Jan 192009
Jan 182009
From South-Korea this week I’ll bring some updates on the 2009 FIS Snowboard World Championships.
Munich take-off
Seoul arrival… hmm!
A bit of a thing: driving 8 hours through heavy fog to Munich to catch a plane to Korea. But, it’s a small price to pay for a dream-assignment like this! So, after an easy but mostly sleepless flight (compensated for by gin-tonics) we arrived at Seoul Airport with a gentle but nagging jetlag of eight hours.
Getting close to the contest.
After a mad and three hour VIP Taxi transfer that took us past the edge of the capital city, traffic jams, heavy snowfall and a highway though the mountains (hills, if you live in the Alps) and the crazy Hyundau Sungwoo Resort in Hoengseon-gun in the Gangwon-do province. How about a mounthfull! As the Koreans were convinced I was an important competitor the drive was fast and furious and ended up with a police escort for the final 5 kilomters, cool!
Bell Berghuis and coach Frank Germann discuss the course.
Some high-grade board preparation.
From the taxi it was straight to the slopes to watch Bell Berghuis compete in the Boardercross qualifications. It’s a pity she fell on her second run because she had a very good chance of competing in the finals. Still, a nice day for me photograph-wise. More updates this week as there are plenty more Dutchies competing.
Practice run on the first rollers.
First quali-heat on the massive corner!
Over and out…
Nov 182008
One doesn’t stumble into little islands very often. Certainly not tropical ones, but some time ago I had the pleasure of actually doing so. On route while doing a major feature on Caribbean Island Hopping (which later won me this award) we had a stop in Saba [check in Google Earth], a tiny speck of green in a huge ocean of stunning blue.
It’s a little known island which is great because not too many visitors actually manage to get there. It’s so small, the Tourism Office usually knows exactly how many tourists are on the island at any given time. Very tiny indeed then, which makes it a fantastic place to beat the crowds while still being able to do some decent exploring.
Besides being a very small, the way to get there is quite unusual as too. Saba sports the smallest commercial airstrip in the world and at a length of a mere 400 meters it’s a sight to behold! Landing, while sitting behind an open cockpit of a Twin Otter [Youtube, 250.000 views in one year], is quite something as the only space to build the strip was a stretch of lava at the far end of the island. Yes, Saba is volcanic and that is also one of the main attractions: Mt.Scenery, an old volcanic dome which makes for a fantastic climb.
Going up through the lush green forest of the island one notices that the volcano blocks the moist air from the sea which makes for a lot of clouds and plenty of hillside rain! You need to be lucky to catch a good view because one minute it can be crystal clear, a minute later fog is all you will see. The good thing is that all off the rain makes this stunning island with a green color rarely seen in the Caribbean. Fortunately the inhabitants were smart enough to insist on a rigorous building code: all the houses are tiny cottages built in one style. You won’t find a more pittoresq place in this area easily.
The climb up the volcano isn’t really tough but the heat makes it strenuous during the hour and a half long ascent (1064 steps to be precise). But the higher one gets the more extreme the plantation gets as well: lush trees with huge leaves make you feel like you’re walking in a Jurassic Park setting but then, when you reach the top, the view is just unbelievable. This island is a pure tropical gem in the Caribbean seas, simply stunning and if you’re lucky the skies stay clear long enough to enjoy the view from all sides. Definitely worth the title of a Favorite View of the World!
And take off! Bye…
Oct 202008
Rome, it has got to be Europe’s most impressive city (yes, it easily beats Paris or London). There’s hardly a place on earth where you feel more bound to the past then here. Everywhere you look or walk there’s history, simply amazing!
So, while Rome in itself is worth the visit, a trip to the Vatican should be on everyones wishlisit as well, never mind the fact wether you are religious or not.
Click here for super-hires.
One of the, literally, highlights of any visit is climbing the dome of St. Peter’s which rises to a total height of 136.57 m (448.06 ft) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross. It is the tallest dome in the world and to reach the outside balcony one has to climb about a zillion steps (it’s actually 320 from the lift but most people walk all the way which is a serious lot more). Parts take you close to the actual stonework of the dome, all small and crooked to walk. Very cramped and no place for claustrophobic people!
But when you finally reach the top (pick a “quiet” day or peroid in the year, it can be incredibly busy) the view is just stunning and definitely worth a title “Favorite Views of the World”. Enjoy!
Sep 242008
A couple of years ago, while doing a series on the Pacific Coast Highway from Vancouver to San Diego, I ended up at the spectacularly beautiful Olympic National Park. As it is the most northwestern part of the country I decided to find the most western tip, which logically is also the most western part of the country as well.
Click here for the super hi-res image.
One night at dinner and a nice conversation with some local tourists I was told I just simply had to go and visit Cape Flattery [see in Google Earth] as it is called. So, a day later and a nice drive along forest and bits of coastline I ended up at the border of the Makah Nation Indian reserve. I expected a bit more of an Indian heritage over here but as it turned out it was just a fishing village, slightly run-down but good to find you an oversized cup of coffee and likewise donut.
Cool thing is that this tribe is officially allowed to hunt Whales as part of their heritage. This, obviously, drives conservationists completely mad but I fail to see why this should be a problem. It’s not that they are dragging the Wales by the dozens out of the water.
But, anyway, the road stops and the Cape Flattery Trail begins. A fantastic half hour walk through an amazingly green cold Rain Forest. It’s like walking in the jungle but without the sweltering heat and sounds of very strange birds and animals that you can’t see anyway.
And suddenly you’re there: the most western tip of the US where massive Pacific waves slam into the rockface with a force so brutal the coastline changes constantly. It’s one of those places that is best seen when it’s a bit foggy. Gleaming leaves and damp trees just add to the spectacular views.
And to end this favorite view: a 360 QTVR panorama of Cape Flattery.
Sep 202008
Click here to watch the hi-quality version on Youtube.
2000 meter long, 280 meters high and speeds up to 120km/hour. Sun City (South Africa) has the longest zip-slide in the world: The Pronutro Zip 2000 (what a name!).
Thougth I’d give my Canon EOS 1DmkIII a spin with a med-resoultion setting and the motordrive on the medium setting as well. ISO 200, aperature priority at f5 and a plus stop of 1/3 for that extra bit of light. The whole video is composed of over 350 resized jpegs.
Many thanks go out to Sun International en the Pronutro Zip guys.
Sep 122008
As my job as a travel writer/photographer takes me to some incredibly amazing parts of the earth I’ve been playing with the idea to do a sort “best of world views” series. Today part one, which is in no way a ranking but just the first to hit the list. Keep an eye open for more world views soon.
(Click here for super hi-res)
Leaving Italy after a hectic but great 2-day photoshoot for ANWB Wintersport Magazine we decided to leave early and enjoy a scenic drive instead of heading straight for the highway for the 11 hour drive back home to Holland.
Hi-res Dualscreen wallpaper
Just imagine a superb blue-sky day, fresh morning air, the most amazing color of green which stretches to lush mountain bases that reach for greyish white peaks. It doesn’t get any more perfect than that! Add to that a road that winds along straight cliffs and takes you between trees and endless breathtaking views [Google Earth]. Really, the Jaufenpass (which has long been made obsolete by the Brenner Pass) is a great way to kill some time and get your camera rollin’. Good for us because there are now less people using the 2000+ meter crossover.
With 39 kilometers and 20 major turning points is has got to be one of the finest roads in the Alps. If you’re ever near: do spend some time to enjoy it. Oh, and when you do reach the highway again after enjoy the stupidest toll-road payment ever: paying for 200 meters of it. Got to be Italy…
Sep 022008
Snorkling, most people envision wildly colored coral reefs and incredibly beautiful fish swirling around them. Not in Wales, where snorkeling has been taken to new heights or should I say new lows? A 60 meter long and 1,5 meter deep trench dug into a pleasantly sodden field somewhere in the Welsh hills is the competition ground for the one and only World Championships Bogsnorkling.
Bog snorkeling? Yes that’s right: with the aid of fins, masks and snorkels participants do a 120 meter back-and-forth in muddy, very muddy water without using regular swimming strokes. As the underwater viz is about zero the mask mostly functions as a way to keep deep brown water out of your eyes. And hey, it looks great too!
Upon coming to Llanwrtyd Wells [Google Earth], a small town with 700 inhabitants in the middle of Wales, I only had to follow signs “To the bog” or “Bog not very far now!”. Easy as one, two, three but I did end up in the middle of nowhere (though it has a name apperently: the Waen Rhydd Peat bog, Google Earth) but apparently that’s where I had to be. A small two pound fee for the farmer whose field was being plowed in an uncontrolled manor (read: damaged) by many a car was the only exchange of currency for this event. All was free to enjoy and so was the field where it was quite difficult to see the difference between water and the grass as it was completely soaked after this year’s awful summer. Nice, end of August and still up to my ankles in mud.
But who cares? I haven’t had so much fun in quite a while with all these guys jumping in and trying to make it as fast as possible (and it’s rough snorkeling such a length I can tell you from the exhausted look on the snorkelers faces. It’s just one of these things you gotta see!