Video: Daredevil Jumps Off Everest

by Adam Hodge on

Since the dawn of time, man has looked to the great mountains and dreamed of jumping off of them. When Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay summited 60 years ago, they didn’t have the equipment to fly off. But today we do. And to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the first summit, Russian BASE jumper Valery Rozov threw himself off the north face in China, 23,688 feet above sea level. It wasn’t the top, but it’s at least the highest BASE jump ever completed.

In the thinner air and colder temperatures of high altitude, Rozov had far less control of his wingsuit, and the flight was a little touch and go. After a minute of flying along the north face of the mountain, he landed safely in the snow on the Rongbuk Glacier at about 19,521 feet of altitude. Chalk up another success for man in our instinctive quest to jump off of things.

Video: Spinning Gold In Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

by Meg Nesterov on


Earlier this year in Istanbul, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a man who spins gold thread at the Grand Bazaar. His noisy workshop is tucked into a courtyard off one of the bazaar’s main “streets,” past a few jewelry kiosks and before a reasonably clean but squat-style toilet. Huge fan belts crisscross the room and antique machines creak and spin spools of thread in metallic and bright colors; the spinner (a former footballer, I later learned) works the room like a conductor. Seeing me and my baby peeking in, he ushered us in to have a closer look and took our photo looking around in awe. I had no need for thread (gold or otherwise) and had a slight fear one of us could lose an eye if we hung around the Ottoman-esque machines too long, but it was a treat to find. Dim light made for poor photos, so I was thrilled to find this video of the machine in action on guidebook extraordinaire Rick Steves’ Facebook page.

After living in Istanbul for more than two years as an expat, it took me a while to appreciate the Grand Bazaar as more than a horrible tourist trap. The key to finding the magic in the Grand Bazaar is discovering the nooks and crannies most visitors miss in their hunt for “authentic” souvenirs (likely made in China) and inexpensive fez hats (forget about the irony that the fez was banned here as a means of modernizing and secularizing the country when it became a republic). If you look hard, you’ll still find real artisans, centuries-old family businesses and relics from former empires. If you want to find this guy, leave me a comment and I’ll try to leave a bread trail to him.

Video: Red Bull’s Cliff Diving World Series Kicks Off In France

by McLean Robbins on

>


For its fifth year, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has begun, offering daredevils around the world the chance to compete for a championship title and bragging rights.

Held for the fourth time in La Rochelle, France, the competition lasts for five months and through eight separate competition events, during which the cliff diving elite will launch from almost three times the Olympic diving height (a total of 27 meters high) in venues all over the globe, showing their most spectacular and difficult tricks, and overcoming rational fear to impress the judges and spectators alike. And to spice it all up, the 2013 World Series comes to its scariest location first: La Rochelle, France.

The above video highlights some of the weekend’s craziest stunts and the winning dive by 29-year-old Russian Artem Silchenko. During the two-day event, nearly 70,000 fans watched jumpers take to the catacombs of the Saint Nicolas Tower, where they flipped, twisted and turned in a three-second free fall from a 27 meter platform into 12°C water below, falling at speeds up to 85 kph. This year’s competition was made even more difficult by the cold temperatures and the 50kph winds.

The tour has several stops with a select pool of divers moving to each next round. The next stop on the tour is Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 21 and 22, followed by Portugal, Italy, Boston, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Thailand.

Can you think of a more extreme vacation activity? We sure can’t.

Video Of The Day: A Quick Look At Morocco

by Libby Zay on

In the short video above, filmmaker Leonardo Dalessandri hurriedly captures life on the streets of Marrakesh, Essaouira, Fes el Bali and Casablanca in Morocco. Through many short glimpses, viewers get a quick overview of North Africa, from colorful urban markets to vast farmlands. “I just wish my camera had shown the true beauty of Morocco,” said Dalessandri on the video’s Vimeo page – but I think he did just that.

Video: Life Advice From The First American To Climb Everest

by Kraig Becker on

“A Life Well Lived | Jim Whittaker & 50 Years of Everest” from eric becker on Vimeo.

As the first American to climb Everest, Jim Whittaker knows a thing or too about living life to the fullest. He was part of the historic 1963 expedition that broke new ground on the world’s tallest mountain, which would be enough adventure for most people. But even now, at the age of 80, Whittaker continues to be active and pursue his passion for the outdoors and inspire others to do the same.

In the video above, Whittaker shares some advice on how to embrace everything that life has to offer, saying, “If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” Those are words of wisdom for all of us and a good reminder of why we travel. To live life on the edge, experience new things and embrace foreign cultures. We might not all climb Mt. Everest, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find adventure in our own way.