Top 5 Outdoor Videos of 2010

As an organization that is constantly outdoors ("Outward Bound" is definitely no misnomer), we thought it necessary to compile a list of our favorite outdoor videos from 2010. Although the criteria was only loosely based on material that sparked our imagination for new experiences, made our jaws drop, or was just too awesome to miss, there is certainly one common denominator: these people are clearly dedicated to following their passions and continually exploring their interests which deserves massive kudos as far as we're concerned. 

That being said, let's start from the top.

1. Dark Side of the Lens - Mickey Smith, well-known surf photographer, put this short story together for the crew at Relentless Energy. In the words of the top rated comment on YouTube it is "One man's passion in life PERFECTLY captured. What a stunning coalescence of words, thoughts, music, and images." *Although the opening scenes are worthwhile, you might want to skip to 1:30 where the narration begins. Keep in mind, he EVEN writes the music.

 

2. Dream Result - Winner of the People's Choice Award for Radical Reels at the oh-so-amazing Banff Mountain Film Festival, this documentary trailer will absolutely change the way you think about whitewater kayaking. We do our fair share of boofing (probably the strangest technical term ever) here in Costa Rica, but these guys are in a league of their own. We were going to select Tyler Bradt's recent world record waterfall drop, but you'll catch glimpses of it here anyway:

3. Wingsuit Base Jumping - The next time you get into a what always turns into a heated debate about which super power you would choose, cite this video because it proves that flying is no longer limited to Marvel Comics characters. "Moot point, dude, humans CAN fly." But for real, "these guys are just buzzing the wall, like scraping their fingernails just about on ledges at 100 miles an hour." Impossible not to watch.

4. Ruben Lenten Kiteboarding - Making other kite-related sports look like a cute shy kitty in comparison, Ruben Lenten does things with a kite and a board that seem to have complete and total disregard for the laws of physics. The best part about the wipe outs: they bear a striking resemblance to the recent rash of birds falling from the sky. While there were a number of clips to choose from, this one had the most bearable soundtrack.

5. Crashed Ice - 2010 was a big year for the sport of crashed ice. And yes, I used the word sport intentionally because it combines elements of ice hockey, track and field, Nascar, and boxing. In fact, it's kind of the ultimate sport. The clip features the highlights of the 2010 season, which saw huge growth. Odds are we're not participating down here in Costa Rica any time soon, but either way, 50,000 people at the finals aint nothing to sneeze at.

What outdoor videos from 2010 caught your attention? What deserves to be mentioned? Feel free to let us know in the comments section as well as your general thoughts. And let us know if you find anything in the coming year!

Pura vida: the true meaning

Having lived in Costa Rica for a staggering four weeks, I'm going to be bold in honor of the coming year - I'm going to define what perhaps one of the most ubiquitous national expressions really stands for. But first, let's review pura vida in its fundamental form.

Literally translated, it means "pure life." In a way, this translation suffices but it only barely scratches the surface in terms of cultural significance, especially since the English equivalent sounds out of place in most contexts. Within the borders of Costa Rica, however, it's almost inescapable. It can be used in response to an impressive variety of situations:

"What's up, man?" - "Not much, pura vida."

"How was your weekend?" - "It was pura vida!"

"Is Carlos cool, or is he kind of a loser?" - "No, he's pura vida."

"See you later!" - "Ok, pura vida."

Basically, the point is that it's like a linguistic MacGyver in that it somehow manages to be versatile in almost any situation and it makes you feel cool for "pulling" it when you have a lack of options.

While the conversational merits of the phrase are generally pretty easy to accept, the ways in which the words are deeply embedded into the Costa Rican lifestyle remain more ambiguous; but fear not, for here I attempt to crack the code.

While many readers were enjoying the Christmas comforts of candy canes and Santa Claus, I was trekking through remote rain forest highlands sharing the holidays with almost exclusively Costa Rican families. From all of them, I gleaned more about la pura vida which helped to polish its meaning.

Costa Rica is world-renowned for its diverse wildlife, a fact which does not go unnoticed by locals. People here are extremely proud of the animals that call this country home. Orlando Zamora Fallas, whose family I stayed with, on whether or not he supports hunting despite countless snake invasions: "That's not really what we're about. If I can provide for my family without killing, the animals deserve that respect." This respect for wildlife is Pura Vida.

You would think that after years of living on a seriously remote farm, as beautiful as the land may be, you would prefer the amenities of city life. Not true of the Lopez children who spend a significant amount of time in San Jose, a populated metropolis capital city, as well as where they grew up in Piedras Blancas, a challenging hike from the nearest anything. "Que bonita la tierra" seemed to be a common, and more importantly, genuine observation. Santiago Parra, owner of Rancho Tinamu, doesn't use any chemicals whatsoever to improve his harvest yields not because green living is trendy, but because they ruin the land and endanger his livestock. True appreciation of the land, even as it transcends generations, is Pura Vida.

Even the wood planks for the lodges are cut by hand at Rancho Tinamu

Hormidas Lopez has a reputation around here for being lively despite his age. His progeny comprising at least half of our guides/instructors, I was not surprised to be greeted by a paradoxically youthful old Tico man sporting a wilted bucket hat, dirty polyester dress slacks, and a two-tooth grin with a gap that’s almost not big enough to let his spry spirit spill through. He was completely beside himself after dinner Christmas Eve as he watched his kids and grand kids play together affectionately in the living room. Even as a total stranger, I felt welcomed, which was needed being so far from home. It became obvious that the importance of family is most definitely Pura Vida.

Don Hormidas Lopez with his granddaughter in Piedras Blancas

Sure, you can go to a picturesque beach resort and relax by the ocean or get a massage at the spa. Those things are great and they do have something in common with the laid back pace of certain parts of Costa Rica. But you can do that in any number of places across the world. The real pura vida can only be experienced by personally interacting with the people who created it.

All of the people I met along the trail play a crucial role in Costa Rica Outward Bound. Countless students have met them and countless students have enjoyed their hospitality and warmth. If you're interested in learning more, as always, check out our website for information. I won't even run the risk of sounding like so many other travel sites that boast the pura vida experience - come check it out and decide for yourself. 

What we have in common with Christopher Columbus

In the spirit of the holidays and the arrival of the New Year, let's get retrospective. And by retrospective, I'm referring specifically to the year 1492. Yeah, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Remember when, in his unparalleled search for the Indies, he was credited with making the unparalleled discovery of the Americas? Historians would later remark that it was a rather serendipitous finding.

We here at Costa Rica Outward Bound support serendipity, especially when it's followed by adventures. That's why last week Serendipity Adventures was on base training our instructors, providing them with information about current best practices in the field.

In order to understand the significance of their presence, let's take a gander at their credentials, shall we?

+ Rated by National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of The Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.

+ Listed in Outside Magazine as offering one of the 30 Greatest Trips. Ever.

+ Any one of their testimonials.

Needless to say, they've established themselves as a premier private adventure tourism company. Although they offer very different types of travel adventure activities, they have received such high accolades because, quite simply, they do some amazing work - the type of work which we respect and seek to learn from. Being resourceful, as well as having prior employee connections, we brought them here to teach our guides the same survival skills that have fostered such a renowned reputation around their own adventure travel organization.

Our already strong record just did the equivalent of an entire safety workout with the Serendipity Adventures staff as our personal trainers.

If you want to flex your wilderness first aid muscles and learn about outdoor safety, be sure to check out our Leadership Course for next year - you can get all sorts of professional outdoor certifications, including the Technical Rope Rescuer Operator  (TRRO) seen here. But don't wait for too long, they're already almost full.

Happy Holidays, Version: Tic.O

If you subscribe to our newsletter and caught our recent December issue, you likely read the blurb about Costa Rica's grandiose end-of-the-year celebration, the Festival de la Luz (links to the Costa Rican Municipal page). Although it provided a good basis for understanding the premise of the Fesitval de la Luz, you may have missed out on the event firsthand. Here, however, you will find a gringo's review complete with cultural observations (from the traditional to the outlandish) and why interpreting its meaning was about as easy as opening a baby coconut (without the skilled instructor tutorial, of course).

For those who don't regularly read our exciting newsletters, I'll briefly provide the abridged version of what was covered regarding the festival. Here are the pertinent facts:

- Christmas is a big deal in Costa Rica and consequently celebrated on a large scale. The Festival de la Luz is a huge parade intended to ignite the fire that is the national holiday spirit.

-  Much like an American parade, on display are flamboyant floats, marching bands, and of course, a strong corporate presence. Roughly a million Ticos line the streets to partake in the festivities as they drape San Jose in glimmering tinsel.

- Marking the 15th anniversary, this year's theme was "Toys and Games of Yesteryear," which was moderately followed at best. Maybe you'll see what we mean.

With routes altered to accommodate the redirected flow of traffic, we stepped down from the bus which was brimming with animated Ticos. After finding a steady wireless connection from which to send live tweets (if you follow @CROutwardBound on Twitter, you could have been there with us!), we were greeted by the smell of delicious street foods, the sight of every imaginable variation of blinking light-up toy, and the entrepreneurial Costa Rican selling footstools for a better view. Sometimes they just seem to know exactly how to satisfy demand, because those things were selling like our Girl Scout Courses before high season. Some of the children were a little more resourceful with their arrangements, as they preferred the seemingly cozy rod iron window frame.

Upon settling in amongst the many young and publicly affectionate couples, we readied our cameras and waited for the fiesta to really begin. The first float wasn't really a float at all so much as a glorified Toyota advertisement. Five Yaris's later, a horde of Honda motorcycles rumbled down Avenida Dos, revving the commercial engines of the parade. Eventually, the festival lived up to it's name as big, light-adorned floats crawled along brightly announcing their arrival. Most were accompanied by local marching bands, whose repertoire, we should mention, had no shortage of Lady Gaga renditions. P-p-p-poker faces removed, here are a couple of our favorite floats:

 And true to Costa Rican fashion:

All in all, the Festival de la Luz was a great time, despite its lack of proper theme representation - based on the floats, we thought "Latin Disneyland on Wheels" would have been slightly more accurate. If you happen to be in San Jose this time next year, though, it is definitely worth checking out and a lot of fun.

From Costa Rica, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Allow me to introduce myself

As the new Social Media Coordinator for Costa Rica Outward Bound, I wanted to properly introduce myself since I'll be managing our social networking platforms, including Your Hanashita. Having just graduated from the University of Washington with a marketing degree and an emphasis on international business, I'm excited to bring our followers updates about what's going on here in Costa Rica and to strengthen our interactive online communities.

Although I've already traveled a bit throughout Central America, my journeys were far too short-lived and I definitely plan on exploring as much of Costa Rica as possible. What's great about working here is that visiting other parts of the country is actually encouraged! So while I'm off surfing for the weekend and improving my Spanish, I'll also be constantly trying to create content that is valuable to you as a reader.

As a unique experiential learning organization nestled in the cloud forest, we've got plenty to report and even more to share so if there is anything you would specifically be interested in reading or learning about, please don't hesitate to mention it - I'm here to learn as well, so why not do it together? I hope to be pulling together as many resources as possible in order make this space a worthwhile stop and a regular part of your browsing. 

That being said, muchas gracias for the visit and feel free to contact me anytime with questions at britten@crrobs.org. While this blog will be reserved for more in-depth posts, please don't forget to check us out on Twitter (username: @CROutwardBound) and Facebook (facebook.com/crobbs) for more regular updates. We're all about making new friends.

My name is Britten. Nice to meet you.