From the inspiring to the tragic, YETI presents ‘This Week in Adventure,’ the top news in the world of exploration and adventure to start your week.
X-Games See First Skateboard 1260
Minneapolis flipped, whipped, and spun its way to another eye-popping X Games spectacle Sunday. With competitions in BMX, skateboard, and moto, the action didn’t just push the limits for extreme sport — it reset the bar.
While American Mitchie Brusco came up just shy of gold, he etched his name in the record books with the “first 1260 in skateboard history.” Brusco’s dervish trick — see below — added a full rotation to Tony Hawk’s crowd-stunning 900 at the ’99 X Games.
American @Mitchiebrusco84 just landed the first 1260 in skateboard history at #XGames! pic.twitter.com/aHpeT3mGYq
— X Games (@XGames) August 3, 2019
And that wasn’t the only first at this year’s X Games. Australian Ryan Williams became the first person to ever backflip onto a Big Air ramp at the Games. Williams also took home gold for his epic run.
Australian Ryan Williams became the first athlete to ever backflip into a Big Air ramp at the X Games! #SCtop10
It was his first ever attempt at the trick in competition. pic.twitter.com/JnzVoxlB5s
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 3, 2019
See the full rundown of the Games here.
A-Basin Goes Ikon
On Friday, the battle between Alterra Mountain Co.’s Ikon Pass and Vail Mountain Resorts’ Epic Pass heated up with Arapahoe Basin announcing it would join the Ikon Pass. The move comes less than a year after A-Basin pulled from Epic, citing “a pinch on parking and facility space” and overcrowding.
A-Basin will join the ranks with the likes of other Colorado resorts like Copper Mountain, Aspen Snowmass, Steamboat, and more. Get your Ikon Pass here.
Most Trees Ever Planted in a Single Day
The planet received more than 350 million new trees Monday in what Ethiopian officials say marks a new world record, according to the BBC. The monumental effort reportedly took place across 1,000 sites in the country over a 12-hour period. Volunteers from the United Nations, African Union, and foreign ambassadors joined in the public effort, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called part of his Green Legacy Initiative.
Officials are trying to have the record recognized by Guinness, according to UPI. If confirmed, Ethiopia’s mark would far surpass the current record, 50 million trees, set by India in 2016.
4-Year-Old Summits All 46 High Peaks in Adirondacks
Is it still a bucket list if the bucket hasn’t been made yet? As July closed, Maebh Nesbitt became the youngest person to summit all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks — just before his 5th birthday.
Now part of the prestigious 46ers Club, Nesbitt took her parents, Lee Nesbitt and Siobhan Carney-Nesbitt, along for the ride, Good Morning America reported. Completing the feat a mere 2 days before her 5th birthday, Nesbitt just eked out the record from a pair of 5-year-old twins who previously set the record in 1999, according to Carney-Nesbitt.
The 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks range between 3,800 and 5,400 feet, and require hikes of up to 20 miles.
Man Crosses English Channel on Hoverboard
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There comes a time when you must acknowledge you are, in fact, living in the future. According to Reuters, that time appears to have been on Sunday, August 4. That’s when French inventor, Franky Zapata, completed the 35km crossing, strapped to a small, rocket-powered platform, carrying a kerosene-filled backpack, and dressed like — well, exactly what you’d think a man in a hoversuit would look like.
It took Zapata just over 20 minutes to cross the Strait of Dover. Though Zapata claims his board can reach speeds of 170 kph (105 mph), he had to refuel halfway through the attempt. And that was the trickiest part, requiring Zapata to land on a boat and switch fuel packs.
“We made a machine 3 years ago … and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,” he said before reportedly succumbing to tears.
But, Zapata added, people shouldn’t queue up for their own hoverboard: “It’s not a machine for a trip down to the bakery on a Sunday morning.”
