Adventure Travel Online

Bears – they look pretty cute don't they? All fluffy and soft – you just want to give them a big hug. I wouldn't advise it though. Make one wrong move in the presence of a bear and you could have 800lb of fury charging you down at 35mph.

The largest bears can grow to be around 8ft in height and in excess of 800lb in weight, and are lethal if they aren't treated with respect. In the last century, bears have been responsible for over 100 recorded deaths (there are a lot more unrecorded), and countless injuries in North America alone. You may have heard of Timmy Treadwell, the man who decided to live with the bears to document them, further understand them and become their 'friends'. He was found dead with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard in 2006 after being mauled by none other than a bear.

Back in the day of the American natives, a bear encounter was dealt with by talking to it. They would simply look at the bear, say 'hello Brother Bear, I did not mean to disturb you, I will leave your territory now and let you be in peace', and usually they would leave in one piece.

While death by a bear attack is a rare occurrence, there are frequent encounters which, if handled incorrectly, can lead to a no-holds-barred street fight with you and the bear equivalent of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.

So how do you become a Rocky and defeat the bear? No, you don't make a training montage to some corny 1980s music and shout the bear's name from the top of a mountain. Here are some key things you should do to make sure you don't fall victim to an attack.

In 1958 in Lituya Bay, Alaska, a Tsunami wave of 1720 ft high was recorded. That's a huge, foaming wall of water over half a kilometre in height rampaging towards the shore, just how the hell would you survive that?

The name Tsunami, is of Japanese origin and means 'huge wave in the bay'. It is literally just that, a huge wave (or rather a series of huge waves) caused by a large displacement of water following an earthquake, landslide or volcanic eruption. These 'displacements' cause the sea to retreat hundreds of meters, as if a plug has been pulled in the ocean, followed by a series of huge waves such as the one quoted above.

No doubt you'll all remember Boxing Day 2004 when an earthquake in the Indian Ocean (the second largest ever recorded) triggered a huge Tsunami causing in excess of 230,000 fatalities and more lately the devastation caused in Chile. And don't think that your safe at home in Britain, in 1607 what is thought to have been a Tsunami devastated 570km of coastline in the Bristol Channel killing over 2,000 people.

Having a knowledge of Tsunami's greatly increases your chance of surviving one, in 2004 10 year old Tilly Smith saved over 100 lives by warning family and people about the classic Tsunami drawback after learning about it in a geography lesson at school.

So what can you do if you are faced by a Tsunami?

With the first glimpse of the sun, spring in the air and Ewan McGregor announcing he's up for another mega motorcycle adventure epic we thought it time to check out motorcycle videos.

Travelling by motorcycle is considered by many as the ultimate way to experience the world and here we take a brief look into the life of Graham Styles, who in 2009 in an attempt to stop his brain from rotting began an amazing journey on a BMW 650 GS travelling though North, Central and South America.

In the first video we see the romantic part of the his adventures on the open road as he cruises along a beautiful Mexican beach

Last week on Wednesday 24 February, two Scottish climbers were killed in an avalanche on Buachaille Etive Mor in the Glen Coe mountain range.

This is a stark reminder that avalanches are a very real threat, even on the mountains of Britain. So, what can you do if you see a wall of white powder hurtling down the mountain face at you?

Ditch your gear

There’s no use holding on to your precious new skis or rucksack if you’re not going to be alive to use them. Throw down as much gear as time allows – you want to get rid of any unnecessary weight as it will just weigh you down in the torrent of snow.

You may have heard of the seven summits of the world, the highest mountains in each of the seven continents: Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Denali, Vinson, and of course Mt Everest. But do you know the origins of their names? Didn't think so. Many mountains have some kind of elaborate story behind their native names, and some are just, well, boring.

There are lots of mountains such as Snowdon, Mont Blanc, Dhalugiri and countless others which are simply local terms for 'white mountain'. So, do the magnificent seven summits of the world have a decent name to back them up?

Think trekking and ruins in Peru, think the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu – right? Not for long. The search is on for the next generation of trails exploring Peru’s challenging mountains, stunning landscapes and archaeological sites, and one of the best is the trek to Choquequirao (bless you! Oh right sorry, it's a name).

What is it?
Choquequirao is often referred to as Machu Picchu’s sister. It’s in the same mountain range as MP – the Vilcabamba range – and it’s similar in setting and grandeur, perched on a high mountain spur that looms over the Apurimac River, 1,500m below.

But Choquequirao is believed to be much, much older than Machu Picchu, perhaps originally created by the Chachapoyas, a pre-Incan Andean civilization. Choquequirao is significantly larger than its ‘sister’ on the other side of the mountain range. Archaeologists estimate that only one third of the total site has been excavated and even so, the ruins already dwarf those of Machu Picchu.

But the biggest difference between the two sites is in the number of visitors that arrive each year. While Machu Picchu draws around one million visitors every year, arriving at the gates by the coach-load, Choquequirao receives just 8,000 people – all of whom have completed a tough, two day trek just to reach the site.

We all know that flying to the Alps is bad for the environment but then it also induces high blood pressure in the more extreme sectors of the green movement who spend their lives screeching and preaching, so it does have its good points.

However, with the engine of the Adventure Travel VW van still warm from a blast over to the snow filled mountains overlooking Grenoble we though we'd  remind you of the top reasons for driving to your next Alpine adventure.

Adventures and children don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and just because you’ve got kids it doesn’t mean you stop wanting to do fun stuff – right? In fact, start ‘em young, we say. This week’s top adventure is in the glorious Namibia, and it’s for the whole family. This sure beats kids clubs…

What: Namibia family adventure

Where: Namibia, southern Africa

When: 24 July - 5 August, 7-19 August or 21 August - 2 September

Fancy a race that takes two weeks on ice? Gary King, our man in Canada (oh all right he’s in the UK, but he knows all about Canada), gives us the lowdown on one of the toughest, yet most incredible, challenges on the planet.
 
What is it?
A 320-mile race across the frozen Arctic to the position of the 1996 magnetic North Pole. Teams of three haul their tents, provisions and survival equipment in sleds while enduring temperatures than can plummet to -30C. It has been billed by many as the toughest race on earth.
 
Where?
The race is officiated from the Arctic frontier town of Resolute in the Canadian Western Territories. It takes competitors four days to ski to the start line and once under starters orders they pass through two checkpoints before finishing at a disused weather station in the remote Isachsen.
 

All eyes will be on British Columbia in Canada as the Winter Olympics get underway this weekend. Vancouver will play host to the world’s top winter sports athletes as they vie for glory across a multitude of sporting disciplines. Whistler is the venue for many of the ski and snowboard events including the slalom, downhill and halfpipe.

But as well as fantastic skiing, there are loads of other activities to do in the town. Gary King picks five of the best…

1. Ziptrek
Zip between ancient Douglas fir trees in a stunning natural gorge called the Fitzsimmons Valley on what can only be described as an extreme nature trail. The zipwires have been installed so that they’re completely harmless to the trees, and one of them is the longest zipwire in all of North America at 355yd. Between the adrenaline-filled aerial dash to purpose-built platforms, the instructors show you all kinds of flora, fauna and animal life before hurling you into the abyss where you reach speeds of up to 40mph. It’s the only way to fly.
For more information visit www.ziptrek.com.