Cleveland Brady, a good friend of ours and an awesome adventure photographer, is looking for models for a photo shoot he’s doing in the next couple of weeks.

Here are the details from the man himself:

I’m looking for one male and female to be photo subjects in an outdoor lifestyle test photo shoot I’m planning for one day. 

I plan to shoot between 24th and 28th August.  The theme is going to be based around running and trekking so I would be keen to hear from anybody interested and who also have their own running and trekking clothing.

I had a professional photographer take photos of me for an online interview a few years back.  It does wonders for your ego!

If this sounds like it’s for you, contact Cleveland through his website or contact me through The Conch and I’ll pass it on.

Thanks to Naixn for the photo

Today’s featured video is a fine example of why I love Ultimate (Ultimate Frisbee but without the brand name).

I’m the treasurer for a Manchester based Ultimate club called DUFFA (Didsbury Ultimate Frisbee For Amateurs) where we try to make the sport as accessible as possible, particularly to people who may not be into other sports.  It’s a great way of keeping fit, making friends and building confidence.

This weekend in South Manchester, DUFFA held its second ever Hat Tournament for just under 200 people.  During that 48 hours we saw some amazing sport, and even more amazing sportsmanship.  Ultimate’s focus on ‘Spirit’ and teamwork goes far beyond any other sport I’ve seen. 

What’s more, it’s a great fun to watch.

Check out The Conch over the coming week for photos of the event.  You won’t want to miss them!

Simon

Not long now everyone.  Welcome to the weekend.

I hope you have plans to get out and enjoy yourself.  In the UK, there are plenty of events each weekend to check out new and exciting adventure sports.

Here are just a few:

Paragliding: Long Mynd BPCup – Mid Wales

Mountainboarding: ATBA National Competitions – Round 1 – South West

Surfing: White Stuff Surf Relief – Newquay

Waterski & Wakeboard:

British Disabled Nationals – Heron Lake, Wraysbury

Ten Feet High Competition – Sheffield Cable Ski

Whether you’re at an event or out and about making your own adventure, have a great time and let us know how you get on.  Try uploading your photos to The Conch or adding your experiences to our Adventure Rating System. 

Happy Friday!

It seemed strange to many of my friends. An adventure sports fan takes his first holiday in years and goes…to Butlins. Anyone who knows me knows I am no elite athlete and definitely no adventure snob. In my mind, adventure can be found in the unlikeliest of places. In this case, I was hoping to find it in a family-friendly holiday park in the south west of England.

Sallie and I set off early, just after 6am on a sunny June morning. After 4 hours of patient (and not so patient) driving, all we really wanted was to see the sea. When we arrived, we were not disappointed. Minehead has a beautiful beach and coastline, overlooked at one end by North Hill, begging to be climbed.

First Impressions

Our first day was definitely a strange one. Neither of us had been to Butlins before. It’s kind of like a first day at school. It has its idiosyncrasies, and a charm all of its own.

On the first full day we threw ourselves into the Butlins experience; pub quizzes, indoor archery, fun fair and schmoozing with redcoats. The highlight of the day had to be the K2 High Ropes course. At two levels, you can really test your mettle across log bridges, see-saws, zip wires and jumps. The course looms over the centre of the resort, and for good reason.

‘Exmore Adventures’

Following an adrenaline packed afternoon, Sallie and I were keen to find out what adventurous opportunities Butlins and the local area could offer. Situated in Exmoor National Park it seems the perfect place to encourage people of all abilities and levels of experience to try something new and challenging. This really resonates with me personally as it is the focus for everything The Conch does.

Our initial search resulted in little success. Starting with a redcoat we asked about what adventure activities were on offer. They didn’t know but did point us in the direction of the Bike Hire Centre to find out more. We ended up on a bit of a wild goose chase trying to find someone with the information we wanted. When we did find them, it would have been great to get a personal recommendation or some information to take away with us.

In the end, we decided to hire some bikes and take a ride up North Hill. It was a tough ride getting up there but totally worth it in the end. There are some fantastic views both inland and out to sea.

A good tip for anyone thinking of exploring what adventure activities are on offer at Minehead is to contact the Holiday Booking Centre and try to pre-book. I can personally recommend K2 Adventures (who run the high ropes course). They aren’t really geared up for booking on the day unless you’re a big group. Hopefully, as the resort works on communicating the fantastic opportunities they offer both on-resort and in the local area, short-notice bookings will become easier to operate.

Overall, I would recommend Butlins as a great location to base yourself for an adventure holiday. The potential is there for the whole family to try something new and exciting, either together or on their own. The accommodation, though not exactly luxurious, was comfortable and clean. The buffet restaurants offer wide ranging options and in plentiful supplies (just what you need after cycling up North Hill).

The resort has a way to go but it seems Butlins is slowly moving towards a more active and adventurous outlook, something I wholeheartedly support.

If it is willing to open up a little, allowing and even encouraging people to go off-site, knowing they’ll come back and spend money, I can see Minehead becoming a very popular adventure hotspot, with Butlins at its core.

If you’re heading to Abersoch, Wales for Wakestock 2009…have a fantastic time!!

Sadly none of us at The Conch can be there but I can’t wait to see the photos and videos.  Be sure to upload yours, once you’ve recovered of course!

Today we’re heading to the Student Wakeboard Nationals at Sheffield Cable Ski in Rother Valley Country Park. 

Although we technically launched our 5K Giveaway at the British Paragliding Cup in the Yorkshire Dales over a week ago, a few technical, meteorological and geographical problems meant we had trouble letting anyone know about it.

Oh, and mechanical problems…the scissors were too blunt to cut the red ribbon.

Never fear, the red ribbon will definitely cut and we should get to see some incredible action on the water.  As well as the Boat Competition, we have a Big Air and Pro Demo later in the evening.

If you’re visiting The Conch having seen us in Sheffield, make yourself at home!  You should already know about our 5K Giveaway.  To be in with a chance of winning £5,000 just sign up now.

I can’t wait to see photos of the Student Nationals on The Conch, as well as a few of my amateurish videos.  Who knows, maybe there’ll be a quiet moment to take to the water myself…although I’m not counting on many quiet moments tomorrow!

I’d like to introduce to you the latest member of Team Conch (I’ve heard they don’t mind me calling them that).  Although he’s the first official employee, Anthony joins a group that have been working hard to get the new website off the ground and to build a community you’ll love and want to get involved with.

Anthony will be with us throughout the summer, heading up marketing and promotions.  He’ll be working particularly closely with the 5K Giveaway. 

So…enough of me.  Over to you Anthony…

"I am really looking forward to working with The Conch. Adventure sports are an undiscovered area for me so I can’t wait to get stuck in and try out as many new activities as possible in the coming few months.

I’m here to promote the 5K Giveaway, so I’ll be touring the UK this summer, attending all the major sporting events, meeting new members and challenging Simon to promote The Conch with some pretty crazy (and hugely entertaining) publicity stunts. So far, my plan for him to dive off the UK’s tallest waterfall in rubber arm bands has failed but I’ve still got 3 months so fingers crossed we’ll get some embarassing footage to upload soon.

It’s going to be an awesome summer for The Conch and all our members.  Keep active and keep uploading.”

Go to Anthony’s Profile

I just heard on the radio some great news for the Scout Association.  They’ve managed to get the high-profile adventurer Bear Grylls to be their Chief Scout.

I’m a fan of Bear and I grew up in scouting so I can really see him making a positive, lasting impact.

On behalf of The Conch I’d like to wish him the very best of luck.

More on the Scout Association website.

Some of you may have noticed it was Easter this weekend.  In the UK that generally means reruns of the trashy films they couldn’t squeeze into the Christmas schedule and copious amounts of hot cross buns.

Here at Conch HQ we wanted things a bit more traditional, resurrecting the old past-time of Egg Rolling…with a twist.  That’s right, Egg Rolling with some of our favourite Eggstreme Athletes from around the world. 

Meet The Team

Picking the competitors was a tough decision.  I would have liked to have had more but, as you can see,  my artistic skills were already stretched to the limit.

So, without further ado and from left to right, I give you:

Shaun White (Olympic Gold & Pro Snowboarder), Lance Armstrong (Cycling God), Shanaze Reade (World BMX Champion), Laird Hamilton (Big Wave Surfer) and Tim Emmett (Ice Climber and Para Alpinist).

The Competition

Platt Fields Park, Manchester – United Kingdom

Just picture one of the fiercest challenges in Platt Fields history.  Lined up atop the city’s most challenging gradient, our heroes pushed themselves to cracking point.

The rules were simple.  Get to the bottom, fast.  Although important, speed was not the only factor.  The egg who covered the most distance would be crowned the outright winner. 

And so it began…

The Race

From the B of the Bang, four of our contestants left the starting line like they had wings.  Sadly for Shaun White, his wings were weighed down by hair so he quickly ran out of puff.

Both Tim Emmett and Laird Hamilton lost equipment in the madness.  Miniature ice picks and a stand up surf paddle were later found littering the course.

Shanaze Reade had good form and made her descent quickly but in the end it was between Tim Emmett, Laird Hamilton and Lance Armstrong to battle it out.  While Tim looked like he had it, a final push from Laird and Lance finished him off. 

Hard boiled until the end, Lance finally broke away leaving Laird to watch as he rolled across the line. 

Victorious as ever, Lance Armstrong was our winner! 

At this point the crowd went wild and even broke loose onto the course.  One egg-basketcase made it dangerously close to the exhausted Tim Emmett before being hauled off by security.

All in all, it was a very eventful day.

The Results

5th – Shaun White

4th – Shanaze Reade

3rd – Tim Emmett

2nd – Laird Hamilton

1st – Lance Armstrong

Congratulations to all of our participants in The Conch Eggstreme Egg Rolling 2009 and well done to our champion, Lance Armstrong.  Be sure to tune in next year for Eggstreme Egg Rolling 2010, only on The Conch.

It’s an exciting day for us at Conch Towers.  The balloons are up, the music is on and the bubbly is flowing…dandelion burdock that is.

The Conch, a new online community for adventurous people, launches today.  We are here to bring together everyone with a passion for adventure and the outdoors, from individuals and community groups to businesses and advertisers.

This is your community

We’re taking a risk launching as early as we are.  The site is still due a lot of work and many new features will be added over the coming weeks and months.  But this is your community and we want you to be involved in its evolution.

Exploring the site, you will encounter bugs.  We’ve tried to minimise this but with your help, ideas and feedback we can make The Conch a bug-free zone.

Feedback

If you have any feedback on what works or what could be improved please tell us through our contact page or, if you are on twitter, contact @Shellshocked.

Once again, welcome! 

Join the community today and explore your sense of adventure.

Have fun!

Simon