Sponsored by HP, Summit on the Summit is taking donations and selling gear to help bring clean water to the areas that need it most. They’re also making some strange/funny “training” videos to get people excited. Check the first episode out below and visit the very cool Summit on the Summit website for more information and to support a life-and-death cause.

Maser and his fellow kayakers were on the Congo River conducting scientific research (measuring the depth, speed and turbulence of the river, which scientist Ned Gardiner suspects might be the deepest in the world) but ended up having what looks like a lot of fun. I’m assuming the video was taken on a helmet cam – and a pretty good one at that. Watching it makes you feel like you’re actually paddling the boat, albeit much drier. Check it out…

via Outside Blog

Duzer takes his camera everywhere (he recently raced a 3-speed cruiser across America) and the NYC Marathon is no exception. Watch as he runs from Staten Island to Brooklyn through Manhattan to Queens into the Bronx and onto the finish line with 43,000 + other people.

Thanks for sharing, Duzer and congratulations on crossing the finish line!

The film, Paddle to Seattle, is currently on the film festival route and is getting spectacular reviews so it will most likely enjoy a wide release. Paddler Magazine calls the film “80 minutes of the best feature film about paddling produced in the last decade.” Check out the trailer below…

Paddle to Seattle Trailer from Ben Gottfried on Vimeo.

Via The Adventure Blog

For the past 30 years, West Virginia has been home to the nation’s largest BASE (Bridge, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumping extravaganza, the New River Gorge Bridge Day. Bridge Day attracts BASE jumpers from all over the country who gather on the New River Gorge Bridge every year in the fall to jump off of it.

One of the oldest river gorges on the planet, New River Gorge is around 345 million years old and 700 – 1300 feet deep, lined with steep cliffs, rocky outcrops and boulders. The river itself is excellent for rafting and kayaking and boasts plenty of whitewater rapids. The bridge is 876 feet tall – perfect for BASE jumping.

All BASE jumpers are registered with the official Bridge Day team and can make as many jumps as they’re able to from 9am – 3pm that day. Last year, 800 BASE jumpers jumped off the bridge on Bridge Day and more than 80,000 spectators stood witness.

Check out this iReport video of the 2009 New River Gorge Bridge Day…

Have you ever been to this event? Are you a BASE jumper? We’d love to hear your story!

If you’re tired of fly fishing, you could try “catfish noodling,” for instance, and try to catch a catfish with your bare hands (while it bites you)…

If you’d rather think strategically and throw a couple punches, you might enjoy chessboxing, a knockout combinaton of chess and boxing. Here’s video from the 1st Annual Chessboxing World Championships. It’s riveting…

Know of any other weird sports?

According to the article on Vimeo, this guy had lots of experience skiing the backcountry and was even wearing a Black Diamond Avalung backpack, designed to provide air in case of an avalanche burial. The problem was that he didn’t have the tube in his mouth when he dropped in and by the time the avalanche started to suck him under, it was too late.

The video was shot in Haines, Alaska and is about 8 minutes long. After we see the avalanche take him down, there’s four and a half minutes of nothing but him trying to breathe. Then at about 6 minutes, the rescue begins. It will send chills up your spine.

Avalanche Skier POV Helmet Cam Burial & Rescue in Haines, Alaska from Chappy on Vimeo.

This video is another reminder of the importance of avalanche safety and awareness any time you’re skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling or snowshoeing in the backcountry. Snow’s a lot of fun but can also be dangerous. Be prepared with an avalanche beacon, transmitter and shovel.

Flashing Hallways from Cody Townsend on Vimeo.

Via The Adventure Blog

Ryan Van Duzer, our friend who rode a cruiser across America, went paddleboarding at the Boulder Reservoir this week – and, of course he caught it all on camera… check out the video of him surfing the Rockies below.

Unlike traditional surfing, paddleboarding doesn’t require any waves. All it requires is a surfboard, a paddle and pretty much any body of water (river, lake, reservoir, ocean). Not only is it a fun way to enjoy the outdoors, but it’s also a really great core and upper body workout. The constant paddling works your arms and back while keeping your balance on the board works your abs and core.

“The great thing about this sport is that it’s accessible to anyone. It’s not nearly as scary as being crammed into a little kayak; all you do is stand up and paddle,” said Duzer in his article in the Boulder Daily Camera. “I imagine, however, that paddling on a raging river is a much different story. It’s probably quite a bit more dangerous, but with more danger usually comes more fun. We’ll leave that lesson for next summer.”