Active.com Action Sports

Tune Your Bike Up

I was home in St. Louis for a little while and was fortunate enough to catch a week of 60 degree temperatures. It got me thinking -- spring is in the air and my bike is calling. Here are a few tips to help you find any problems and make sure no new ones arise so your bike works smoothly through the riding season.

Inspect your wheels closely to see if there are any cracks in the rim or any signs of bulging in the tire. If you don’t regularly tension your spokes you’ll have some serious flex problems from your wheels. If you don’t feel comfortable tensioning your spokes, just drop it by the bike shop. They’ll be more than happy to help.

The American Birkebeiner

It’s just about that time of year again for the excitement, camaraderie and challenge that can only be satisfied by clicking into a pair of skis and lining up at the start line with 7,000 other ski pals from around the world. The American Birkebeiner (or Birkie) is the largest, and one of the longest cross country ski races in North America. The 51-km race from Cable to Hayward, Wisconsin is a member race of the Worldloppet Ski Federation, a federation which includes the world's most famous cross country ski marathons such as Sweden's Vasaloppet and Norway's Birkebeinerrennet.

Tomorrow morning, the Birkie will be underway for the 34th time in it's history.  Started in 1973, the Birkie is one of the few races worldwide named after and commemorating a historical episode, from 1206 when a group of Birkebeiners - soldiers who fought in the Norwegian civil war - smuggled the illegitimate son of Norway's King Håkon Sverresson to safety. At Birkebeinerrennet in Norway, skiers still carry packs symbolizing the weight of an 18-month-old child; this tradition, although not required, is also respected by some skiers in the American Birkebeiner.

The Birkie has a reputation of attracting skiers of various ability levels. Cross country skiing is particularly popular in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Birkie draws a large number of skiers from this area who otherwise ski only recreationally. In addition to the Birkebeiner itself, the race day includes the shorter Kortelopet, a race geared more toward recreational skiers. Each year the race is attended by over 7,000 skiers and about 20,000 spectators.

Good luck to all the skiers this year!
(Photo provided by Getty Images, taken by Agence Zoom)

Take a 6,800-mile hike!

Readers, please meet the American Discovery Trail.

Stretching across more than 6,800 miles and 15 states, the ADT is the only coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail. Linking communities, cities, parks and wilderness, the ADT allows people to hike, bike, trail run or ride horses for an afternoon or a cross-country adventure. The trail provides users the opportunity to journey into the heart of all that is uniquely American, its culture, heritage, landscape and spirit.

The ADT is all about connections — people to people, community to community, urban areas to wilderness. It provides the opportunity for the most adventurous to travel from coast to coast, truly discovering the heart of America. More importantly it provides millions of people access to a trail system that improves quality of life and protects our natural resources.

Get out on the trail, whether for two hours or more than two months, and have fun!

(Photo provided by Getty Images, taken by Graham Chadwick)

If you liked this years Winter X-Games in Aspen, then you’ll really be stoked when you hear this news!

Camp Woodward and Intrawest have announced an exclusive partnership to bring the state-of-the-art action sports training facilities to the slopes. By November of 2007, Copper Mountain in Summit County Colorado plans to provide the first progressive winter-focused action sports facility to skiers and snowboarders. Previously, Woodward Camps and facilities were only available for summer action sports such as inline skating, skateboarding and BMX. Woodward at Copper will maintain the same instructional principles of Woodward’s world famous camps in Woodward, PA. and Tehachapi, CA. The 20,000-square-foot indoor facility will incorporate progressive teaching apparatus including trampolines, foam pits, resi-pits and bungee systems, two on-snow superpipes, and a private terrain park. This safe and supported environment will allow winter athletes to push the limits of their own abilities while propelling competitive snowboarding to the next level.

(Photo provided by Getty Images, taken by Doug Pensinger)

Improve your vision

A constant view of a two-dimensional computer screen makes it more difficult to navigate a three-dimensional trail, river or ski run. However, by using special training techniques, you can improve your vision and response time during outdoor sports. Here are a few exercises that prominent figures in action sports use:

Peripheral Awareness
Outdoor athletes must look ahead to plan their route, but they also have to stay tuned to what’s happening on the periphery. US Freestyle Ski Team coach Liz McIntyre recommends this exercise: Stand facing a wall and ask a buddy to arrange papers with numbers written on them in a semicircle on the wall, about 6 feet from where you’re standing. Looking straight ahead and without moving your eyes, call out the numbers as your buddy points to them with a ski pole or stick.

Surf's Up!

Have you ever wondered why surfing seems to be so much easier for kids than adults? This is because people of different ages learn surfing in different ways. Here's some tips on learning to surf for children, teenagers, and adults:

Children

Young children are usually eager to learn all sorts of things and learn it quickly. Children learn gross motor skills like "jumping to their feet" easier than the fine motor skills. When instructing or learning, spend more time on style, body positioning, where to look and foot positioning across the stringer than other skills.

Mountain Biking: North Shore style

The two words "North Shore" usually bring to mind Hawaii's northern beach with huge waves, rolling pipelines, and the core crowd of surfers. Recently, a new North Shore has been receiving its fair share of attention.

Vancouver's North Shore is quickly gaining a reputation for having the most serious and technical mountain bike riding in the world. The shore demands certain attitudes, certain equipment, and an amount of mental concentration that is unmatched elsewhere.

North shore mountain biking originated in the hilly, slick, rocky terrain of Vancouver, Canada's north shore. Riders began building bridges over swampy or muddy areas as a result of the nearly unridable conditions. These bridges evolved into complex, oftentimes extremely challenging, man-made stunts including twisting "ladders" raised above the ground and teeter-totters. The stunts can be narrow and may require the rider to move very slowly, requiring immense balance and bike handling skills, or may involve large drops and high speed descents.

North shore riding is quickly spreading to other parts of Canada and the United States, but if you want to experience the real thing head to one of the three mountains in Vancouver where it all started: Mt. Cypress, Mt. Fromme, and Mt. Seymour.

Snowboarding Styles: Freeride vs. Freestyle

In snowboarding, the style you choose will largely determine how you ride, what snowboard equipment or gear you will be using and where you will be riding. Each style has its own group of fans, community and competitions. Once you have passed the beginner stage, you're bound to explore one of the following snowboard riding styles:

Freeride vs. freestyle: Freeride is suitable for beginners because its only focus is on enjoying the ride and exploring the mountain. Freestyle is very different from freeriding, as it includes mostly aerial-like spins, flips and grabs.

Whitewater Kayaking

Whitewater kayaking is a lifelong pursuit of fun and challenge. If you’re looking for a new outdoor sport, now might be the time to check it out.

If you are completely new to whitewater kayaking, two things you will need to familiarize yourself with are river safety procedures and basic river-reading skills. Other skills--like boat handling, eddy hopping, ferrying and rolling--will come with time.

Whether or not you take formal lessons, you will definitely need some instruction on how to roll. Instruction will help you develop proper technique instead of just survival skills--and ensure your safety. Instruction should start on dry land, move into a pond or pool, and then into the river. Formal instruction will also provide you with all the right equipment and a shuttle. Here are a few important aspects of kayaking to keep in mind:

Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding is a mixture between windsurfing, surfing and wakeboarding. Compared to windsurfing and surfing, kiteboarding is a relatively easy sport to learn. Most students are able to get up on their board after two or three lessons from a certified kiteboarding instructor, and with a bit of practice you can do your first jump in a few days. Once you get more experienced you can catch some huge air. The pros can easily jump 10 meters or higher.

The sport is becoming safer due to innovations in kite design, safety release systems, and instruction. Many riding styles have evolved to suit different types of riders and conditions, such as wake style, wave riding, freestyle, jumping, and cruising.

The sport is still in its infancy, but is rapidly growing in popularity. In 2006, the number of kitesurfers has been estimated at around 150,000 to 200,000.

Female Ski Jumpers Out of Luck

Ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since 1927 and it is among the events most watched on television at the Winter Games. Yet it, and the companion Nordic Combined event, which involves jumping and cross-country skiing, are the only two Winter Olympic sports that still bar women.

It is not that women's ski jumping is a novelty. Tens of thousands of women around the world are involved in the sport. The International Ski Federation (FIS) has ranked more than 140 female ski jumpers. There are 22 events held on three continents in eight major ski jumping nations, including the US, Japan, Norway, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Canada. In this country one quarter of ski jumping Canada's 80 competition-level athletes are women.

While the International Olympic Committee is eager to have gender equity in all sports, officials said women's jumping hasn't yet been fully established, noting that the first world championships in the event aren't scheduled until 2009.

"It's still not ready," IOC vice-president Gunilla Lindberg said. "In our analysis, there are not enough athletes and not enough countries. They have to work with the international ski federation and Nordic combined to be ready for 2014."

However, the IOC stressed it would closely monitor the progress of women's ski jumping "with a view of its inclusion in future Olympic Games."

Canada's female ski jumping team is launching a human rights complaint in an effort to change rules that prevent them from competing in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Skicross

The rough-and-tumble freestyle event of skicross is in for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee approved skicross - similar to snowboard cross - for the Vancouver Games.

Skicross involves groups of skiers racing each other to the bottom of a course with jumps, rollers, banks and other manmade and natural terrain features. The competition is part of the International Ski Federation's World Cup freestyle circuit, which also includes the Olympic events of aerials and moguls.

The IOC said skicross has a "strong appeal for the young generation."

Snowboard cross debuted at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin and drew big crowds and good ratings.

Surf Kayaking 101

Stubby plastic whitewater boats with fiberglass wave skis and and fins on the bottom represent the evolution of the sport known as surf kayaking. Surf kayaking allows you to catch many more waves, paddle back out more quickly, and get to breaks that would be a long walk or paddle on a board more easily. Plus, you can have fun in more diverse conditions.

The biggest thing for beginners to grasp is the period of waves. The closer together the waves are, the harder it is to get out through them. So when launching off the beach, look for patterns in the series of waves. Wait for the larger ones to pass, then launch when the water is as close and low down on the beach as possible. Be on the lookout for side shore currents as well.

Cyclocross

The growing sport of cyclocross is an off-road circuit race ridden on modified raod bikes. Mud is a sort of founding principle, dating to the sodden winter ground on which European road racers first explored the new terrain in the early 1900s.

In cyclocross races, athletes ride laps around a course that is one to two miles long, powering over flat straightaways, grinding through bumps and soggy pits and portaging over obstacles. A few races have been known to even include flights of stairs. Mud accentuates the pain and increases the difficulty.

In the United States Gran Prix of Cyclocross last race of the season, spectators crowded along the course's toughest sections -- two quick, steep climbs up the hill, which was so soupy that everybody but the pros had to dismount and carry their bikes. Every time a pack of riders came up the hill, a chorus of cowbells and yells arose. Cyclocross in the much also draws a different breed of spectator. "It's a total cult following here," said Matt Slavin, a semipro rider who had taken the day off from racing and was wearing a pink wig.

Slavin added, "Every race, you want to vomit, you want to quit, your bike's not working, and then you come up a run-up and everyone's cheering and you get pepped up. As soon as you're done, you can't wait for the next race. It's kind of like a cruel drug -- addictive."