Outdoor Recreation News
News: I Traded My Fishing Rod for a Camera
Had so much fun filming underwater fish releases that I now enjoy filming them rather than fishing for them. You can view my latest (make believe) adventure on YouTube. I have to admit that adding the right music really makes a difference.
News: HORRIBLE Snowboarding Fail Captured with Gopro
Here's an amazingly bad snowboard crash that was caught on camera with a GoPro. It's surprising that the GoPro didn't break during all of this!
News: How Santa Claus Does Parkour
Santa Claus has to visit a lot of houses in very little time. When the reindeers are on break (Rudolph really likes his "egg nog", Santa sometimes needs to do a little traveling on his own. In a city or crowded neighborhood parkour can actually be pretty useful and obviously pretty bad ass.
News: How to Win a Trip to Explore Antarctica (Sponsored)
Air New Zealand is looking for a spokesperson for the Antarctica: No Ordinary Place, No Ordinary Assignment project, a two-week adventure in Antarctica, where the chosen candidate will join National Geographic photographer Jason Edwards to document environmental issues and important research being conducted by research teams sponsored by Air New Zealand and Antarctica New Zealand.
News: Free Running Flow from Stefanno in Brazil
This guys has been doing free running, parkour and tricking for more than 6 years. This video has some simple but very cool and flowing movements. Enjoy!
News: B.A.S.E. Jumping Off Buildings in Russia—Slavs Got the Crazy Adrenaline Bug
If you've yet to witness B.A.S.E. jumping, it's an activity for adrenaline junkies first publicized by filmmaker Carl Boenish in '78. The freefall sport employs ram-air parachutes, and is most commonly executed in locations such as the highly elevated El Capitan rock formation of Yosemite National Park (El Capitan is also technically the birthplace of the sport).
Photo of the Day: Australian Handplant
A skateboarder pulls an inverted handplant in a distant, upside-down land.
News: Hawaiian Surfer Dudes Make Their Own DIY Waves
Anybody who surfs knows there's often plenty of downtime waiting for the perfect swell to come along. So what do you do while you're waiting around? Option 1: Nothing (boo). Option 2: Fabricate your own ready-made waves, via a makeshift current pool hooked up to the Waimea River, one of the longest rivers in the Hawaiian Islands. Kudos to Stephan Figueiredo, Dennis Tihara, Gabriel Pastori, Diego Silva and Felipe Cesarano for their up-and-go-get-'em. There has been some debate regarding possib...
News: Brooklynites Build Skull-Shaped Igloo Fortress
What better place to brave the Snowpocalypse than in a snowy simulacrum of a human skull? For those of you old enough to remember He-Man, yes, that's Castle Grayskull. And, oddly enough, the artist, Kilroy III, has actually done this before—nearly 20 years ago:
News: Head over Wheels! The World's First Double Front Flip on a Mountain Bike
On January 25th, Bienve Aguado decided that he would be the one to pull off the world's first double front flip on a mountain bike. And guess what? He did it! Just goes to show what a little grit, determination and thousands and thousands of hours of practice can do! A second clip which shows the trick from start to finish: Your move, extreme unicyclists.
News: Alpine Racer Swaps Surfboard for Skis
Chuck Patterson has spent much of his life riding majestic mountains in boots and bindings, ski poles in hand. In recent years, the extreme athelete decided the massive Hawaiian swells needed conquering as well. Below, Patterson ditches the traditional surfboard for his trusty skiis, and towsurfs into some of the biggest waves of the year at Jaws, Maui's legendary surf break. More at Jaws:
News: The Backflip Brothers (Tandem Isn't for Sissies Anymore)
Some may say riding tandem is reserved for girly girls, seniors and little kids, but anybody would be hard pressed to call brotherly X-Gamer duo Colton and Caleb Moore sissies. At first thought, executing a two-men-clutching-each-other-on-a-snowmobile-backflip might be construed as somewhat odd, but the risk of two dudes potentially falling to their death is two times more thrilling than just one.
News: Slip 'n Slide of Death
It's massive, it's dangerous, and it looks HELLA fun. Shot by filmmaker Devin Graham on the Canon 5D Mark II, it's most likely the widest slip 'n slide in the world (the exact location remains a secret):
News: (I Wish I Could) Wakeboard in a Cranberry Bog
Ok, so it's an advert for a hyper-aggressively marketed energy drink, popular with teens and possibly accountable for the occasional detrimental cardiovascular side effect (yes, we're talking Red Bull). But it would still be totally awesome to wakeboard in a cranberry bog.
News: Lazy Man's Parkour Part III
Kudos to Chris P. for sending in pics that make lazy parkour look even lazier. (Did you guys even leave the room?)
Man About Town: The Elegance of Skateboarding
There's something hypnotizing about Kilian Martin's graceful moves set to the Tommy Edwards classic, It’s All in the Game. Beautifully shot. Great fashion. Completely elegant freestyle skateboarding. More evocative of Gene Kelly than the X Games.
News: Real Life, Cold-Blooded Cuckoo Clock
German artist Michael Sans Berlin taxidermied a somewhat sadistic homage to one of his nation's most traditional craft objects, the cuckoo clock (the first version was made in southwest Germany's Black Forest between 1740 and 1750).
News: The Lazy Man's Parkour Part II
Our new pal Peter Svejgaard sent in these great pics of him and his friends doing the best kind of parkour -the lazy kind- yesterday in Odense, Denmark. Check out their album for more.
News: Surfing Monster Waves By Moonlight
Watch surfer Mark Visser take on a 30-40 foot massive wave off the famous Jaws reef break on Maui in nearly total darkness. Guided only by the LED lights built into his life vest and board, helicopters hovered overhead, filming the event. "It wasn’t until I saw the pictures I realized how big it was. This project has been two years in the planning and it was the scariest, but most exciting thing I have ever done. Riding in complete darkness meant I had to go off feeling. I had to zone out fro...
News: Crazy Russians Jump to Near Death (Not Again)
What's with Russians jumping to icy depths (re: near death)? Exhibit A.
News: Skiing the Manhattan Tsnownami at 40 MPH
Car + rope + 1 pair of skis + 1 brave volunteer. Chris Branca makes the most of the recent NYC tsnownami by jetting down Park Avenue at 40 miles per hour:
News: AT-AT Crash Lands as Snow Fort
Snow fort + Star Wars = coolest dad in the world. Says Redditor jabo27 : “I actually measured out my son’s big toy AT-AT to get the different parts to the right ratio, but then that all went out the window when I actually started building it in the yard. At least you can crawl into the head (from the back side), through the neck and up a deck on the body. and then slide down it’s ass.”
News: High-Tech Tron Skate Ramp
Okay, so it's a gigantic ad. It still looks amazing. Below, a Tron Legacy skate ramp in Melbourne, Australia, created by interactive agency ENESS:
News: Ride the Reverse Cowgirl
MIT students get to have all the fun... Mike Nawrot and Romain Teil constructed their fully-functional, homemade wooden roller coaster in just two weeks, aptly named the Reverse Cowgirl. We've seen lots of thrill-seeking backyard contraptions, but this one imprisons the rider in a freaky vertical position:
News: Scary As Hell DIY Bungee Jumping
Please. Do NOT try this at home. Previously, Russian Roulette Bridge Jumping.
News: Plank + Wheels + 630-Horsepower = World's First V-8 Powered Skateboard
Australian racing organization V8 Supercars have built an oversized skateboard equipped with a V8 engine for Tony Hawk. Hawk was scheduled to ride the beast last week, but it appears no video footage has been posted yet.
BRING IT ON: Middle School Girls of Small Town Ohio Inspire Hollywood Movie
Remember jumping rope on the playground as a kid? The Kings Firecrackers of Ohio have taken the schoolyard practice into Hollywood epic proportions- literally. The talented 4th-8th graders have inspired a movie in the works. (Bring it on, Bring It On.)
News: South Indian Bakers Play Amazing Game of Catch
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Practice makes perfect. Even when it comes to the improbable art of long-distance parotta throwing. If there were an Olympic gold medal for doughy discus throw, this South Indian chef would surely take it.
Double Take: Roof Riding Skyscrapers in Kiev
When I first saw Red Bull's Photo of the Month by photographer Serge Illin, I thought I was looking at some sort of skate ramp with an amazing back drop of skyscrapers.
News: People Are Awesome
Usually there's something semi-dissatisfying about greatest hits compilations on YouTube, but People Are Awesome is pretty amazing. And being this is WonderHowTo, we are all about celebrating people doing amazing things. (*In fact, if you're continual reader, you will see many familiar faces below.)
Skateistan: To Live and Skate in Afghanistan
Skateistan is a nongovernmental organization providing lessons in skateboarding, environmental health, information technology, art and language in a coed setting to hundreds of urban kids in Kabul, Afghanistan. Below, a short documentary on the movement, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel.
News: The Lazy Man's Parkour
The Lying Down Game doesn't require the skill parkour does. In fact, it doesn't require any skill at all, which means anyone and their grandma can do it. Founded in the UK, The Lying Down Game is described as "Parkour...for those who cant be arsed". The rules are simple:
News: BMXers Invade Saddam Hussein's Crib
Bikes Over Baghdad is a BMX tour designed to "hype" the troops in Iraq. Looks like it worked.
News: Rollerblade Wiz Takes on Parkour (Get Ready for Insanity)
Not surprisingly, parkour is even more awesome when performed on rollerblades. Especially when the performer is incredible stuntman Mathieu Ledoux.
News: Human Superman Flies Under the Arms of Christ
Wingsuits are an invention of the Gods. Why? Because they give human beings incredible superhuman powers. First in the gallery below, a compilation of world renown daredevil Jeb Corliss' most amazing jumps. Second, Jeb's epic flight under the arms of Rio's gigantic Jesus Christ. Previously, Adrenaline Rush vs. Death: The Science of Risk.
Adrenaline Rush vs. Death: The Science of Risk
For some, adrenaline beats out every time. Though I've seen countless videos of base jumping, the sport never ceases to amaze. The video below, Last Walk Around Mirror Lake – Boom Bip (Boards of Canada Remix), is no exception to the rule. Shot in Norway, FroschYankee's footage is nothing short of stunning. *For more info, check out Adrenaline Rush (The Science of Risk), the film which this clip was featured in.
News: This Is What BMXers Look Like Slowed Down to 1,000 FPS
Despite being amazing cameras, the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II can only shoot HD video at 60 fps. However, with an After Effects plug-in called Twixtor, you can slow it all the way down to 1000 fps, as demonstrated with these BMXers: Previously, HowTo: Build Your Own DIY SuperMacro Lens.
News: Who Says Girls Can't Thrash? Claire Bevilacqua Has Surfer Dudes Drooling
No, seriously. Just look at her. The Australian born pro surfer would put most dudes to shame (and conjure up some serious inadequacy issues).
News: Deadly Shark Submarine Sure to Freak Out Beach Goers
Another sweet boat this weekend (see yesterday's Zipper Motorboat), the Seabreacher X is a high-speed sub, fashioned after a man-eating shark. Built by Innespace, the submarine has a 260 horsepower engine, can speed through the water at 50 mph on the surface and 25 mph when diving, and best of all: the Seabreacher X can jump 12 feet into the air!
News: Taxidermic Nightlights Teach Children to Take Comfort in the Dark
Want to help a younger sibling get over his or her fear of the dark? Get them a horrifying taxidermic nightlight!