If you don’t seem to be getting out of bed with a smile on that face, if life seems morose and that in itself feels like a good thing, if friends seem like enemies and jobs like jokes…maybe you are…depressed! Seriously what did you think I’d say? Like Bon Jovi would state it, “This ain’t a piece for the broken hearted”, no, this one is for everyone who’s anyone, bold or blah, just lighten up! We bring you five must try adventures for that oh-so-coveted adrenaline rush.
…& I’m free, free falling - Sky Diving
Popularly referred to as parachuting, it’s the act of jumping off an airplane, helicopter or the gondola of a hot air balloon at approximately 4,000 meters altitude, free falling for about a minute before releasing the parachute to slow down the landing process.The diver can control the direction and speed with toggles on the end of steering lines attached to the trailing edge of the parachute and arrive at a fairly gentle stop by aiming for the landing site. All modern sport parachutes are self-inflating ‘ram-air’ wings that provide control of speed and direction. By manipulating the shape of the body a skydiver can generate turns, forward and backward motion as also lifts. If ‘fearless’ is too strong a word for you, perhaps you could opt for a tandem skydive, where in a first time plunger is connected via a harness to a tandem instructor. The instructor guides the student through the whole jump from exit through free fall, piloting the canopy and landing. The student needs only minimal instruction before making a tandem jump. A tandem skydive also requires equipment with several differences from normal sport skydiving rigs. Other training methods include static line, IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment) and AFF (Accelerated Free fall) also known as Progressive Free-Fall (PFF).
Catch me if you can - Mountain Biking
If speed is the need of the hour, attempt mountain biking. A sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, over rough terrain, using expressly designed mountain bikes or hybrid/cross road bikes. Mountain bikes are similar to other bikes, but incorporate features intended to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into multiple categories like;
Downhill (DH) – literally riding downhill
All-mountain (AM) – riding on a variety of terrain
Four Cross/Dual Slalom (4X) - riders compete on separate tracks or on a short slalom track
Freeride / Big Hit / Hucking – ‘do anything and everything’
Dirt Jumping (DJ) - riding over fashioned mounds of dirt or soil as a ‘take-off’ point becoming airborne
Trials - performed either off-road or in an urban environment it involves hopping and jumping bikes over obstacles, without touching a foot onto the ground
Urban/Street - riders perform tricks by riding on or over man made objects
Cross-Country (XC) - riding point-to-point or in a loop including climbs and descents on a variety of terrain
Short Cross or Speed Cross (SC) - riding short, narrow forest paths with rocks, roots and dints to grant extreme speed
Each style incorporates exclusively adapted gear. This sport requires endurance, core strength and balance, bike handling skills and self-reliance.
On the surface of it - Water Skiing
Water skiing is a sport in which an individual is pulled behind a motor boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water. The skier is either wearing one (slalom) or two skis. The surface area of the skis keeps the person gliding on the surface of the water allowing the skier to stand upright while holding onto a tow rope. It begins with a deep water start or a dock start. The skier crouches down in the water as if sitting in a chair with the ski tips pointing up and the ski rope between the skis or on either side if using a single ski. When the skier is ready, the driver accelerates the boat to pull the skier out of the water. In addition to the driver and the skier, a third person known as the spotter is also at hand. The spotter’s job is to watch the skier and inform the driver if the skier falls. Communication between the skier and the occupants of the boat is done with hand signals. It is the spotter’s task to watch the skier’s hand signals and pass on the messages to the driver. Speed and length of the rope vary with skill.
Conquer the desert - Dune Bashing
Dune bashing, also identified as desert safari is a form of off-roading. Whilst in some parts of the world it is illegal, in others it is a thriving attraction for tourists. Similar to auto-racing, experience and skill is required to prevent accidents. Thus, in most cases, a proficient driver accompanies the group. A group can consist of as many people as there are seat belts in the vehicle. Although most four-wheelers are capable of dune bashing, the smaller, lower vehicles like most mini SUVs and compact SUVs are not used because they have a higher risk of being wedged. Before entering the desert in an everyday-use SUV, it is crucial to reduce tire pressure. This is done to gain more traction by increasing the footprint of the tire.
Flying without wings - Snowboarding
A sport that involves descending a snow clad slope on a snowboard attached to a rider’s feet using a special boot set into a flexible mounted binding. Snowboarding has developed various styles, each with its own specialized equipment and technique, like;
Jibbing and Rail Riding - athletes ride rails be it in a park or street
Free ride - involves riding down any terrain available, may include aerial tricks and jib tricks
Dry Slope – riding on an alternative terrain specially constructed for snowboarding in summer or areas away from snowy mountains
Freestyle - the rider performs tricks on man made terrain with features such as rails, jumps, boxes and many more
Free carve - a race and slalom focused method that incorporates little or no jumping taking place on hard packed snow or groomed runs
If you do have that intrepid bone visit burrp.com for further information on adventure sports organisers in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
Tags: adventures, dune-bashing, mountain-biking, sky-diving, snow-boarding, water-skiing
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