Extreme Sports

Although scuba regulators may seem similar in design, some regulators will perform better than others. Others may feel like you have to breathe much harder to get air.

If you have rented an old scuba diving regulator you might know what I am talking about. You may struggle just to keep the regulator in your mouth by making that extra effort by biting on the mouth piece. When you exhale, the air bubbles may also flow directly in front of you, therefore restricting your vision. A not so good regulator will distract you away from the pleasures of diving.

Remember, the regulator is your lifeline underwater, so better get a good one that you can use in all types of waters. Within this page, you should find useful information which will help you in determining what you should look for when buying a good scuba regulator.

Let us first look at some of the features which form part of the design of the scuba diving regulator.

The first and foremost most important feature when choosing your scuba diving regulator is ease of breathing. So how would you know whether a regulator is better than an other when breathing underwater? It’s simple really… Just ask around… Most divers will be more than willing to give their own opinion as to which scuba diving regulators provide the greatest performance.

Desirable features which make a good scuba diving regulator

When buying your new scuba regulator, ensure that it has at least some of the following features:

Piston better than diaphragm construction – Go for a piston first stage. This type of construction, although more expensive, has got less moving parts that its counterpart and therefore makes it much more reliable.  Read more...

Snowboarding is a winter sport which bares many comparisons to skateboarding, or surfing, although is performed on snow. The main idea of Snowboarding is to maintain your balance as you travel down a ski slope with both feet securely attached to the Snowboard via are set of bindings. There are many different types of snowboarding including Freestyle, Freeride, and alpine.

What are the different types of snowboarding?

Freeriding (also known as “all-mountain Snowboarding”), is simply the exploration of a mountain on your board. It’s very suitable for beginners, as all they have to do is ride down the piste, taking in the scenery. Freesyle is when you attempt ticks, including jumps, spins and grabs. You can use the natural terrain, or man made obstacles. Alpine is all about speed, and fast clean precision carving. Alpine boarders user boots with a hard plastic shell, and longer, stiffer boards than other styles.

What equipment do I need to snowboard?

If you go to a Ski/Snowboard rental or retail shop, they should be able to advise you about what equipment you will need, and obviously rent or sell it to you. Basic equipment will include:

Snowboard
Boot Bindings
Boots
Warm Clothing
Protective Wear
Helmet

Should I take Snowboarding lessons?

If you are inexperienced, then it is highly recommended you take lessons. It’s allot harder than it looks, and hitting the slopes with no tuition can cause you and others injuries.

Where can I learn to Snowboard?

Many countries have artificial ski slopes you can go learn at before you venture on your holidays, although if one is not available you will most likely be able to pay for some tuition at your holiday destination. To prevent disappointment it’s suggested you book lessons before you travel.

 Read more...

When a person is choosing a pair of skis, the question about how hard skis should be may pop up, and rightfully so. The stiffness of a pair of skis or how hard skis should be is an important factor when it comes to choosing skis to use or buy since the hardness of your skis will help determine your performance as well as your safety on the slopes. You should be aware of the flexibility and hardness of the kind of skis you will need and choose accordingly.

The Two Types of Ski Stiffness or Hardness

When talking about how stiff or hard skis should be, there are actually two things to consider – the torsional stiffness and the longitudinal stiffness of these boards. Here is a primer on what these things actually mean and why they are important to consider:

▪ Torsional Stiffness. This helps determine how resistant to twisting your skis are. You can actually test the torsional stiffness of your skis by twisting it yourself. Just hold the tail of your skis in between both your feet then take the other tip and hold it firmly with your hands. Try to twist the ski and you’ll find out just how much torsion the skis has. Softer skis will twist slightly as compared to really skis that are hard.

▪ Longitudinal Stiffness. This stiffness of your ski refers to how hard skis are when bent or flexed lengthwise. A pair of really hard skis will not bend as easily as flexible skis. The harder a pair of skis is, the better it can support the weight of a heavier skier.

How a Ski Stiffness or Hardness Affects Performance  Read more...

Surfing is an adventurous and enjoyable sport that everyone can love. During the recent years, surfing has become one of the most favorite sports of many people from everywhere. A number of people go to various places to look for the best surfing spot. These people love the excitement of getting on their surfboards and just let the waves do their thing. As what has been said once you get caught with the surfing bug you would find it impossible to stop going after waves.

Nowadays, surfing has become more “user friendly” by means of the enhancement of the surfboards and also by generating suits for surfing. With these enhanced materials, surfing has now become better and safer for the entire family to go on surf holidays. Most families like adventure trips and nothing could be fancier than surf holidays.

Surfing may be the most popular adventure sport on the planet but there are complications to it since you cannot find the appropriate surfing setting just about anywhere. There are specific places or areas around the country where the conditions are just right for you to have pleasure in riding the waves. These places are a perfect fit for surf holidays. But even in those great surfing spots constant surfing may not be allowed since there are times when it is truly dangerous to swim in. Therefore it is necessary that you do research on the background of the surfing spot you are planning to go to. You get important facts and information and you would also have to know the best time to go on surf holidays. You have to ensure that the surfing spot you chose for yourself has the right qualifications to consider it as safe. Surfing is exciting but it may be extremely dangerous as well if you are not taking the right precautions. So if you think the surf spot is not that safe for you and family then look for an alternative spot; it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you intend to go on a surfing trip, the best means for you to enjoy time with family and to make the most of that surfing adventure is to stay in the surfing spot for about a week or two. You will find that three days or even just the weekend would not be enough for the fun to really sink in. So get out there, enjoy and surf more!  Read more...

Recently I watched the fascinating documentary “Surfwise” by Doug Pray and thought that surfing looked like just about the best thing ever! I was completely ramped up to get out there and really experience the ocean like never before. Then I started to think – where exactly does one go to surf?

And other questions began to arise. I’ve never so much as thought about surfing, let alone touched a board or planned an excursion. I decided to do a little preliminary research before running out and making an ass of myself, and here are a couple key things that I discovered.

Location
When I think of surfing, I see a mental image of colorful swimming costumes, clear blue water, ten foot jumps and twenty-foot waves. These lie at the heart of the sport, not the fringes where us aspiring surfers cling tenuously. Places like California and Hawaii, though beautiful to behold and attractive for seasoned pros, are not friendly environments for learning. Beginners need more room and smaller waves.

To start with, you have to understand that if you live in South Dakota then some small amount of travel is unavoidable, and the same goes for other places that are similarly unconducive to surfing. Access to actual surf is something of a prerequisite. That being said, there are places in the US for beginners – I heard that the type of waves found on the Atlantic coast are generally acceptable, and also certain less crowded beaches in Cali and Hawaii.  Read more...