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No fear

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2006 by Noah Johnson

As one of the top extreme-sports athletes in the world, fearless outdoorsman and renowned wild man WILL GADD knows the true value of challenging yourself--body, mind, and soul. Here, in his own words and exclusively for MF, he breaks down the methods behind his madness and offers some suggestions on how you can experience a few thrills of your own with six of the most extreme sports known to man.

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ERNEST HEMINGWAY ONCE WROTE, "AUTO RACING, BULLFIGHTING, AND MOUNTAIN CLIMBING ARE the only real sports ... all others are games" And while games are great fun--I played on my high school basketball team with enthusiasm if not great distinction--today I'm less interested in them. My work calendar is packed with more important events: climbing frozen waterfalls in Norway, paragliding the skies of Europe, scaling icebergs and huge mountains of rock, kayaking crazy rivers. And between all that, I'm making films, teaching clinics, and just having fun. It's a stellar job description made possible by a lifetime spent chasing dreams around the globe.

The only drawback is the danger. But even with the hazards, these extreme sports provide the most enjoyment I've found in life. And I think Hemingway would agree that these are real sports. There are no judges or referees to stop the action when it gets too aggressive. Many of my friends have paid the ultimate price, and when I'm introduced at a function as "The Extreme-Sports Guy" outsiders often ask, "Why?"

The answer is that real sports offer real rewards. And, as we all know, the bigger the risk, the better the payoff. I take big risks every time I climb into my paraglider or scale an iceberg bobbing in the Atlantic, but the reward of seeing dawn's red light sear across a high mountain range is not only worth the challenge it takes to get there, it's also the time I feel most undeniably whole and alive.

The public often calls what I do "extreme." But, really, these sports are all about the possibility of living completely in the moment. The usual debris of life such as mortgage payments and workplace stress becomes almost irrelevant when you're perched on an iceberg or gliding over the Grand Canyon at nearly 18,000 feet.

The following is a list of my favorite possibilities--activities in which the question isn't "Why?" but something more along the lines of "How can I make this feeling last forever?" They're sports Hemingway would approve of that take place in some of the most special places I've found around North America--places where the only thing that really matters is just how far you can push your own limits.

ICE CLIMBING

SPORT MOST SUITED FOR:

Guys with a fondness for medieval weaponry (an ice tool is a bit like a battle-ax) or men with latent polar-explorer genes.

TRAINING/STRENGTH REQUIRED: Reasonable upper-body power--imagine performing vertical landscaping.

SCARE SCALE: Moderate. Facial cuts are common and scars are worn with pride, but death is unlikely.

DESTINATION: Ouray, Colo. Once the locals in Ouray started making ice (they call it "farming icicles"), the quantity of GoreTex-clad climbers showing up in town to climb the frozen water skyrocketed. Ouray's townsfolk spend a lot of time and energy running shower nozzles and other central water pipes to flow some of the best and most easily accessible ice climbs in the world. When you're done on the ice, warm up--and ease those aching muscles--in Ouray's natural hot-springs pool.

WHERE TO LEARN:

ourayclimbing.com

BASE JUMPING SPORT MOST SUITED FOR:

The type of kid who would jump off the school roof on a dare--twice. Once for grins, and once to stick it after breaking his ankle the first try.

TRAINING/STRENGTH REQUIRED: No physical skills are required, but learning to skydive first is a great idea.

SCARESCALE: Extreme. Don't tell your girlfriend what you're planning. And make sure your insurance premiums are paid up. Just in case.

DESTINATION: Twin Falls, Idaho, the most "user-friendly" place in the U.S. to, as the local jumpers say, "Huck your carcass off a bridge]" Perrine Bridge soars 486 feet over the Snake River and has become a BASE-jumping mecca, with numerous "fall to your death" camps held for first-time jumpers. Twin Falls local Miles Daisher recently jumped off the bridge and hiked back up from the draw a record 57 times, earning a world-record adrenaline buzz--and a pair of seriously sore legs. Amazingly, the Twin Falls chamber of commerce awarded him its Person of the Year trophy for this stunt, which says a lot about this town. I hucked my carcass off the bridge a half dozen times under Daisher's instruction and then gave it up. The adrenaline hits were simply too insane.

WHERE TO LEARN:

baserigs.com/docs/courses

ROCK CLIMBING

SPORT MOST SUITED FOR: Anyone who heard, "Get down from there this second!" regularly while growing up.

TRAINING/STRENGTH REQUIRED: You need to be strong but without too much bulk. Gymnasts often do well, but my dad is 60 and still climbs regularly.

No fear

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2006 by Noah Johnson

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