Would you do an extreme adventure if it was free

[Lisa]

Does paying large amounts of money to race formula cars count? Sailing across the Atlantic or Pacific sounds very relaxing.


I've ridden my bike up Mt Mitchell and Mt Washington. Those were a new level of pain tolerance, even with off-road gears.

Once you have raced sports cars that can top 150mph, roller coasters are boring. I rode ever coaster at Cedar Point in 2011 with my daughter and I wasn't excited. It was kind of depressing.

I've done some caving. I have hiked the Appliancian trail from NC to Pennsylvania. My sister lives in Asheville NC, so a friend and I started there and went north. Meeting a bear and her cubs wasn't much fun. We think we saw a mountain lion in NC.

I want to try BASE-jumping or jump out of a plane.

 

[SkyFox76]

As a further elaboration, on such an endeavor I would hold the entire operation to the highest safety standards. Not vague marketing mumbo jumbo but specific standards I am well versed in such as DO-178b/c and ISO-26262 that exist to identify and mitigate design and operational risk to an acceptable margin.

So once you saw the PlayStation controller and no game console it would be a no go?

 

[phoenix2020]

So once you saw the PlayStation controller and no game console it would be a no go?

Yeah. I would expect something like Motec displays snd switchgear, and wired controls via condensation-shielded wiring.

Heck, just for every single electrical connection I would expect all of the following:
1. Ability to perform continuity diagnostics
2. Modeling of thermal stresses on routing and bend radii
3. Tie downs to prevent NVH from abrading insulation
4. DFMEA to identify pinch points, impact of intermittent continuity
5. Grounding strategy
6. And the list goes on…

That is the kind of thoroughness this kind of vessel needs.

Wireless… sigh.

 

[Goshin]

$250,000 can feed a lot of people and spay/neuter a lot of animals, so no, I'm staying home.

The money does not go up in smoke.

It is paid to workers, engineers, suppliers, technicians, welders and so on for their services. They then spend that money on food, clothes, housing, utilities, entertainment and etc (and heck probably some on spaying animals or charity) and it goes on circulating.

It's not an either/or thing, there's no reason to complain that it "went to waste" because it is still there in circulation.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

Does paying large amounts of money to race formula cars count? Sailing across the Atlantic or Pacific sounds very relaxing.


I've ridden my bike up Mt Mitchell and Mt Washington. Those were a new level of pain tolerance, even with off-road gears.

Once you have raced sports cars that can top 150mph, roller coasters are boring. I rode ever coaster at Cedar Point in 2011 with my daughter and I wasn't excited. It was kind of depressing.

I've done some caving. I have hiked the Appliancian trail from NC to Pennsylvania. My sister lives in Asheville NC, so a friend and I started there and went north. Meeting a bear and her cubs wasn't much fun. We think we saw a mountain lion in NC.

I want to try BASE-jumping or jump out of a plane.

I've ridden my bike up to the top of Mount Evans in Colorado before. The top is around 14,200 feet, so it was fun coming down it because the air is so thin up there that there is very little wind resistance so you just fly coming down. That said, the road above treeline was pretty icy in places, which is kind of scary on a road bike with those skinny tires (I took this on the way up):

 

[vegas giants]

Sky diving, diving with sharks, paragliding, level 5 white water rafting, bungee jumping, cliff jumping

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I mock people who are addicted to "extreme sports" stuff but I have no room to talk because shooting freelance news during a riot and dealing with three thousand horsepower are examples of both even if you don't consider either of them a "sport".
But to me, anything where you risk becoming a victim of terminal velocity at altitude or being deprived of air to breathe is insanity.

 

[Lisa]

while riding a road bike.

Adrenaline is very addictive. I've topped 65mph while riding a road bike once. A 2.5 mile hill at about 13%. Gravity did most of the work but the bike felt very skittish once I topped 50mph.

Doing something that you're not supposed to be able to do is a thrill that just doesn't happen much in life.

 

[Lovebug]

The money does not go up in smoke.

It is paid to workers, engineers, suppliers, technicians, welders and so on for their services. They then spend that money on food, clothes, housing, utilities, entertainment and etc (and heck probably some on spaying animals or charity) and it goes on circulating.

It's not an either/or thing, there's no reason to complain that it "went to waste" because it is still there in circulation.

Someone asked, I answered. To each their own.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Adrenaline is very addictive. I've topped 65mph while riding a road bike once. A 2.5 mile hill at about 13%. Gravity did most of the work but the bike felt very skittish once I topped 50mph.

Doing something that you're not supposed to be able to do is a thrill that just doesn't happen much in life.

Funny you should mention a road bike!
My quote you used is incorrect, but anyway, here is quadriplegic athlete Jonathan Merchant doing exactly that in a handcycle with me filming him.
You can watch the entire thing

or skip to the downhill part here
--------------------------------------------

Here is the entire video...

 

[JBG]

I've chosen one I've done, which is go to the mouth of a volcano. In July 1973 I hiked to the top of Mount Lassen. In 1973 Mount Lassen was considered the only active volcano in the Lower 48. In June 1980 it lost this honor to Mt. St. Helens, but at the time it was considered the only live one. It was pretty tame; there was actually patches of snow in its crater. The other one, take a submersible trip, is less likely but very current.

Another not on the list that I've done, sort of involuntarily, is tread water in an iced-over lake. I fell through the ice on December 2, 1967 and at the hospital my temperature was below what the thermometer would register.

 

[reinaert]

Does paying large amounts of money to race formula cars count? Sailing across the Atlantic or Pacific sounds very relaxing.


I've ridden my bike up Mt Mitchell and Mt Washington. Those were a new level of pain tolerance, even with off-road gears.

Once you have raced sports cars that can top 150mph, roller coasters are boring. I rode ever coaster at Cedar Point in 2011 with my daughter and I wasn't excited. It was kind of depressing.

I've done some caving. I have hiked the Appliancian trail from NC to Pennsylvania. My sister lives in Asheville NC, so a friend and I started there and went north. Meeting a bear and her cubs wasn't much fun. We think we saw a mountain lion in NC.

I want to try BASE-jumping or jump out of a plane.

I envy you Mitchell. Have yet to do it. As a Mt W hiker and runner, hats off to the ride up the Road. No small feat. Pop any face vessels?

 

[Noodlegawd]

This is my first poll so if I screw it up, deal with it. I've been reading various sites on this Titan sub thing and a lot of people talk about how stupid it was to pay $250,000 to climb into that death capsule. But imo the people that paid that probably viewed that $250,000 like a lot of us would view $250 or even less depending on our financial state. But if it was absolutely free is there an extreme adventure you'd do? I personally have thought it would be fun to skydive, but in the end I would be pool side and cocktail.

I've already done one of those, well sorta (they HAD teeth), and it was not really what I'd call extreme.

 

[gbg3]

No, I wouldn't. I was a brave and adventurous 18 year old but I like calm now. While I'm a physically active person, my hikes and such are no longer the dangerous ones, but the common ones on popular trails people use often. I don't like risk or nervous stomach inducing activities at all anymore.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I learned a measure of caution eventually (witness that I am still here), but let every man spend his life in the manner of his choosing, and if he will risk death, that is his choice.

This is well said and ultimately each of us must decide what is a decent balance between living fully and recklessness. My father is an incredibly cautious man, and in his later years has refused any vacation that involves flying. In addition to the crowded, often hectic conditions at airports and in planes themselves he no longer wishes to risk a plane going down with him in it. His choice, though personally I cannot imagine reaching the end of my life having not traveled. I am not keen on flying myself but had I not I would have missed some great experiences in places like Alaska, Hawaii, and overseas. It's a risk I will continue to take because I find the reward outweighs the potential risks.

I am not against adventurism per se - I've been skydiving twice, I like rollercoasters and rides at fairs, and I'll fly over vast oceans for vacations. But something involving risk to the extreme seen here should be carefully vetted. Were I a billionaire looking at OceanGate's program, I likely would have made the determination that it was not work the risk of potentially suffocating to death in a cold, dark, cramped tube and sought my thrills elsewhere. But as you say, each of us must decide for ourselves what is acceptable risk.

 

[Lisa]

I envy you Mitchell. Have yet to do it. As a Mt W hiker and runner, hats off to the ride up the Road. No small feat. Pop any face vessels?

Mt Mitchell was relatively easy but very windy. The only risk was being run off the paved road by people in SUVs and RVs.

Mt Washington was a monster I only remember how cold I was and how much my knees and thighs hurt. Its warm at the bottom but about half way up it starts to get cold, even in the summer. By the time you get to the summit is below freezing. I had less than 1-1gears on my bike and I could have used even lower gear in the last 20 minutes. I was too tired and cold to ride back down. I was stupid and in college when I did it as part of our bike club. Never again.

 

[Helix]

Nope. Flying over the Atlantic Ocean in a commercial jet is as much as I can take. I'm glad I did it, but I was scared, and it didn't get better. Even alcohol didn't help much. If I ever do it again, I'm probably going to anti-anxiety drug myself to the gills and pass out for seven hours.

 

[upsideguy]

So I think I have lived a little further out on the edge than most people. I participate (well, not as much any more) in three sports that life insurance underwriters hate (flying, scuba and mountain climbing), yet most of the things on the list are a little out there for me. At one time I thought climbing Everest would be cool, but then I read Into Thin Air and decided not so much. I have been pretty miserable in circumstances on Colorado peaks, but Krakauker's book had me feeling like I was dying of frostbite in the comfort of my living room.

 

[upsideguy]

I've ridden my bike up to the top of Mount Evans in Colorado before. The top is around 14,200 feet, so it was fun coming down it because the air is so thin up there that there is very little wind resistance so you just fly coming down. That said, the road above treeline was pretty icy in places, which is kind of scary on a road bike with those skinny tires (I took this on the way up):

Ah, Summit Lake. I cheated on my Mt Evans climb and just hiked from there to the top (1,500') and called it good. That one I did the easy way. It will offset the many I did the hard way.

 

[Goshin]

This is well said and ultimately each of us must decide what is a decent balance between living fully and recklessness. My father is an incredibly cautious man, and in his later years has refused any vacation that involves flying. In addition to the crowded, often hectic conditions at airports and in planes themselves he no longer wishes to risk a plane going down with him in it. His choice, though personally I cannot imagine reaching the end of my life having not traveled. I am not keen on flying myself but had I not I would have missed some great experiences in places like Alaska, Hawaii, and overseas. It's a risk I will continue to take because I find the reward outweighs the potential risks.

I am not against adventurism per se - I've been skydiving twice, I like rollercoasters and rides at fairs, and I'll fly over vast oceans for vacations. But something involving risk to the extreme seen here should be carefully vetted. Were I a billionaire looking at OceanGate's program, I likely would have made the determination that it was not work the risk of potentially suffocating to death in a cold, dark, cramped tube and sought my thrills elsewhere. But as you say, each of us must decide for ourselves what is acceptable risk.

The BBC spoke with a man who had signed up to go, then after checking everything out, decided the safety was too slipshod and canceled out. Smart, from what Ive read this sub is a very dubious design.

 

[JBG]

Mt Mitchell was relatively easy but very windy. The only risk was being run off the paved road by people in SUVs and RVs.

Mt Washington was a monster I only remember how cold I was and how much my knees and thighs hurt. Its warm at the bottom but about half way up it starts to get cold, even in the summer. By the time you get to the summit is below freezing. I had less than 1-1gears on my bike and I could have used even lower gear in the last 20 minutes. I was too tired and cold to ride back down. I was stupid and in college when I did it as part of our bike club. Never again.

My parents drove me up to camp in New Hampshire in June 1969, and we decided to spend a day or two seeing the sights. We drove up Mount Washington June 29, 1969, when the East Coast was enveloped in one of the few heat waves that summer. It was about 90° at the base, and about 65° at the summit. As a camper I climbed up with a group in August. It was about 15° cooler at each end. Tuckerman's Ravine, on the hike down, still had a patch of snow, courtesy of an unusually snowy past winter and an unusually cool summer. The hike was really not too strenuous.

 

[Schrott]

Well I used to do that for a living. The mos textreme 1 person adventure, at a time where there was no GPS or Cellphones. Just depending on myself.

I crossed the Inland Ice of Patagonia, took 4 weeks. It is a huge glacier country, nothing but ice, from Argentina to Chile. Just barely survived.
4 weeks you have to carry everything on your back, its rather insane.
After I was fit enough I crossed the Andes further South. I remember this, most got lost in the haze of survival. I started in this small village, 100 people . I t was just bevor Christmas the priest came and invited me for the celebrations. When I got to the church he told me we are today celebrating Jesus Christ and your spirit of live, we will pray for you, so you will not die, give you strength in your darkest moments. I do not believe in a god, he knew that. The Messa was rather powerful, they song those songs with such conviction, Senior...........
When I finally started, the Mainstreet was lined with the People, at the end stood the priest and the mayor. The priest asked his god for my blessing and the Mayor just hugged me and said may you die well. It became a very brutal struggle against the mountains and the elements. I was sure glad I had been there before.
It was a nasty summer in that area weather wise, so I started day 1 to rationing, snow fog extreme cold serious cold. The going was rather hard so to say.
I developed a habit, I count, every step, one at a time, I count everything I do since the. I was two weeks late on the Chile side and considered dead.
Took a year to heal from the exhaustion and frost bite, lost 2 toes and had no fingernails left, frost bite. I did the Andes twice more, because if this enormous challenge. After that I had to take a 2 years pause, I was just done, physically and mentally. Just drained, no spark left.
But then this bug hit me again. So I travelled to Antofagasta, in Chile, the Atacama Desert. it goes from 0 to over 6000 meters, something like 350 km. The driest place on Earth. I have no ides how I made it, except for the wild and no nonsense entries in my dairy.
Most of the time when the shiit became rather deep, I have no memory of it, only same day diary entrances, which are very short explanation. The Atacama should have killed me of, it was rather cruel. I was recorded as the only person in know history to have walked across it.
Till then I had made a living with articles about my travelings. Barely got by, sometimes an outfitter would give me some equipment.

After Atacama I had to take a year of I was a medical mess, which had to be sorted out, and a mental mess, which I had to sort out.
So came the idea to cross the US from NY to LA, by horseback. Found even a sponsor, times had changed. So I became a Marlboro man. Compared to what I had done before, it was kindergarten. Only the Southwest desert was a challenge, to keep the horses alive. On this adventure the horses and their welbing was the grates challenge. 364 days it took.
Then I did the continental divide, next year same horses. That was a serious challenge. Mexico to Canada. Took 10 month.
According to records nobody has done both crossings with the same set of horses and that was the challenge. I had both my horses for many years after and they died of natural cause, at a very high age for a horse. My eternal brothers.
At one point I had exhausted that gene of adventures. and just became a normal person, used it up.
Today I love to tend my garden, scratch dog ears and pig bellies, have my bier. I do not dream about it what ever, the glorious past, I just did it and now can sit back and have a Bier.

 

[The Mark]

This is my first poll so if I screw it up, deal with it. I've been reading various sites on this Titan sub thing and a lot of people talk about how stupid it was to pay $250,000 to climb into that death capsule. But imo the people that paid that probably viewed that $250,000 like a lot of us would view $250 or even less depending on our financial state. But if it was absolutely free is there an extreme adventure you'd do? I personally have thought it would be fun to skydive, but in the end I would be pool side and cocktail.

I think it would be very cool to go to space, but I probably would not meet the physical requirements of current systems.

 

[Rumpelstil]

No

 

[Indydave]

used to do some white water stuff and got some real thrills but not anymore