Guides

Last week I spoke a bit about the Wingsuit BASE scene in South Africa, this week we will be looking at Speedflying. This is an extreme sport that is a combination of paragliding and base jumping, speed flyers typically take flight from a mountain peak or hillside, then fly very close to the slope as they descend down the mountain, and some even take it to the next step and do some aerobatics while flying at high speeds. Wings can reach speeds in excess of 100km/h in the hands of the top Speed Flyers but normally are flown between 35 & 70 km/h and unlike Paragliding you don't have a reserve/safety parachute if anything goes wrong.

Speedflying has been making some global news lately with flyers flying crazy lines and pushing themselves to the next level, even so much that some Basejumpers say they prefer basejumping. It’s quite a big sport in the States and in Europe, but Speedflying in South Africa is a very different thing. As there is no regulation for Speedflying in South Africa, it kind of makes it a Cowboy sport and this could be very dangerous. Flying a Speedwing really good, makes it look easy to everyone else, and lots of people think they can just go out and buy a wing and launch themselves of a mountain without any proper training, and trust me, the same goes to when you look at people skydiving, skydivers always make it look easier than it is because they have many jumps and years of experience. And experience and knowledge is key to keeping yourself alive, especially in this sport.

The right way to approach Speedflying in South Africa would be to go directly to your closest Paragliding school and get your paragliding license, even though the two sports are a bit different from each other, you can still learn a great deal of information that you will use in the future from doing a Paraglider course.  There are big differences in the types of flying, with a Paraglider you focus more thermals and altitude, with a Speedwing you focus more on speed and proximity.  So be sure that you know what type of flying you want to do before you begin with Speedflying.

Once you're ready and trained to fly your Speedwing, you will find that Speedflying can be one of the most exciting, liberating, and beautiful sports on earth. Not only do you get that adrenaline rush kick, but you get to feel that with some amazing views, not even to mention that it becomes even better when you share this feeling with your mates.

For today’s video, me and some friends had a blast playing at Llandudno flying our Speedwings down Little Lions Head. Check it out! Its super fun :P

My morning workouts now almost always start before the sun is out. Summer is officially gone and we’re deep into autumn with that winter chill not far behind. The training never stops, but the right kit will keep you going no matter what the weather gods may bring.

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes

South Africans hardly ever face extreme winter conditions – unless you live in remote areas. Yes, most of us face snow and rain, but that lasts for a week and then it’s back to normal. Durbanites have summer all year round – I’ve been there in July and went out for a beach day lol

But winter still brings a new element to trail running and hiking. There’s that little extra bit of drama that gets added to the scene when clouds move in. I learnt a few lessons from last year’s winter training and have slowly been adding and making upgrades to my kit. This year I’ve got some longer treks planned and my hope is to increase the fun factor when out in the mountains.

My winter essentials list now includes:

• Headlamp: You can’t go outside if you can’t see . I keep one in my running pack all the time now. That afternoon run can quickly become an evening run
• Appropriate shoes: If you are only running on the road this isn’t really an issue. For trails, make sure that your shoes shed water and have proper grip to handle mud and wet rocks. Trust me; it’s not fun sliding off to the right instead of making that left turn on a muddy track. At first maybe, but after the 10th time…not so much
• Base layers: Whether it is a long sleeve top or pants – or (my preference) the compression equivalent – these can keep you warm enough on most training days
• Running Windbreaker or Waterproof jacket: A waterproof jacket may be overkill for some with a light windbreaker (even sweatshirt) combined with a base layer doing the trick – even in the rain. However, a waterproof jacket will keep you so much more comfortable during really bad weather. There are light enough waterproofs out on the market that are perfect for running and fold into a small chest pocket. Invest in these and you won’t need a windbreaker
• Optional: Gloves, running tights, gas stoves for long hikes, 3-season tents, sleeping bags that can handle low temperatures etc. I pull these out as I need them depending on the adventure in store

If you are approaching your first winter of training, I would suggest testing out what layering combinations work best for you. I generally go with a base layer and t-shirt and only add a windbreaker or waterproof running jacket if it really gets miserable. It might be cold out when you start, but once you’re moving things can quickly heat up if you are saddled with too many layers.

Running in the rain is awesome because it makes you feel like a badass, even more so when it’s dark out – your family will think you’re nuts, but what the heck do they know, right?!?

Add mud and wind, and that warm shower after a training session will be the best thing since sliced bread.

Your photos will kick ass too 

Hiking in the Drakensberg is always a journey in which there are elements of the unknown, ones that test you physically and mentally and make you ask yourself “What on earth was I thinking?” I stupidly did not think that was the case as 14 friends started a 45km hike through the majestic Mnweni Cultural land on a winters long weekend. Day 1 started off with an unexpected hot day that quickly forced us to change our pants to shorts. The hike was an easy, reasonably flat hike on a contour path close to the Mnweni River, which was scattered with mud huts that formed the Mnweni Village. We were excitedly greeted by the village children running through the grass towards us asking for sweets, and walking alongside us were the villages goats and cows. We set up camp next to the river and had a pleasantly warm starry-skied night. Everything was just perfect that day; hot day, warm night and fairly easy hike. We couldn’t have asked for anything better… until we were woken up at 2am by the wind howling outside and out tents pressed down onto our faces.

The wind had died down as we all appeared out of our tent ready to conquer the ultimate Mnweni pass, which is a 1.5km climb with an altitude gain of 900m. As we started hiking the wind quickly turned to gale force winds that pushed us off the path. We saw the wind blow the grass on the mountain ahead of us before it reached us; it looked as though armies of men were running down the mountain. As we started ascending the steep Mnweni pass the wind was unbearable, we were blown to the ground every minute. If we were able to move we would crawl on our hands and knees, but most of the time we would grab ahold of a rock or grass so that we wouldn’t get swept off the side of the mountain, which disappeared into the valley below us. We would have about 10 seconds between every gust of wind and in that gap I would run along the path just to gain some distance. The wind was also so unpredictable; it would come from every direction and with every gust of wind that came it brought a sand storm with it, stinging our skin and blinding us with an eye full of sand. Eventually the wind got so cold we all put our jackets on and covered our faces with our buffs. This was probably the most terrifying hike of my life knowing that one wrong step could be deadly as we used all of our strength to say on the path. A gust of wind picked me up, it didn’t push me down; it picked me up like a toothpick. I lay on the ground for a few minutes because I was just too exhausted to get back up just to be pushed back to the ground again. It was a quiet hike that day except for the occasional scream and a voice from a distance asked if we were ok as we got back up from the ground. After a grueling 4 hour climb, we summited (It felt a lot longer than 4 hours but that’s what I was told.) I got to the top and it was almost impossible to walk against the wind, my friends had to come fetch me and pull me towards the direction everyone was sitting.

Once we got to the top we had lunch at about 4pm because it was the only chance we had. We then hiked along the escarpment crossing the source of the Orange River, which was partly frozen. The wind was still so strong that we all crab walked in the direction the wind was blowing because it was almost impossible to fight it. We hiked for several hours searching for Ledges cave to sleep in but we were quickly running out of daylight. Despite all our effort, the mountain was clearly not on our side and safety was becoming a concern as we were walking for hours with our headlamps and a feeling of hypothermia was hitting me. We then had no choice but to pitch our tents where we were (on uneven ground and rocks) as the roaring winds threatened to snap the fragile tent poles. We headed to bed without eating and lay awake listening to the wind and Practically holding our tents up.

The next morning we emerged from our tent with a breathtakingly beautiful orange backdrop behind the silhouette of the Drakensberg and not a breath of wind could be felt. After taking in the amazing view that we worked so hard to see, we then scrambled down the technical Rockeries pass for about 15km. We slid as the pebbles under our feed moved, which lead to a couple of bum bashings followed by a quick jump up so no one would see, or we just sat there and looked at the view like we planned it.

I once heard that adventure is defined as when you are doing it you pray to God to get out alive and once it is over you pray to God to do it again. I definitely prayed to God to get out alive as I was holding on for dear life off the side of the mountain as I waited for the wind to stop. But after all, if it weren’t for experiences like that, you wouldn’t have anything to tell your friends and family when you got back. Danger seems to drive the adrenaline that keeps us going.

Content originally written by Diane Shearer for her blog I Wear Red Socks 

Images by Terence Vrugtman|AdventureLife.co.za

We at OV&P continue to experiment and learn new skills as often as we can. This is the only way to stay ahead of the game, as in any hi-tech business. Our drone work is becoming a big player in our offering to a variety of clients and industries, none more so than large factories and warehouses. This is AERIAL indoor videography and photography in a whole new league. A classic example is the recent shoot we did of the new Steelcor Power production line for one of their products. Being a leader in customized substations for the last 35 years, Steelcor specializes in building products to their customer’s specific technical requirements, and it’s our privilege to assist them in showcasing their dynamic business.

Why do we say that aerial indoor photography and videography is in a whole new league? Because flying indoors takes away the silver bullet of drone technology, GPS reception! This changes the game for any would be drone operator that has not learned the hard skills to be able to fly in what is known as fully manual ATTITUDE MODE, as opposed to GPS based P MODE, or positioning mode. ATTITUDE IS A SCARY THING, and one must have your wits about you in no uncertain terms when flying indoors.

Flying a drone in ATTITUDE MODE can be compared to flying a remote control helicopter, probably one of the more challenging skills to master in the remote control world of flying. Flying indoors adds a major element of risk and danger, because there is no room for error due to the limitations of length, breadth and height of the space you are manoeuvring in, and there is no such thing as releasing the controls and the drone going into hover mode like when you are flying in P mode, simply because there is no GPS signal indoors.

In P MODE the GPS positioning system simply, or not so simply, controls the speed of the props to essentially lock the position of the drone in space, an incredibly useful and confidence inspiring bit of hi-tech that has been the reason for drones being so accessible to virtual amateurs, who can walk into a store, buy a drone and be flying at a very basic skill level in no time at all.

There are a couple of golden rules before even attempting to fly a drone indoors to shoot very specific and accurate sequences:

• Practice, practice, practice flying in ATTITUDE MODE, but outdoors, until your skill levels are such that you can accurately control the height, position, path and speed of the drone in any given circumstance, to the point where you can venture into a large, obstacle-free indoor environment to get used to the restrictions, accuracy and calm-headed approach required to do this without destroying your expensive toy or injuring anyone in the process.

• Always use an assistant to keep an eye on the position of the drone and to guide you while you set up shots and fly pre-planned paths in this daunting, confined space.

• Invest in starting to qualify for your RPL licence, which is becoming a requirement from the CAA. It teaches you all the theory and practical skills required to fly legally and safely.

This is not for the faint hearted, so please leave it to the professionals to capture the necessary footage or stills without causing havoc and possibly injuring some innocent person who may happen to be in the way of a spiralling, out of control drone. OV&P has cut its teeth from the early days of drones to a point where we have a significant number of loyal and happy clients who regularly use us to create awe-inspiring footage and photos of their premises, processes and people, adding another perspective and dimension to their marketing material, as well as their efforts to stay ahead of the game.

ATTITUDE IS A SCARY THING!

Dave Estment - professional photographer

Any journey has to start with a single step, or in this case with a simple turn of the pedals. This is my first vlog about our epic cycling journey where we as a group of ten riders set off to cycle from Pretoria to Port Elizabeth. This journey covered just over 1100km of beautiful South African scenery and took us 9 days to complete. We embarked on this epic cycling journey to help raise funds and awareness for children living in children’s homes around the Pretoria area. We set out on our first day from Pretoria to Heidelberg traveling along the backroads covering a total distance of 108km. With some extraordinary cosmos flower fields on either side of us and great sunshine weather we set out with high hopes and even higher spirits. The vlog takes you through this first day and all the fun we had on the bicycles. One specific incident where we cycled through fog so thick that you could just about see the rider in front of you delivered some exhilarating experiences for all riders.

 Please subscribe to the Action Gear newsletter for future vlog posts coming up regarding the tour and my continuous cycling journey.