Spontaneous people

"Non -traditional", "extreme", "adrenaline" these are the most commonly used epithets for these sports and relaxation

A real boom, which is experiencing a “natural-excess” direction of sports fashion in the West, gradually spreads to our expanses, especially since some of those hobbies that will be discussed have long have their own traditions and their adherents in Russia.

Description of the species

In English there are two good words to characterize the following activity: Outdoor Sports and Gravity Sports. Add Extreme Sports to them - and you will understand what we are talking about. Outdoor literally translates as “outside the door”, “behind the threshold”. Extreme is clear without translation. Gravity is gravity, the power of earthly attraction, it is she who becomes your friend or enemy, when you rush down the river, climb the mountain on a bicycle, jump from a wave, fly on a paraglider. But it is also true that the attraction of the earth, its waves and winds, snow and mountains, swift rivers and rumbleing rapids, air flows and sea depths, forces tens of thousands of Outdoors fans around the world to take place in search of adventure. Preferring the wild nature of the “charms” of technogenic civilization, and the active rest for a simple “belly” on the beaches, these people know that they were not mistaken. Invite any of them to “relax in a non-commercial” in some five-star hotel on the Cote d'Azur, and after three days they will run away from there. Unless windsurfing, mountain bike, paraglider or suitable sand dunes for snowboarding are not found nearby. For these people, the question of “relaxation” is not “where to live”, but “what to do”. For some, the listed classes become perhaps the most important part of existence.

Psychologists would probably have such people to some specific type, and some scientists even say about "adrenaline dependence." Others, such as the American-Israeli research group, generally believe that such addictions are genetically due to. And if you are destined to jump on snowboarding from snow cornices, then at home on the couch you won’t sit down: so that the right lazily throw darts in your favorite cat, and with the left to press the TV remote control, it will not work.

Many of the active classes have both a “radical” and “adapted” option that allows an ordinary person with the help of a guide or instructor to try “almost the same” that his imagination is so exciting when viewing the “Extreme Sport” television program. In America and Europe, the market of relevant services is very developed from hundreds of companies organizing alloys on rivers, hiking on mountain bicycles, numerous training courses for everything in the world, underwater tours and more, and ending with “private practice” - an army of mountain guides and ski instructors. To the delight of adventure and recreation fans are organized by all kinds of gatherings and festivals in interests, travel support funds and expeditions. In cities, urban technrazniyas arise: artificial walls for climbing, concrete channels for rafting, a highway for a mountain bicycle.

Russia and its environs are not yet to that. It is difficult for a person who does not receive a salary for six months to understand a group of joyful Kayakers, bikers, or someone else who came to conquer his native space and space. Even if they speak the same language. Nevertheless, the Outdoors movement lives and wins, and one of the most united cohorts is made up of water sport lovers. We’ll start with them.

Habitat and habits

Water. In the forefront of the conquerors of stormy water there are people who are easy to recognize: below the belt, their trunk is a spindle -shaped plastic container called “kayak”. Such an anatomical feature, complemented by an oar in the hands and linen in the eyes, allows you to draw a large (and, in their opinion, better) part of life among the “foam barrels”, roaring boilers, multi -meter waterfalls and other bacchanalia of boiling “white water”. Less desperate enthusiasts who want to just enjoy, usually use inflatable or collapsible canoeing, kayaks or their plastic counterparts (more often abroad). Resting is very popular in continental Europe, Scandinavia and America. There are “crown” rivers, such as bio-bio or futalefa in Chile, Colorado (Grand Canyon), many rivers in the American rocky mountains and in Canada, Zambezi in

Africa, and, of course, the Nepal River. The list can continue Costa Rica, Argentina, Turkey, but you can’t list everything. In Russia and the CIS, traditional areas of the alloy of Karelia, the Caucasus, Altai, Sayan, Kamchatka. Most known rivers have areas for both professionals and commercial alloy, that is, tourist groups. If you want to “pay money and order music” (in this case, water), then welcome to Raft. Raft is a large inflatable boat, which contains six eight customers and one or two guides, has become a standard alloy for organized tours. Abroad, companies offering such tours cannot be counted, the Nizhny Novgorod “Gorky team” is most famous for us.

And in New Zealand, which invariably walking in the forefront of the world adventure life (it was there that Bunjee-Jump was mastered, upside down on the elastic band), now the last fresh towers of cruises on watermarks upwards in a mountain river. And back. Surviving eyewitnesses claim that this is stronger than a well -known literary work. From even more exotic “Games on the water”, one can note a wakeboard - a water -based snowboard analogue (the required towing device is, by the way, in Krylatsky), as well as the canyoning of the descent through the canyons in the hydrocaporamus and with the use of the peleological equipment.

The same wetsuit becomes a necessary accessory and in diving, in our underwater dive. Indeed, the underwater world is a whole space with its own life, its own laws and rules of the game. Many of them are vital, so acquaintance with the underwater world should start with the instructor. Having reached a certain level, it will be possible to act more independently, but never alone is one of the mandatory rules (here we are talking about an amateur level). You can take the equipment and even go through the initial training course in the diving centers of many world resorts, but you can already closer - in Moscow or, for example, in Yalta.

The Black Sea is lying in the most suitable divers place, the thinner connoisseurs will call the White Sea, Baikal, the Far Eastern coast. “They have” the Mediterranean, the Red and Caribbean, as well as the islands of all oceans, especially Indian. Having joined the numerous divers clan, it is easy to choose a business for yourself - to explore the bizarre landscapes of underwater landscapes, engage in underwater photographs, visit the flooded remains of ancient settlements or try your luck in search of sunken treasures.

By the way, many foreign travel agencies offer them to go to look for them in a completely organized manner.

And, of course, Windsurfing deserves a separate word in the “Water” section. Boards with sails are divided into two categories - long screws and “fan” boards. The latter is shorter, less in volume and are designed almost only for glingation and a good, strong wind. It is worth starting with a long board, and learning to confidently walk into a strong wind, you might think about the board for pleasure, i.e. Funboard. You can ride wherever there is water and wind. Where I found there and roll. There are no restrictions on speed yet, although the best representatives have already crossed the line of 80 km per hour.

Other radical directions in windsurfing include Wave on a large wave, jumping, somersaults and other acrobatic elements. This is an exquisite little thing for fans. The search for a good wave and wind can significantly affect your budget and free time. The network of club surfs that exist throughout the world will help to spend both the use of both: in Greece, Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Hawaii, the islands of the Caribbean and, of course, on the Red Sea. We can rent quite decent boards in Moscow (Strogino, Pirovoi), Peter, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Yalta. In winter, the Egyptian resort of Hurghada becomes the capital of Russian windsurfing fans. Some lovers of a sailing board, who did not have time to fly south in the winter, put a sail on skis and forward, on the ice. These enthusiasts can be found in Moscow at the Pirogovsky reservoir. But in Canada, somewhere in British Colombia, there are originals that write out the turns of snowboarding.

The “boom” culture has created many variations of using boards for sliding wherever possible. For example, on sandy dunes. Or - the last novelty - a platform on four large wheels

For descent on ski slopes and other crossed areas in the summer. But, perhaps, the most exotic use of the board was found by the Frenchman Patrick de Gayardon, a professional paratrooper. But more on that below. Air. The eternal dream of steaming in the air was completely realized with the invention of the Deltaplan, and then the paraglider of the individual aircraft of the "soft wing" type. It is unlikely that in the freshness of the sensations something can be compared with a flight on a paraglider. Paraplanic management requires a subtle understanding of the dynamics of air flows, their dependence on atmospheric conditions, relief and other factors. Different models of domes “forgive” mistakes in different ways, but it is better not to make mistakes on a paraglider. Beautiful and spectacular, this sport is very common in Europe and collects hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators at festivals and competitions. Some even manage to travel by paraglider. For example, through all the Alps.

The most sparing form of introducing newcomers is a flight behind the boat above the water. And those who wish to try to fly really should contact the instructor. Either to study, or to fly on a dome for two - tandem. Similar flights are widespread in foreign resorts. We have traditional places for paraplanes, Krylatskoye in Moscow, Pyatigorsk, Koktebel, Dombay, Elbrusier. For advice and training, call the Extreme-Sport store.

The most extreme manifestations of the “adrenaline dependence” in the air include Skyurf - the invention of the mentioned Patrick de Gayardon. It turns out that it can be glued on a board like snowboarding. And also make a somersault, rotation and other intricate figures. In the competitions in Skyurf, they participate in pairs - actually a jump and a video operator who also jumps, but his task is to shoot.

It is according to the captured material that the judges determine the skill of both the participant and the operator. The main thing is not to forget to open the parachute in time and pour smoothly.

Earth. The last two years prove that in Russia, where, as you know, “there are no roads, but there are directions”, a mountain bike, or Mountain Bike, is rapidly gaining popularity. The main differences from the usual “great” reinforced frame and suspension, 18 and more speeds, wide wheels. This is a mandatory program. And the arbitrary - front and rear shock absorbers, hydraulic and disc ventilated brakes, carbon and titanium frames, an on -board computer and ceramic rims, but you never know anything! So do not be surprised if the used car is cheaper.

"And why are all these bells and whistles?" - You ask. And to the fact that on these bicycles people cross the ridges and glaciers of Alaska, travel through the passes of the Himalayas and the Alps, arrange competitions in parallel slalom and slalom-giant on ski routes in the summer, and in high-speed descent in the snow in winter they reach 200 km per hour.

But the most “abnormal” behavior on a mountain bike is diagnosed with a trial. This is when a person is no longer able to just pedal, and he needs to jump on the stones, through the logs, stand on the rear wheel, jump onto the balcony to his beloved girl. Abroad for these people, they even arrange competitions. But in Russia, they say, they also saw such extremals.

In almost all foreign mining resorts in the summer you can rent a mountain bike and master the rise and descents for your pleasure. We still have to get our own. The rental in our country is risky: buying a new passport may be cheaper than returning a mountain bike. But - a dashing trouble began.

From the mining sports, you can still mention mountaineering and climbing species rather elite than massive, but having their faithful fans. Tracking or hiking are significantly more developed - mountain campaigns and, accordingly, just walks in the mountains. This is a favorite folk entertainment, for example, in the Alps, where the day transition begins in one mountain hut and ends in another. In the less -lived areas of the type of ANT or Himalayas, tents are used for an overnight stay, and things carry with them in a backpack or they are presented to the company - organizing a trip that inserts them on mules or porters.

Growth of the population

It is difficult to clearly explain why many people prefer the above classes of everything else. Here is how one of my acquaintances, a person who is quite trustworthy, family, and generally a businessman, explained why he is already a vacation, he is leaving for a rafting in Altai or Chile, he goes on a mountain bicycle somewhere to Norway: “... Now I only consider such things a full rest. It is like a vaccine for the body, reminiscent that once it was created not only to press the keys on the computer and switch the velocity handle. When you are sipping tea in the company of friends, and each of your muscles still remembers the excitement of the struggle with the elements and anticipates a new battle at dawn, it is this condition that I call happiness. Here I feel the taste of life, which is measured not for months and quarters, but for minutes and seconds. Each time I seem to be born again, and the stock of positive emotions and memories is more than enough for me for the whole year. Until the next time. "

If now you understand what to do, it remains to find out where to start. The search for a tourist directory or in the newspaper Turinfo can give some results. But more effective - find the right company and ask the right questions. In Moscow, windsurfer should be sought in Strogin, paraglider and bikers in Krylatsky. It is more difficult to find fans of the alloy. Usually they gather in the early May on the Belaya River, in Adygea, and at the end of June on the Vuoksa River, near Peter. A good chance gives a visit to specialized stores such as “Alpindustria”, “Extreme Sport”, “Erzog” or “Ultra-Si”-there, firstly, they will sell “correct” equipment, and secondly, they will tell you where to look for a company. Divers should be sought closer to the pools there are usually dive clubs and dive centers. As in the previous case, visiting the junion-sport or “adventure world” can benefit. Separately, it is worth noting the Club Mediterrannee club system of resorts, which includes many services for active types of relaxation. But in a hurry, while summer. After all, in winter you will have to get on mountain skis or snowboarding, and this is a completely different story ...