Understanding the motivations behind those who partake in extreme sports can be difficult for some. If the popular conception holds that the incentive behind extreme sports participation is entirely to do with risking one’s life, then this confusion will continue to exist. However, an in-depth examination of the phenomenology of the extreme sport experience yields a much more complex picture.This book revisits the definition of extreme sports as those activities where a mismanaged ...

The long-awaited autobiography of one of Australia's surfing legends.On the surface he was Tom Carroll, dreamer, cheeky grommet, brilliant surfer, Australian sporting hero, fitness fanatic, businessman, family man, big wave charger. Inside turned the terrible wheel of drug addiction, part family curse, part legacy of the footloose surf culture he’d done so much to legitimise. Tom’s family and friends struggled with him, kept his secrets, and looked on in anger and ...

Written by one of the most revered surfers of his generation, Gerry Lopez's Surf Is Where You Find It is a collection of stories about a lifetime of surfing. But more than that, it is a collection of stories about the lessons learned from surfing. It presents 38 stories about those who have been influential in the sport — surfing anytime, anywhere, and in any way. Lopez, an innovator in stand-up-paddle (one of the fastest growing water sports in the world), now shares his stories ...

A new edition of a classic book about what it takes to be a world-class athlete and where the true meaning of endurance can be found.At 37, the celebrated writer and environmentalist Bill McKibben took a break from the life of the mind to put himself to the ultimate test: devoting a year to train as a competitive cross-country skier. Consulting with personal trainers, coaches, and doctors at the US Olympic Center, he followed the rigorous training regimen of a world-class athlete.

Whether you're trying to enhance your performance as an athlete or just attempting to lose weight, including some form of strength training into your exercise regime is crucial. However it's also important you make sure you're following the right sort of strength training diet and nutrition plan to really reap the benefits. If you aren't eating the right kinds of foods then you won't actually make the most of each strength training session you undertake. However if you aren't sure about wh...

Imagine an alien came down to Earth, stuck a probe into a climber's brain – one who'd been climbing for over thirty years – and then transmogrified the contents into a big book of climbing tips. Well, 1001 Climbing Tips by Andy Kirkpatrick is just such a book.This is no regular instruction manual – it's much more useful than that. This is a massive collection of all those little tips that make a real difference when at the...

Andy Pollitt is as close to a Hollywood A-lister as the climbing world will ever get. He had the looks, and he starred in all the big roles in the 1980s and 1990s - Tremadog, Pen Trwyn, the big Gogarth climbs, Raven Tor and the cult Australian adventures. Alongside co-stars like Jerry Moffatt, John Redhead and Malcolm 'HB' Matheson, he brought us sexy climbing - gone were the beards, the woolly socks and the fibre pile. Andy was all skin-tight pink Lycra, vests and brooding looks. For thos...

Inspiring story of how a New Zealand woman, four-time Olympic windsurfing champion got to the top — and stayed there. Barbara Kendall is one of New Zealand’s most successful Olympians and also one of its best-loved athletes. In 2008 she went to her fifth Olympics, having previously won gold at the Barcelona Olympics, silver at Atlanta and bronze at Sydney. Barbara won her first world championship title at the age of 20 and dominated the world windsurfing rankings for the p...

Bob Shepton is an ordained minister in the Church of England in his 70s, but spends most of his time sailing into the Arctic and making first ascents of inaccessible mountains. No tea parties for this vicar.Opening with the disastrous fire that destroyed his yacht whilst he was ice-bound in Greenland, the book travels back to his childhood growing up on his family's rubber plantation in Malaysia, moving back to England after his father was shot by the Japanese during the war, board...

Over the past fifteen years, the extreme sport of kiteboarding has developed from an unlikely concept into a worldwide phenomenon. Kiteboarding: Where it's at... tracks these changes and looks at the various tangents that the sport has taken.With stunning photography, each part reviews one of the four main disciplines within the sport: Freestyle, Waveriding, Wakestyle and Course Racing. Within each part is a background to the discipline, the kit, profiles of prime location...

* First surfing adventure narrative by a woman* Sales benefit the Surfrider FoundationAmy Waeschle became a surf addict shortly after catching her first waveo. To her, surfing is more of a feeling than a sport, combining the mental quest for exploration with the physicality of riding a wave.Hunting down waves in remote corners of the world, from Morocco to Fiji to Canada, Waeschle has found unique and fascinating cultures that have changed her views and fostered her ...

Strength training is one of the most important aspects of any fitness program. You should be involved in a strength-training program if you have any of the following goals: - Weight loss - Better overall fitness - More strength and muscle tone - Improved performance at sports or other activities - Better bone health All of the above can be gained by incorporating strength training into your every day life. The types of people who use strength training have changed somewhat over the years. ...