Video: Norwegian Man Survives Crazy Cliff Fall … Or Was It A Jump?

by McLean Robbins on




A Norwegian man is alive and well after suffering what many might have thought to be a foolishly life-ending accident, the Telegraph reports.

Richard Henriksen, a surgeon, has become somewhat famous for performing daredevil gymnastic acts before BASE jumping from cliffs. While taping a segment for a TV show aptly called “Normal Madness,” Henriksen planned to swing from a high bar before catapulting himself off the cliff.

As you might imagine, things took a wrong turn when the high bar fell apart, sending him flying off the 4,000-foot cliff.

There’s a happy ending to this story – Henriksen is just fine. He managed to open his parachute before landing.

What does this tell us? We’re fairly certain that it means common sense and book smarts don’t go hand-in-hand. We hope this dumbass daredevil takes it easy for a little while.

Base Jumping Stunt In Norway Goes Terribly Wrong

by Jessica Festa on




Ouch! When base jumper Richard Henriksen decided to add a gymnastics element to his daring stunt, he expected everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, Henriksen did not foresee the high bar he was performing his routine on to completely collapse, propelling him head first over a cliff.

According to news.com.au, the father of five was performing the stunt for a television program on the NRK network in Norway when the terrifying incident occurred. In the video, you can see Henriksen make one complete flip around the high bar, the crowd cheers and then everything falls apart.

Luckily, the daredevil survived the 3,937-foot fall. Narrowly missing contact with the rock face of the cliff, Henriksen managed to open his parachute on the way down.

We’re just glad he’s okay.

Snowkiting Harmful To Reindeer, Scientists Say

by Sean McLachlan on


Snowkiting is becoming big in Norway. At first glance it looks like some extreme fun in harmony with nature. After all, you’re just zipping across the snow while being dragged by a kite. It looks environmentally friendly.

Not true, says a new scientific study. The BBC reports that Norwegian scientists have discovered the kites spook reindeer and may have a negative impact on their population.

The scientists studied the response of reindeer to skiers and snowkiters and found that the reindeer showed a much greater fright response to snowkiting. They theorize that it’s the swooping kite that scares the animals. Because the kite is visible from farther away than someone on skis, reindeer are running far away. This may limit their feeding and breeding grounds.

The study concludes that controls need to be put in place to ensure reindeer aren’t harmed by this new craze.

The World’s Most Recommended Country To Visit

by Chris Owen on

The world’s most recommended country to visit is Canada, says a study measuring public perceptions of countries around the world. The ranking is a component of the best overall country reputation that also considers employment, living conditions, investment potential and more.

Beating out Australia, Sweden and Switzerland for the second year in a row for the number one spot, Canada is one of 50 nations that will directly contribute to the $2 trillion tourism industry in 2012.

The annual RepTrak study was conducted by the Reputation Institute, a consultancy that measures the trust, esteem, admiration and good feelings the public holds towards 50 countries, by polling an online panel of 36,000 people representing the G8 countries.


“Beyond maintaining its top position, Canada has also improved its score by more than three points. Normally we don’t see such a large increase in a score from a top 10 country but Canada now stands head and shoulders above the other leading countries,” said Nicolas Georges Trad, Executive Partner, Reputation Institute in a statement.

Rounding out the top ten countries with the best reputations were Norway, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands, all known for their stability, solid democracies, high GDP and strong social infrastructures.

The United States came in at number 23 but the study concluded that with a strong 5-10 point increase in the last four years, the reputation of the USA is trending towards more positive perceptions.



[Flickr photo by beaumontpete]

Video Of The Day: Norway Farming Country

by Elizabeth Seward on

“FARMING COUNTRY” from Dvergastein on Vimeo.

I’m already a fan of the photography work of Svenn Dvergastein, so when he sent me a link to one of his newest time-lapse videos, I checked it out. Centered in Norway, in the town of Brunlanes in the county of Vestfold, the images that make up this video capture the essence of the family lowlands in Southern Norway. From milling to farm animals, from crisp blue skies to lapping water, this video gives the viewer the simple opportunity to watch Norwegian farmers at work as they utilize their short warm season to grow produce for the nation. It’s amazing.