Cause he’s free, free fallin’
In the headlines this past week, there was nothing more extreme than the feat completed by Austria’s Felix Baumgartner. After a couple of setbacks due to changes in the winds, Baumgartner was finally able ascend into the stratosphere.
After reaching 24 miles high above the launch site in Roswell, New Mexico, Baumgartner’s family, friends, and more than 8 million people watched as he quickly descended back down to the ground. In the 4 minutes and 20 seconds that it took for Baumgartner to touch down, he pierced the atmosphere at 833.9mph, breaking the sound barrier. This day in history also marked the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot, Chuck Yeager’s flight shattering the sound barrier.
Not only did Baumgartner break the sound barrier, but he also broke several world records, including the highest skydive, longest free-fall without a parachute, and the fastest fall achieved during a skydive.
Some may say he’s nuts (I know I do…), but Baumgartner definitely illustrated that the sky is no longer the limit for our dreams. A huge congrats to Felix and all of those involved in this incredible mission!
Even Lego applauds his history-making jump…
In other news around the action sports world…
This past weekend also played host to Odyssey’s BMX Texas Toast Jam. With a setup including dirt, street, and flatland, the competition promised to be a good one. This year also featured bonuses like the Gaunlet of Death. A sick set up and some heavy hitters like Corey Bohan, Ryan Nyquist, Dennis Enarson and SBOTD’s Anthony Napolitan made Austin, TX the BMX hangout to be at.
The Pastranas are maintaining their status as one of the most wheel loving, active action sports couples in the industry. Lyn-z won a charity race in Charlotte, NC and Travis nearly landed the “American” version of an “Aussie Roll.”
Check it out here:
Fast forwarding to the 2018 Winter Olympics…
Could this be the first time we see ski and snowboard Big Air? One of the most popular events at any action sports competition has got to be Big Air. Just this past winter’s XGames, Saskatchewan’s own Mark McMorris was the first ever to land a backside triple cork at WinterX. History is always made on the biggest stages, and it would definitely be a real treat to see the athletes going big in South Korea.
Someday we will likely see esports teams competing in the Olympics, as the industry has had quite the boom. Stay tuned to the latest in esports journalists for up to date esports and streaming news, and what is on tap for live esports streams and shows.
And finally, watch some of action sports’ best take to BMX Dirt, FMX, Skateboard Street, BMX Street, Dirt Best Trick from San Francisco! This will also be the first year to feature Skate and BMX Streetstyle contests. Can Ryan Sheckler reclaim his dominance in Skateboard Street? Who will take home first ever Skate and BMX streetstyle cups? Who will prevail in BMX Dirt: a veteran like Ryan Nyquist? Or will one of the young guns like Andy Buckworth and Dennis Enarson be the ones to win? MAKE SURE to tune in to the Dew Tour this weekend! I promise you won’t regret it!
