This post is a follow up to an earlier gear post I wrote about the kit Will Gadd and I carried on the Rockies Traverse, “the things we carried” and hopefully answers many questions I’ve been getting about what’s critical and what’s not. I actually haven’t changed much but it has been refined and I’ve been able to cut more than 10 pounds of weight which is considerable.
Read More...
Veselin (“Veso”) Ovcharov is a cross-country and acro ace. A long-time Red Bull athlete Veso was the first Bulgarian to nail the Infinity and has traveled the world perfecting his craft, pushing the limits of what can be done by paraglider. In this episode we travel back in time to find out how Veso got into the sport; the many hurdles he had to jump to become one of the very best (including literally spending the last few cents to his name before signing with Red Bull); how he has approached progression and safety; the difference between acro and cross country (you might be surprised!); and a LOT more.
Read More...
Aaron Durogati is only 29 years old, but he’s already been a world champion, gotten 6th and 7th place in the last two Red Bull X-Alps and has a LONG list of podium finishes. A Red Bull athlete and ambassador for several other brands, the “Italian Stallion” is making a good living in the sport of paragliding and in this episode we dig into how he does it. From learning how to fly at the tender age of 15 we find out how he’s approached progression, how he won the 2014 Superfinal in Colombia, how he’s been training for the X-Alps (and what he’ll change for the next one), what it’s really like to fly in the “toughest adventure race on Earth”, and ton more. Enjoy!
Read More...
Gurpreet Dhindsa is India’s top ranked pilot, and has been for some time. He is the only certified instructor in the country and has 20 year passionate years in the sport. Gurpreet has been on the podium six times and has been a very integral figure in pushing paragliding in India and has truly given his life over to free flight. In this entertaining episode we discuss the political and bureaucratic difficulties he’s experienced as a pilot in India, the importance of being in the moment while flying, how he’s recovered mentally after two friend’s accidents, the value of struggle, changing strategies in order to learn and now worrying about scores, and how he’s learning to fly his own line and why he’s chosen to take less risk in competitions. This is a fascinating talk with a fascinating member of our community. Enjoy!
Read More...
Josh Cohn has been the most consistent competition pilot the US has ever seen. His competition CV reads like Kelly Slaters. Soon after Josh learned to fly at age 16 he has been dominating the US comp scene and has notched up not only state distance records (New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas) but PWC wins, two National Championships and task wins at the Worlds to boot. In this episode we dig into how he’s maintained his consistency and passion, accidents, reserve throws, what can be done on non-comp wings, the current state of the CCC class since banning open gliders in 2011 and a LOT more. Josh talks about how he trains, his best and worst flight, best and worst wing, advice he’d give to his 16 year old self after all these years, and how important it is to switch gears- and how you know when to do it.
Read More...
I’m really digging Sidetracked Magazine, an image-heavy publication dedicated to adventure. True Adventure. Our vol-biv expedition up the Sierra range in 2012 was certainly the epitome of epic. We began with 6 people and 18 days later at the Oregon border we ended with 3. All of it was shot by Jody MacDonald. It was my first experience with vol biv and frankly I was scared shitless to do a trip with so many legends. Here is our story.
Read More...
Thomas de Dorlodot is probably the most enviable pilot in the world. He’s made a living out of traveling the world and documenting his expeditions. A 5 time Red Bull X-Alps competitor and Red Bull Athlete Tom started flying when he was 15 years old. He’s flown above 7,000 meters in Pakistan, paramotored over the Marquesas in French Polynesia, glided over volcanoes in Guatemala and Tanzania, hucked acro over Victoria Falls and is currently working on sailing around the world. His accolades and accomplishments are too many to even list here, but it hasn’t all been a rosy romp through la-la land and in this episode we dive into his two accidents this year, one a major accident during his Adriatic expedition with Paul Guschlbauer and the other that ended his X-Alps campaign on day 7; we talk about how Tom approaches risk; how he plays the sponsorship game; how he prepares mentally and a lot more.
Read More...
I met Nick Greece in Haiti in 2012. I was living in Morocco trying to figure out how to become a better pilot, and getting an invitation from Nick to fly around in the sky wasn’t something I could pass up. Nick has become a great friend and one of my greatest mentors. We have worked together on film projects like 500 Miles to Nowhere, and Malawi and I’m forever trying to figure out how he’s always at the top of the stack. In this episode we learn how Nick got started, how 9-11 affected his choice in careers, what brought him to Jackson Hole, his epic 204 mile flight in 2013, winning US Nationals in 2014, why the US Team hasn’t done well in the Worlds, and all his own mentors in his own journey to the top.
Read More...
Just completed a great project with CNN called “The Great Big Story” that came out really well. They took a bunch of the footage from 500 Miles to Nowhere and some other tasty bits from other shoots from around the world and packed it into a really fun couple of minutes. Stunning, and makes me want to get out there! Hope you enjoy.
Read More...
It was a great pleasure to sit down with the MTNmeister’s Ben Schenck recently to discuss adventure, risk, mountains, rivers, sailing around the world a couple times, the Red Bull X-Alps and a lot more. The MTNmeister podcast is dedicated to “exploring the minds of those who explore” and I guess that’s what I’ve been doing most of my life. Have a listen, we had a lot of fun with this one.
Read More...