Online - February 18, 2009
Adrenaline Rush
Thrilling Getaways
Ski, surf; hike, bike. Down dog, uphill — okay, already. When sporty isn’t thrilling enough (and when the future feels ominous), it’s time to upgrade to heart racing. These bold adventures should get the adrenaline rushing (even if all you’re doing is reading about them).
Ride Like the Wind
Until recently, HALO was done only by elite military. Now any wannabe GI can leap from a plane at 30,000 feet — twice the altitude of the average skydive — with Tennessee-based HALO Jumper. Strapped onto a military-trained jumpmaster, you leap into air that’s 30 degrees below zero. Since passing out at such altitudes is almost a certainty, oxygen masks are a must. The parachute opens as low to the ground as possible (HALO stands for high altitude, low opening), and night jumps are offered during full moons in May, September, and October. Howl all you want.
Swim with the Fishes
Cute little moray eel? Try a four-meter great white shark. Cage Diver leads day trips to a little strip of sea south of Capetown known as Shark Alley. Brave beginners are welcome. A certified instructor helps you into the cage, which is submerged underwater for five to fifteen minutes at a time, “depending on the action.” (Cue Jaws soundtrack.)
Mignificent, Yo
When competing against actual soldiers in virtual games runs its course, take to the skies for Top Gun action. In the cockpit of a Russian MiG-29 or a MiG-31 Foxhound. Over Moscow and Nizhny. It all sounds too incredible to be true, so start practicing your lines for when you get back to the cubicle: “Is that a Cold War in your pocket, or are you just impressed to see me?”
Journey to the Center of the Earth
From glacier to geysers, Iceland is an adventure junkie’s dreamland. Your destination: a lake outside Reykjavik, where a diving instructor will accompany you on a stunning swim between tectonic plates. Is that Paleolithic coral? Hell, who’s going to say it isn’t?
Traveling alone stinks! Besides, bragging is more fun with accomplices to goad you on. Send this e-mail to the people who inspire your great adventures.
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