During the development of the Sierra National Forest Recreation “niche” there was some discussion of the word ‘extreme’. I think that the current managers of recreation on the the National Forest Recreation have no relationship with real extreme activities. These these activities will make their way onto National Forest Lands. No one currently working for the Sierra National Forest participates in extreme activities and very few even know what the new recreation activities are about. I venture that no one has a clue as to the motivation, thrill and interest in participating in new recreation.
Ten years ago no one had heard of geocaching. Twenty years ago inline skating was just starting to take off. What recreational activities in their infancy today will be a common activity a few years from now? Outdoor recreation planners need to keep abreast of new activities so they can begin thinking about how to accommodate them and, in a few cases, protect resources and other recreationists from negative impacts. To that end, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has compiled a set of links that will be of interest to planners and others who follow outdoor recreation trends. My thanks to the Bureau of Land Management for supplying the bulk of these links initially.
Are you ready for the future of recreation on the National Forests? Here are some innovations in recreation for you to contemplate.
Canyoneering www.canyoneering.net
Free Climbing and Speed Climbing www.rockclimbing.com
Backcountry Skiing, Snowboarding (telemarking) www.wildsnow.com
Heli-skiing, Snowcat Skiing www.heliskiguide.com/statemap.cfm/id.htm
Speed Skiing www.speedski.com
Endurance and Long-distance Trail Riding (horse) www.endurance.net
Backcountry Trail Riding www.backcountryhorse.com
Spelunking www.caves.org
Cavediving www.cavediving.com
Dog Sledding www.dogsled.com
Bouldering www.bouldering.com
Extreme Kayaking (steep creek boating, hair boating, waterfalls) www.freestylekayaker.com
Riverboarding (boogie boards, river surfing) www.ripboard.com
Self Bailing Rafting/Inflatable Kayaking www.americanwhitewater.org
Windsurfing and Kitesurfing www.worldwindsurf.com
Free Riding www.imba.com/resources/freeriding/freeriding_intro.html
Power Assisted Mountain Bikes www.electricvehiclesnw.com
Extreme Mountain biking www.extreme.nas.net
In-line skating/rollerblading www.ncdsa.com
Land Sailing www.nalsa.org
IGSA – The Official Gravity Sports Web Site
Geocaching www.geocaching.com
Geocahing www.geocaching.orgÂ
Rockcrawling or Extreme Jeeping www.rockcrawling.org
Land Speed Trials www.speedtrialsbybub.com
Wakeboarding www.wakeboarder.com
Bungee jumping www.californiabungee.com/Â
Cliff Jumping www.cliffjumping.com
Hovercraft www.hovercraft.com
Ultralite Aircraft www.ultralightnews.com/ulnewsindex.htm
Paragliding and power paragliding www.paragliding.net
Hang gliding www.ushga.org
DARPA Grand Challenge 2004
Amateur Rocket Launching www.aeropac.org
Adventure Racing FAQs Eco Challenge
Paintball Competitions www.paintball.com
Motorcycle races, motorcross and hill climbing www.ama-cycle.org
Sand rails and specialized sand dune vehicles www.americansandassociation.org
These are my my favorites:
This one is my favorite because it is totally outside the reality of anyone working for the Forest Service: Burning Man (cultural/arts festival) www.burningman.com .
Would Zorrbing or “gerbaling” www.zorb.com be allowed in the Wilderness?
Do you know the Special Use Permit, Use Code for a mailbox? We may someday be authorizing a letterbox Letterboxing www.letterboxing.org Do not look for that code in the recreation use codes!
How would you design a trail for an Off Highway Segway? www.segway.com/centaur
On a more conventional note, my favorite new development is an interest in volunteer vacations; archeological digs/research, cultural site stabilization, trail conservation and restoration activities, and river clean-up events www.americanhiking.org/events/vv/ Â and a local favorite National Public Lands Day http://www.npld.com .
What will you do when faced with Extreme “ironing” www.extremeironing.com?
If you can’t plug it in, are irons allowed in the Wilderness?