Video of the Day: Russian heights

Many travelers enjoy pushing their limits while abroad. They’ll try bungy jumping, skydiving or hangliding for the first time because the thrill of traveling helps them escape their comfort zone. In Russia, however, those extreme sports are not enough of a thrill. How else can you explain these teenagers climbing a tower (or perhaps it’s an uncompleted building?), walking to the edge of a beam and staring down at a fall that surely must be several hundred feet? It’s most certainly not safe and they won’t even get a cool t-shirt when they’re done. Not much of a tourist attraction if you asked us.

Photo of the day – Argentine salt carver

It’s not enough that this Argentine salt carver works in a blindingly white salt desert under richly blue skies. He also drives a blue car and wears a blue-and-white striped shirt. This striking image was snapped by Flickr user megansnedden at Las Salinas Grandes, a salt desert in central Argentina. It is hereby dedicated to everyone currently inhabiting a dark, candle-lit, potpourri-scented Christmas space.

Got a color-popping image you’d like to share with a broader audience? Upload it to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Our favorites from the pool are selected to be Photos of the Day.

Video of the day: Season’s Greetings from New York City

We at Gadling love a good time-lapse video. Whether it’s at a busy airport in Moldova or the many personalities on the streets of Laos, there’s something about seeing life pass by at fast (or slow) speeds that’s entrancing. With Christmas a few days away and Hanukkah in full swing, we especially love feeling festive without the crowds, the cold, and the hassle. Today’s Video of the Day is perfect for getting into the seasonal spirit of New York City without actually being there. Photographer Cris Magliozzi of health, fitness and happiness website Greatist shot the video on a walk from Central Park to Rockefeller Center, taking in some of the city’s best decorations, carolers, ice skaters, and other revelry. Bonus: no holiday music! Think of it as our gift to you.

Want to give us something for the holidays? Post a link in the comments below or add photos to our Flickr Group for our next Photo/Video of the Day.

Hat tip to our friends across the pond at BBC Travel for tweeting the link.

Video of the Day – Sermilik Ice Fjord

The Sermilik Fjord is a long, steep-walled waterway in southeast Greenland where hundreds of icebergs calve from Greenland’s enormous ice sheets every year. Those looking to sail through the stunning fjord for a closer view of the icebergs depart from Ammassalik Island, where Greenland’s seventh-largest town, Tasiilaq, is located.

Today’s Video of the Day shares a vivid sample of a trip up the Sermilik Fjord, hosted by Borea Adventures, and captured by Vimeo user Haukur.

If you have imagery of a beautiful winter wonderland, we’d like to share it! Post a link in the comments below or submit photos to our Flickr Group – it could be our next Photo/Video of the Day!

Video of the Day: Remote camera captures action on Maine hiking trail

One of the best aspects of hiking is the escape that it provides from your everyday life. Getting lost – even briefly – in nature allows you to forget that the rest of the world exists. But what happens when you leave the trail and return home? Someone up in Maine decided to plant a remote camera along a trail that cuts through his property. Along with hikers, he recorded footage of moose, deer and even a bear traversing the exact same trail. It’s an eery reminder that while you’re hiking, you’re in animals’ homes.