Extreme Sports

Cross Country Skiing, also know as nordic skiing or xc skiing requires some basic equipment that one can either rent or purchase. For the recreational cross country skiier looking to tour in their backyard or at a local cross country ski touring center, the beginner will need xc touring skis, boots, bindings and poles. Unlike alpine skiing, nordic skis are attached to the binding by only the toe, allowing the boot to flex as you are propelled forward. The cross country skis are narrower and lighter than their alpine cousin, and ski pole lenght is typically longer.

The sport of cross country skiing has two main techniques – classic skiing and skate skiing. The recreational user generally begins with the classic method, which is what most people typically have seen, using the diagnol stride. Classic cross country skiing for the beginner is a bit like walking or running. The skis are propelled forward by putting your weight on one leg and pushing forward with the heals down. The poles swing opposite the skis. Classic cross country skiing depends upon keeping your knees and ankel flexible, keeping your weight over one ski at a time, and putting the heel down first on the forward ski so you can engage the “kick zone” – where the wax or fish scales are located, and get enough traction to propel yourself forward. At first ski touring may require a bit more balance, since the ski bindings are fairly flexible and the heel is not attached to the ski. With enough practice, cross country skiing becomes easy and will allow you to get away from the crowds and into some beautiful winter scenery. For the beginning cross country skiier, taking a cross country ski lesson is well worth it.  Read more...

So, you want to get fit, experience the joys of the great outdoors and have a few thrills and spills along the way? Sounds like you need to get out there and buy yourself a mountain bike. But with full suspension, hardtail and a myriad of mountain bike models from a huge variety of quality manufacturers, what type of mountain bike is right for you? Here we offer a few simple tips that may just help you decide.

Firstly, is it a mountain bike you are really after? A mountain bike is great if you want to ride off the road and get into the great outdoors. If you will mainly be riding along the road or pathways, then perhaps you need to look elsewhere. But for now, we’ll assume that a mountain bike is what you’re after. So, the first decision you will have to make is whether you want a mountain bike with, or without, suspension.

If you want a bike that will provide a smooth ride when you’re travelling up and down on rugged, rocky trails, then you might consider a full suspension bike. A hardtail bike on the other hand has no rear suspension and may or may not have front suspension forks. Hardtail bikes generally weigh less than full suspension bikes and are usually cheaper. Hardtails are often a better choice for beginners. Another advantage worth pointing out is that you will use less energy when you’re pedalling on a Hardtail. This is because on a full suspension bike, when you push down on the pedal, some of your force is lost when the rear suspension compresses. If you’re not sure which way to go, ask your local bike dealer and test ride both a hardtail and full suspension bike.  Read more...

Skateboarding is one of the most popular sports of today; most of younger skateboarders are all under the age of 18 and over 12 million people world wide skateboard. With todays up and coming younger generation we have a lot of younger and good people that are trying to get into the sport of skateboarding.

If you are a person that would like to start trying to skateboard then you should read the next few lines to see if it is a sport that you would like to try out.

Before you start falling like crazy and trying to drop in on some ramps you are going to need just a few quick and simple things. You are going to need pads, you will need elbow pads, a good helmet, and knee pads and maybe some wrist guards but if you don’t fall all that much you should be good on the wrist guards for now.

Most kids disregard the fact that skateboarding is a dangerous sport and can hurt you. Most kids will not wear pads when they go skateboarding because they think that they alter their performances when they skateboard but obviously that isn’t true because you always see pro skateboarder wearing pads whenever you watch the x games on TV. You will always see someone wearing pads if they are a smart skateboarder.

After you have put on your pads and you either bought them already or are putting them on or you are still trying to find a good pair of pads you will want to find a good skateboard for yourself to ride and start to learn on. Skateboards come in all shapes and sizes. You will see all kinds of different skateboards that you may like but there is only one good one that is for you since you can only use one skateboard at a time.  Read more...