park in the winter). I always beat whomever wanted to race me and I never got hurt. The losers always got hurt, pretty bad cases of track rash. You weren't allowed to race, so I'd take off on my turn and hide around the bend, it was heavily wooded up near the top. When fellow racer would come around the bend at break neck speed, I'd start out and opponent would be hollering and laughing, passing me. I'd always win. They think it was because I was so much smaller in height and weight.
Like the guy mentions in the article "back in the day." LOL
https://chroniclesofmccloskey.com/tag/alpine-slide/