When I was more active on Twitter and Facebook, I used to post a few adventure links each day from some of the hundreds of blogs I subscribe to from the entire range of adventure sports.

Think I might resurrect the format, starting now.

Classic Pro Cycling Shots

If I were this good a cyclist or photographer, I’d be a richer man than I am, in more ways than one.

- Cycling Info blog

It Never Rains in Margaritaville

Some incredible standup paddle surf photos.  Please summer, hurry, HURRY!!!

- from Surfing Sports Blog

Nike SB ‘This Is Qatar Video

Refreshing skate video that tries to get a a deeper connection with Quatar and it’s people.  Ok, so the interviews are in Spanish but the skating translates pretty well

- Huck magazine blog

This event looks pretty awesome. Only wish I were there to see it.

Thanks to Think Empire for the heads up.

I’ve struggled with Twitter over the last year or so.  I used to read it regularly, updating with loads of adventure stories and information from around the world. 

Since then, we started accumulating lots of followers and I got a bit over-enthusiastic with following other people until it was all too much for me to take in.  Without realising I began to use the service less and less.  For the last six months I’ve used it quite sparingly.  That’s about to change.

I’ve been doing a spot of pre-spring cleaning, unfollowing inactive or irrelevant users or those people I might get to know at a later date but not right now.

I’m also splitting my use of Twitter between The Conch account (@shellshocked) and my personal account ( @simonjermy).  Please feel free to follow whichever you like.

If you’ve survived the cut…congratulations.  You must be incredibly interesting, talented or downright gorgeous.  I’ll let you decide that for yourself.

Tweet you later!

Anyone in the UK can’t have failed to notice the unusual amount of snow we’ve had this winter.  I’ve just been talking to Alex Narracott (Much Better Adventures) who relocated to France for the winter.  Apparently, while it’s raining over there…it’s chucked down here!

Obviously The Conch doesn’t approve of skiving off work to enjoy the snow….and while I’d like to finish this paragraph to explain why, I’m afraid I can’t. 

I have a date with a snowboard and my local park.

Happy Snow Day!

A year ago I made a pledge to seek out adventure and to have more fun.  If you haven’t followed my adventures over the summer, I’m happy to say I achieved it. 

The highlights included a long-distance bike ride on the Transpennine Trail, some birthday wakeboarding, and a charity fundraiser that saw me attempt 50 adventure sports in 50 hours.

This year, I’m taking the pledge again and inviting you to do the same. 

Sack off the usual promises of LESS.  Why not start the new decade with a resolution to do MORE, have MORE fun and meet MORE people.

If that sounds like the kind of 2010 you want to have, copy the pledge below and paste it (with your name inserted) to the comments at the bottom of this post.  Then, tell your friends by pasting it into your Facebook status update.

Join with me and let’s make 2010 the most adventurous year yet!

The Pledge

I, [SIMON JERMY] pledge to spend the next year as if it were my last.  I will explore my own boundaries and challenge myself to be venturous.

• - This is my time; the year to try new things; to meet new people who share a passion for adventure and the outdoors…AND TO HAVE FUN!!
• - Friends!  Take the pledge with me – http://blog.theconch.com/2009/12/31/the-conch-resolution-2010-take-the-pledge/   

Wherever you are in the world, have a fantastic start to 2010 and the very best of adventures.  Watch this space for some very exciting developments in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year, from everyone at The Conch!

Courtesy of Escape Events we have ten pairs of tickets for Adventure Travel Live at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls from the 29th – 31st January 2010.

Adventure Travel Live is for anyone planning an off-the-beaten-track travel adventure. Whether you want to photograph Polar Bears in the Arctic, trek over the High Pamirs of Tajikistan, take your family to Vietnam or even to change your life by volunteering or taking a career break, Adventure Travel Live is where your big trip begins.

Simon Calder will be opening the show, interviewing Ben Fogle – TV presenter, explorer and adventurer; Alain de Botton – philosopher, broadcaster and author of The Art of Travel; Sarah Miller – Editor of Conde Nast Traveller and Will Whitehorn – President of Virgin Galactic, the world’s first spaceline.

To celebrate the fact that The Conch is making some pretty cool friends in the adventure industry, we’re going to try and help you do the same.  If you’ve ever been in a training meeting at work, you may be familiar with the dreaded Icebreaker. 

We don’t go for corporate lingo so how about this…introduce yourself and you might win stuff.

We’ve created lots of new groups on The Conch, dedicated to the whole range of adventure sports and activities.  To be in with a chance to win the Adventure Travel live tickets, simply introduce yourself with your name and your dream adventure for 2010.  Here’s an example:

I’m Simon Jermy

In 2010 I plan to take my first proper holiday in four years, with two weeks in Kandersteg, Switzerland – mountaineering, ice climbing, whitewater rafting and more. Can’t wait!

That’s it. 

Just log into The Conch, join a group that interests you and introduce yourself.  At the end of every week, up until the 22nd January 2010, we’ll pick the best introductions to win a pair of tickets for Adventure Travel Live.

By Simon

I’ve often talked about The Conch’s mission to bring together every adventure sport and activity under one roof.  Now, we’ve made that a little easier by creating groups for a massive range of sports. 

From hiking and hang gliding to paintball and parkour, find the sport that suits you and introduce yourself.

We’re not about segregation though, so why not join a few other groups and introduce yourself there.  You never know, you may discover a whole new world of adventure!

Browse our groups

TAA DAAAAAA! We have launched our very own YouTube Channel (theconchTV) this week which means I have spent far too much time surfing for cool new videos to include. It is quite amazing how I would genuinely start out by searching for the likes of kitesurfing, but through some kind of higher power I will wind up watching a clip of a cat saying ‘Hello’ in a voice that sounds disturbingly like a baby. The process by which YouTube manages to take even the most focused ‘surfer’ on a magical journey through what (at times) seems like a digital scrap yard of video lunacy, using nothing more than the art of suggestion is brilliant. Taking you far, far away from what you initially logged on to view and being spurred on to suggestion after suggestion by nothing but sheer curiosity until you reach the kinds of videos that all too commonly spark the question from your friends “how the hell did you find this??” A question that I frequently ask myself and leads me to think “…good point…how DID I find this?” The social power of YouTube is an incredible thing, creating heroes out of the most unlikely candidates. So although our new channel is created with you in the forefront of our minds (of course) boasting a range of adventure videos from across the globe, I would still recommend taking time out and getting lost in the world of YouTube… you would be amazed at what you find.

Features

· Every video now featured on our homepage will be available through a playlist on our channel so no need to remember the name of a video you liked last week, just check out theconchTV

· We are subscribing to loads of channels that have tons of relevant content on specific adventure sports, with subscriptions coming our way too. This will make it quicker for our members to find channels dedicated to the sport or activity of their choice.

· See action from our 50:50 Challenge for Cancer Research UK, broken down into individual clips for each of the 50 activities.

We have also revamped our presence on other social media networks to make it easier to keep your finger on the pulse of adventure. Get connected now!

FACEBOOK

· Become a ‘Fan’ of The Conch with our Facebook page

· Discover adventure sport events across the UK and the world.

· Get the Adventure Rating Application through your Facebook profile so you can keep better tabs on your adventure standings

TWITTER

· Follow us on Twitter

· Connect with The Conch (@Shellshocked) and find out what’s happening with your favourite adventure community in real time.

*Written by Adam from The Conch Team*

Back in June, I was discussing the idea of a charity event to raise money for Cancer Research UK, a cause I owe a lot to.  That conversation led to a dare that would take me chasing across Northern England in a mad a daze, attempting dozens of adventure sports and activities, many of them for the first time.

The 50:50 Challenge always felt like I’d bitten off more than I could chew.  It wasn’t hard to find the activities.  North West England is brimming over with ways to enjoy adventure and the outdoors.  Negotiating access to 50 sports, then fitting them all into just over 2 days was nothing short of a logistical nightmare. 

Oh, and with just 2 days to go the van broke down and the camera stopped working. 

Over the next few days we’ll be publishing photos and stories of how the challenge went, as well as screening a film at the 50:50 Afterparty on Thursday 1st October in Manchester.  You’ll have to wait until Friday to see it online.

Right now, the main feeling I have is one of such gratitude, that I made it through (relatively) unhurt and that I got to meet so many fantastic people. 

Just imagine, if 2 of us, connected to such incredible individuals, businesses and sports groups, could make the 50:50 Challenge happen, what kind of great things could we achieve by bringing everyone into a single close-knit network? 

That’s a real community.  And that’s what The Conch is all about.