Category: Uncategorized

Wetass Of The Week–Ginge Fullen: Maybe if you have a sissy name, you have to be ultra-tough. Explorer’s Web has been following the adventures of this former snake-eater and Royal Navy diver. And according to Ginge’s website, he’s had quite a run. He made the world’s most southerly dive (at 77 degrees South, in the Weddell Sea Antarctica), he ran the bulls at Pamplona, he broke his neck playing rugby, he suffered a heart attack on Everest, and he competed in the world coal-carrying championship (well, he’s a Brit). But the most ambitious, grandiose project of ol’ Ginge’s adventurous life is to climb the highest peak…in every country…in the world. That’s 193 hills and mountains, which is a lot of climbing. But it’s a grand, easy-to-understand, Wetass-friendly concept, and I like it. I like it a lot. Here’s Ginge’s entire “to-do” list, showing he’s up to 130.

Amazingly, when Ginge started in the 1990s he had no mountain climbing experience. Zero. Nada. Zip. Nevertheless, he knocked off all the highest peaks in the 47 European countries by 1999. To do it, he had to survive muggings, knife attacks, landmines in Croatia, and Chechen bandits. He eluded the Palace Guards in the Vatican City, and bribed his way to the top of Mount Ararat to become the first person in ten years to climb it officially. And now he’s almost worked his way through all the highest peaks in the 53 African countries. He started in 2001 and knocked off 43 of the 53 in one year. But then he bogged down in the war-torn countries, getting arrested repeatedly in Liberia, and waiting for a cease-fire before making a dash up that benighted country’s highest peak. Here’s Ginge’s description of what it has taken to climb through the strife:

“Some of the most dangerous countries I originally listed are now some of my most favourite. With an escort of 60 soldiers from the local rebel group the SPLA in Sudan I summitted their highest mountain not climbed since probably around the 1970’s due to the fighting. 20 soldiers escorted me up Rwanda’s highest peak, keen not to let the first tourist in over 10 years to get shot and killed on their mountain. Angola I climbed at the third attempt. With more landmines than any other country in the world it is a dangerous place. Their highest mountain has not been climbed by many people, since the Portuguese put the original summit cairn there.

The last mountain climbed was in Chad, peak number 52 of the Project. Barring landmines, rebels, being off limits and unclimbed in several years there were no major problems. Most of Northern Chad you are not permitted to visit including all of the Tibesti mountains. Ongoing civil problems, rebel activity and landmines laid over many conflicts playing their part. The Tibesti mountains and Emi Koussi are some of, if not the, most remotest of mountains ranges in Africa. The peak had not been climbed since 1998 and that group of climbers had been taken hostage.”

Ginge hopes to nail the last African peak–in Libya–in December. Stay tuned, though. Apparently he needs to bribe, I mean negotiate the assistance of, Colonel Qaddafi’s son. Good luck with that, Dude…



Ginge Fullen, On Some Peak, Somewhere: “Don’t tell anyone. But I have absolutely no idea where I am right now…”

Crash And Burn…: The ever-creative, ever-resourceful denizens of Sailing Anarchy’s forums are heavy into a thread on “Best Cartwheel Pics.” Lots and lots of great shots of boats going ass over end. Check out all the carnage here. But here’s a taste…



“Hmmm. Should I do a swan dive or a cannonball…?”

“Permission to come aboard…?”

“There. The jib is trimmed perfectly now…”

“Take her down, Lieutenant. Cruising depth of 20 meters…”

Wetass Website #46–Chasing Storms: If you like extreme weather–I mean if you like looking at extreme weather from the comfort of your desktop–then “Eye In The Tropics” is your kind of weather porn. The site is run by freelance storm photographer/videographer (is that a great job title, or what?) Mike Theiss. He’s a pretty busy guy, and since he lives in South Florida the serial hurricanes of 2004 have served up a bumper year for him. He’s got video and stills of everything from hurricanes ripping the roofs off gas stations, to tornados, waterspouts and lightning strikes. Oddly, he also has a gallery of “Riot and Protest,” but never mind…



“Say, Nancy, do you still have the number of that roofing guy…”

(Photo: UltimateChase.Com)

Department Of Extremes–Russian Roulette: They don’t get the media spotlight, but they deserve respect. When it comes to ridiculously difficult expeditions the Russians are as tough and creative as they come. How do I know? Well, check out the nominees for the “Best Extreme Projects” of 2004, prsented at a recent extreme sports festival. You’ve got the climb up the north face of Jannu (covered in TWC), and the BASE jump off Amin Brakk (also covered). But throw in the first ascent of Kongur in China, and a cave expedition that dropped a world record 1800 meters into the deepest cave in the world–the Voronja (which means “Carrion Crows”) cave–and you’ve got an honor roll of achievement that is second to none this year…



Down The Hole: “1600 meters, 1700 meters. Why of why did I have to be born Russian…?”

Annals Of Surfing–Pipeline Pulchritude: Maybe it’s a sign of the times. But surfing just ain’t what it used to be. Take Pipeline, for example, the mythic break on Oahu’s North Shore. You read about it, you see movies about it. But if you want to go surf it and you’re not an established regular or a world class talent, you’d better bring your headgear. Because a gang of local surfing thugs have deputized themselves as etiquette enforcers, and if you screw up they’ll lay a beating on you. The LA Times has the story. Here’s an excerpt:

The enforcers call themselves the Wolfpack, and most of them come from Kauai. The pack’s alpha male is Kala Alexander, a buff and accomplished surfer best known for his role as the tattooed heavy in the 2002 date movie “Blue Crush.”

He regularly justifies his beachfront vigilantism in print and video interviews. With a relatively tight takeoff zone, Alexander says, Pipeline can safely accommodate only about 20 expert surfers at a time. But up until a few years ago, 60 to 80 surfers and bodyboarders, many of them novices, routinely overran the place. World-class surfers would stroke into breathtaking barrels only to have an arm-flapping wannabe cut them off and force them into the break’s treacherous shallows.

In the unwritten book of surf etiquette, such a right-of-way violation qualifies as a capital offense, and the guilty party’s punishment nowadays is a good licking. So far, no one has pressed charges.

“You need people like me,” Alexander recently told Surfer magazine, “or it would just be even more crazy.”

Umm, wasn’t that pretty much Hitler’s line of argument? This is nuts. No one owns Pipeline, and the wannabes should get a shot at it too. Sure, etiquette should be observed. And for anyone who needs a clue, check out this story on the rules of surfing. Even better, here’s a summary of the “Tribal Law” as laid down at one surfing beach in Australia:

Tribal Law: Surfriders Code of Ethics

1) Right of way: Furthest out (or waiting longest); Furthest inside (closest to peak); First to feet or on wave; Call: communicate (left or right)…

2) Do not drop in or snake…

3) Paddle wide using rip…

4) Caught inside, stay in the whitewater…

5) Danger: Do not throw board (in danger of others)…

6) Respect the beach, the ocean and others…

7) Give respect to gain respect…

8) We are very lucky to be surfers – share the water

The key word is “share.” Contrast that to what’s going down at Pipeline. Surfing is supposed to be mellow, laid back, communal. When did the meatheads take over…?



Surf Rage: “Thanks for cutting in front, d*ckhead! Perhaps you need a “conversation” with the Wolfpack…”

One-Time Political Interlude–See, Politics Can Be Funny: TWC is not a place for presidential politics, but it is a place for humor. And I found this little movie short about electronic voting in Florida so damn funny, I decided to violate strict editorial policy and post it. So sue me (after you stop laughing), or send me something really funny about J. Kerry. In the interests of being “Fair and Balanced” (Hmmm. Nice phrase. Maybe I’ll trademark it…) and promoting humor in politics, I’ll post that one too…



“Heh-heh. Did you get those new voting machines Rove sent down…?”

Annals Of Australia–The Meaning Of “Walkabout”: Melbourne housewife Deborah De Williams has redefined the term. On October 17, 2003 she stepped out for a walk. And she just got back yesterday. Where did she walk? Around the…FRIGGING CONTINENT OF AUSTRALIA. That’s just over 10,000 miles of walking, and she was at it every day, monsoon or shine. She did it to raise money for a kids charity, and along the way she picked up the record for the longest continuous walk. What were the first things she wanted once she got home? A shower and a toilet. Not sure what order, though…



“Maybe I’ll have some foot cream, too…”

Department Of Blind Adventure–Skiing In The Dark: TWC has to create this new department because blind adventurers are so damn busy. Last week, TWC wrote about the two blind sailors who are off to circumnavigate the globe. Just about the same time, two blind yahoos were tearing up Lake Windermere in England’s Lake district. Here’s the lineup: Gerald Price. Blind. 71 years old. Water skiied across the English Channel in 1981. Mark Threadgold. Blind. 36 years old. Set a blind water speed record of 99.1 mph last year. Put Threadgold behind the wheel and Price on the skis, and you have a blind waterskiing dream team. And last week they set two new world records. Record #1: Price set a blind waterskiing speed record of 46.2 mph. Record #2: First team to set a record with both a blind skier and a blind driver. Good job, gentlemen. But I can’t help noticing that Threadgold’s got another 50 mph in him. I also can’t help noticing that the pair will have to go elsewhere if they want to keep skiing together. Authorities are about to impose a 10 mph speed limit on Lake Windermere. Hmm. I wonder if two blind guys bashing around at highway speeds had anything to do with the decision…



On The Next Record Attempt Threadgold Ups The Ante: “Damn, Mark’s new boat sure is loud. Hope it’s fast…”

Have A Wetass Weekend…

(Photo: Joseph Hayes via AVWeb.com)

Annals Of Achievement–Blind Circumnavigation?: Sail around the world blind? Yup. Sounds nuts, but Scott Duncan and Pamela Habek are already on their way. Both are legally blind, and they departed San Francisco this week aboard their Valiant 32 sailboat. They are headed south, and then west across the Pacific. They’ll hit the Roaring 40s while sailing south of Australia and Africa, and finally turn north to head for the Panama Canal and back to California. If they make it, they will be the first (they think) blind sailors to circumnavigate the globe. The obvious question: How the hell are they going to do it if they can’t see? Well, it turns out that they can see just a little (they are legally blind not totally blind). Not very much, and certainly not well enough to pick out all the shipping, and other dangers they might be sailing toward. But with the help of powerful magnifying glasses they can read a GPS and the radar. And these days that’s pretty much all you need to navigate. You can read more about the voyage and how it all came about here. Duncan wants to inspire visually impaired kids, but his underlying philosophy can be seen right on his T-shirt. It reads “Fear Sucks”…



Blind and Bold: “Yo, Scott! Scott! The marina entrance is the OTHER way…”