Skibiking

Running across the "Federation Internationale de Skibob" website was very confusing for me. A) I don't know German, B) clicking their "English" button does nothing, and C) there's a skibike World Championship?

The sport has apparently been around for a while: the first race was held in 1954 and the first World Championship happened in 1964. Here's some more historical evidence:

Europe still takes this sport seriously, while the US of A has reduced its involvement to a couple of skibike festivals. Colorado's Purgatory Skibike Meet is in the Durango Mountain Resort (Feb 25-27, 2011), and Oregon's Spring Fling takes place on Hoodoo Mountain (April 2-3, 2011).

Compliments of the skibike cartoonist

See if there's a skibike-friendly resort near you.

Surviving an Expedition Race

Pretend that you see the Primal Quest video and decide that expedition racing looks like a great idea. What if you happen to be like me and couldn't navigate your way out of a cardboard box? Do you plod on, always wondering if you could have conquered the Gobi Desert or the Strait of Magellan?

Enter Adventure Racing Camps: these 3-7 day programs give you the skills to navigate, whitewater raft, mountain bike and climb your way out of whatever you've gotten yourself into. They're generally cheaper than the races, and they're certainly cheaper than a hospital bill.

So venture on, Adventurer! But check out this site first.

Hash House Harriers

This "drinking club with a running problem" takes over neighborhoods worldwide on a weekly basis. I was about to write, "I honestly don't know how they stay out of jail"; turns out they don't.

Most of the arrests have to do with the flour they use to mark trails. Apparently, a few officers in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Beijing thought these oddball cohorts of buzzed runners were throwing around giant piles of anthrax.

Where: With 1,938 groups in 186 countries, you can basically find a Hash run anywhere. Type in "Hash House Harriers" followed by a US city, and something will come up (I tried out "Amarillo").

When: Usually starts within happy hours of the workweek, but differs by chapter.

What: The hare gets a head start and marks a ~4-6 mile trail with flour and chalk. A reckless, urban scavenger hunt follows, complete with checkpoints and false trails. Groups have beer checks along the way, at the end, or none at all. Things get complicated when you factor in the hasher vocabulary, their bizunches of songs, their history, and, hell, even a conspiracy theory or two. But that's for other people to worry about.

Notable Quote: "15 enthused hashers storm NAU campus, ride bikes and shopping carts through the union, break dormitory elevator"

-Hash Happenings

Viking playing a Train Whistle

you're welcome