Video: BASE Jumping Antarctica

I came across this video this morning over at ExWeb. It is a preview for a full documentary of an expedition that went to Antarctica back in 2009, where the team of explorers snowboarded, climbed, and BASE jumped from an impressive looking rock tower. ExWeb has a short profile of Geraldine Fasnacht who was one of the members of that team, and has another of her videos on display as well.

Video: Snowboarding Across Switzerland

Professional snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue spent his February traveling through Switzerland where he rode the famous Glacier Express train and visited several top ski resorts to get some snowboarding in. The results are the beautiful video below that will leave you wanting to recreate the trip for yourself. Xavier and a group of friends traveled from Zermatt to St. Moritz and found some of the best powder in Europe along the way.


Xavier de Le Rue: jumping cliffs and train trip through Switzerland - TimeLineS02E04 from TimeLine Film on Vimeo.

Winter Adventures on Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Living in Austin, Texas I've become accustomed to mild winters. Here it seldom falls below freezing and rarely do we get any kind of snow. In fact, in the nearly seven years that I've lived here, it has only snowed once and that was barely enough to cover the rooftops. Despite the fact that my current home-state doesn't isn't exactly known as a winter wonderland, I still enjoy the opportunity to play in the snow from time to time. With that in mind, a traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula a few weeks back to get in  a few cold weather adventures.

For those unfamiliar with the Upper Peninsula, or U.P. as it is called, it is the northernmost landmass that makes up the state of Michigan. The region is sparsely populated and heavily wooded, making it a surprisingly remote wilderness for those who have never visited the place before. In fact, the U.P. features more than 300 miles of wilderness, giving outdoor enthusiasts something to love in every season.

Visiting the Upper Peninsula during the winter generally means plenty of cold and snow, but like much of the U.S., Michigan is also having a mild winter. In this case that means they've only received 75 inches of snow thus far this year, which sounds like a lot but is well below the 200+ inches of powder they region gets during an average winter. Still, I found there was plenty of snow for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, some of the activities I was most looking forward to while I was there.

My U.P. adventure began in Sault Ste Marie, a charming little town that falls just across the St. Mary's River from Canada. The biggest summer draw to the town are the Soo Locks, which annually see more cargo pass through their gates than the Panama and Suez Canals combined. During the winter months however, Sault Ste Marie is the gateway to the winter playground that is the U.P. and not long after arriving I was off to Tahquamenon Falls State Park for a little snowshoeing.

The trail to the falls is a short one and an easy hike, even in winter, but the payoff is well worth it in any season. The Upper Tahquamenon is the largest falls east of the Mississippi River, stretching 200 feet across the river which gives it its name. They have a height of 50 feet and in the springtime the snow-melt swells the river so that more than 50,000 gallons drop over the edge each and every second. The falls remind open, even in the winter, when the snow and ice make the entire setting feel incredibly serene. On the day of my visit, a gentle snowfall only added to the experience.

The U.P. happens to be one of the premiere snowmobiling destinations in the entire U.S., and many travelers visit the area on an annual basis just to enjoy that activity alone. The state and national forests that cover the area feature more than 3000 miles of groomed trails just waiting to be explored. Flying along those trails at over 50 mph on the back of a powerful sled is a lot of fun and a great way to enjoy the backcountry. There are plenty of trails a short drive from Sault Ste Marie, but no matter where you go on the Upper Peninsula, you'll discover plenty of places to ride. I spent the better part of a day on, and off, some of those trails and had a great time chasing friends through the scenic woods.

A few days into the trip I payed a visit to the Treetops Ski Resort, which opened up even more opportunities for winter fun. The resort has a modestly sized ski hill with 23 runs and three lifts and options for every level of skier or rider. There are several miles of groomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails that are amazingly secluded and quiet. One morning I was fortunate enough to hit those trails before anyone else, including the groomer, and it turned out to be one of the more sublime experiences I've had in the woods in quite some time.

After spending a few days playing in the snow, I moved on to the WISSA event that I told you about last week, which was a completely different experience altogether. But my U.P. visit was incredibly fun and I would love to go back to explore the region more fully. In the warmer months, all those miles of snow covered trails turn into hiking and mountain biking routes and the rivers and lakes, including the Great Lakes, would make for excellent paddling. The forests that dominate the area should be fantastic for backpacking and camping, and there is even quality climbing options as well. The adventure activities abound, no matter the season, and outdoor enthusiasts shouldn't overlook this amazing wilderness that has so much to offer.

For more information on the Upper Peninsula and other outdoor activities in Michigan, visit Michigan.org.

Video: Snowboarding In An LED Suit

This video was making the rounds late last week, and I had a few people send it my way again over the weekend, so I thought I'd share it today. It shows a snowboarder riding down the mountain, at night, in a suit lit up with LED lights. That description really sounds strange in and of itself, but when you see it in motion, it truly is something to behold. The video is oddly tranquil to watch, and the slow-motion effect, coupled with the music, it has an odd, other-worldly effect.



Glowing Man HD from Jacob Sutton on Vimeo.

Video: Redbull Supernatural Snowboard Competition

This past weekend a new snowboard competition kicked off in British Columbia, where 18 of the best riders in the world hit a custom built run that resembled something out of a video game. The event, called the Redbull Supernatural,  was created by Travis Rice, who also won the competition, was not without controversy. In order to build the wooden platforms and rails used in the race, a number of tress throughout the area were topped or removed altogether, angering environmentalists in the process.

That said, this looks fun as hell!

Video: In The Ice Lab With Xavier de Le Rue

I love these snowboarding videos that feature Xavier de Le Rue running what looks to be an impossible line down a mountain. In the one below, which is the second episode of the TimeLine series, he and his crew find a new run in the Alps, near Mt. Blanc. They have work a little to get a chance to ride it, but the results were definitely worth the effort.

Secret spot, Xavier de Le Rue et Lucas Debari ! TimeLine S02E02

Video: Sh!t Climbers Say

The Nat Geo Adventure blog posted a series of funny videos today that will leave you cracking up and spitting your drink all over your computer screen. The videos, which come to us from the very creative team over at Louder Than 11, pokes fun at outdoor personality stereotypes. The video for climbers can be found below, but the NG blog also has specific ones for kayakers, skies, and snowboarders as well.

Funny stuff! Dude, can I get a drink of your water?



Shit Climbers Say from Louder Than 11 on Vimeo.

Video: Powder Alert

It hasn't been a particularly great winter for skiing and snowboarding in North America, although the season is far from over yet. Still, Xavier and Victor de La Rue, along with Anne Flore, managed to find plenty of powder right around Christmas time. The results were the video below, which kicks off a new season of the webseries TimeLine, sponsored by the North Face.

overdose de pow : Xavier, AFM et Victor de Le Rue ! TimeLine S02E01

Video: This Is My Winter Helmet Cam Action

Last week I posted the teaser trailer for a new extreme snowboarding video called This Is My Winter that looked amazing and scary at the same time. Today I have more footage from the film, all of it captured by a video camera strapped to the head of the rider. That means we get a first person perspective as they climb remote mountains, strap on their snowboard, and then fly back down the hill.

This video only reiterates my decision to never, ever, try to do this myself.



Helmet cam teaser - THIS IS MY WINTER from TimeLine on Vimeo.

Video: This Is My Winter Teaser Trailer

I post videos regularly here on The Adventure Blog, many of which give us an inside look at life on an expedition or in pursuit of some outdoor adventure. Few of those videos are as scary as these backcountry, alpine skiing/snowboard films, which often depict someone hurling down an impossibly steep mountain face and breakneck speeds.

That's exactly what we have today in this teaser trailer for a film called This Is My Winter, which follows climber and snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue, who scales some impressive mountains, then proceeds to snowboard back down them. Much of the footage here is caught by his helmet cam, which makes it all the  more scarier, but the wide shots really give you a sense of the scale of these mountains, and just how vertical they are. At times it is just crazy-scary.

Thanks to The Goat for sharing this one.



Teaser - THIS IS MY WINTER from TimeLine on Vimeo.

New Ski Goggles Keep You Connected On The Slopes

In addition to being a fan of adventure, exploration, and travel, I also happen to be a technology and gadget guy. I love playing around with new tech toys and finding interesting ways that they can improve my life. When I find a cool gadget that would also be fun to use on my travels or outdoor sports, than I really get excited. Such is the case with a new heads-up display system from Recon Instruments that fits inside specific ski goggles. Recon has just released their MOD and MOD Live devices, both of which look like they would be a lot of fun to use on the slopes.

The basic MOD system incorporates a micro-optics display (MOD) inside your goggles and displays such data as your current rate of speed, vertical distances traveled, the temperature and so on. The system also incorporates a GPS chip so that it can track your location and the routes you take on the mountain. It even includes a sophisticated chrono/tracker for showing you real-time info on your current run.

All of that is pretty cool stuff, but it is also technology we've seen in goggles before. Step up to the MOD Live system however, and you really get some cool additions. MOD Live is powered by Google's Android operating system and links up to your smartphone via Bluetooth technology. With a data connection enabled, the MOD Live can add navigation cues to your screen and includes a database of a ton of resorts across the world to show you the best runs and points of interest. It'll also allow you track the location of your friends who are also using the Live system, and will display text messages and caller ID on the screen.

I had a chance to play with a pre-release version of the device at Outdoor Retailer this past August and thought that it was very cool. While I wasn't actually on the slopes of course, I did get to see what the tiny screen is capable of, and came away quite impressed. The outdoor-enthusiast-slash-tech-guy in my was drooling a bit over the possibilities, and its good to see that MOD and MOD Live are now available. Price? $299 and $399 respectively.

Check out the video below to see more of what these devices are capable of.

Recon Instruments Fall 2011 Product Lineup from Recon Instruments on Vimeo.