If you are new to surfing then a Mini Mal is going to be your first surf board. They are wider and longer than a traditional board and allow you to learn the basics of surfing more easily.

Don’t be tempted to rush out and by a brand new surf board, take your time and look at the second hand market. It will take you a while to find a good second hand mini mal but it is well worth the wait. The added advantage is you should get a great board for the £150 to £180 price band and should you not find the time or decide that surfing is not for you, you should be able to sell it for the same price as you bought it for.

“Devon Parkour is the south west’s largest online parkour/freerun community, run by a group of traceurs based in the South Hams. While our primary focus is parkour, we welcome similar activities such as tricking and martial arts as they are undoubtedly mutually beneficial.”

I found this interesting site that is currently only a Parkour forum but it looks like it will soon be a fully fledged Parkour web site based from members in the South Hams (South Devon)

I wish this site loads of luck as there are few goos site focused on the art of Parkour in the South of England.

The forum covers, fitness, Techniques and mentions a few local hot spots.

Visit Devonshire Parkour 

This 30 year old hang gliding club offers everything you need including winching up to 1000 feet. This allows you to get height quickly then hunt for thermals and updrafts to keep you airborne flying like a bird.

This hang gliding club also offer traditional coastal flying where you use updrafts created by cliffs to lift you up.

For more information visit Suffolk Coastal Floaters Hang gliding club

“The North Devon club is in the far south west of England, and has existed since the very earliest days of Hang-gliding in the UK (formerly North Devon Sailwings). We are a small group of friendly qualified pilots who organize flying sites around Woolacombe, Putsborough, Barnstaple and Westward Ho! for our ourselves and others to enjoy. With plenty of room and almost no airspace restriction, members can fly as far and as high as you like. Every year visiting fliers who take out Full or Temporary membership, are the only reason we can afford to carry on.”

This club as you read above is not for Hang gliding lesson but only for qualified pilots who want to fly in some of south Englands most outstanding country side.

Visit http://www.ndhpc.f9.co.uk/ for more information on this hang gliding club

I thought I should share this with you. Many of you will know all about rip currents and how dangerous they are when you are in the sea. They are a water flow created by the shape of the sea bed and the coast line where water rushes away from the beach and out to sea. I have highlighted the rip on this photograph. The reason I took the snap was because of the sandy water and highly oxygenated water in the rip made it clear to the eye. You can see with the red arrow that as the rip gets into deeper water the surface looks darker and turbid.

I found this website today extreme lives that offers training packages in 15 different extreme sports, held across the UK. The extreme sports they offers include;
• ATVs
• Dinghy Sailing and Yachting
• Jet skiing
• Kitesurfing
• Motocross
• Mountain Biking
• Mountain-boarding
• Powerboating
• Scuba diving
• Skiing
• Sky diving
• Snowboarding
• Surfing
• Wakeboarding
• Windsurfing
The site offers news and events in the world of Extreme and Adventure sports as well as a news letter you can sign up to.

It was the year 843 that we last saw Vikings on the UK beaches, but that is about to change with the first American surf board manufacture about to start trading over here.

Viking surfboards are huge state side and the ink is still wet after an agreement with Paranoia Surf company to start distributing the boards over here.

This can only be good news that the Surf market is still growing rapidly and ever popular. The boards look well designed and finished, I look forward to seeing them in the flesh.

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Christian Wolthers, Viking Surfboards CEO, has just returned from the UK, where he met with Andrew Smith, President of Paranoia Surf Company. Both agreed to start operations into the UK and Europe for all Viking Surfboards products.

Paranoia Surf Co. is now the representative and distributor for our products. A container with hundreds of surfboards, accessories and surf wear will be arriving in the UK already as early as late April 2007.

Andrew and his crew at Paranoia will be visiting Surf Retailers in the UK, France, Portugal and Spain showing samples of our Surfboards and products.

For the full details click here Paranoia Surf

This show looks rad this year with a massive line up of extreme sports, including BMX Vert, Street, Dirt, No Clips BMX Race series and Flatland. Skate Pro comps in Street, Vert as well as In line skate in street and Vert, Mountain bike Trials and Down Hill & Mountain boarding.

It is going to be huge and an event to mark up now, and not to forget!!

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6th – 8th July 2007

NASS2007 is back in the south west and now just weeks away,
with thousands of action sports fans and riders from around the globe attending the biggest Action sports and Music Festival ever staged!

NASS2007 is a weekend of amazing Skate, Bikes and FMX sports arenas, FREE to ride public Street course, Huge action sports Expo with all the best gear and products. Friday night Live stage presentation for the weekend campers at NASS plus welcoming party’s till late. Also the Saturday night live stage with a fantastic headline to be announced in just 7 days time! – Watch this space

The best way to make the most of NASS is to camp for the whole weekend, this way you don’t miss a trick and at just £39.50 for a weekend Adult and £29.50 for a child weekend it’s the best priced festival out there!

For more information on this event visit this link to NASSFEST

This looks like a great event set around the UK. There are going to be a few talks around the country and it would be well worth going along and listening.

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To help kick start a summer of action and adventure, Snow+Rock and the Ski Club of Great Britain are joining forces to promote a series of talks at Snow+Rock stores around the UK, showcasing some of the Britain’s leading climbers, mountain bike racers and freestyle skiers.

For more information follow this link Extreme sports talks