When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
World Record For Longest Distance Swum Under Ice: In 2024, freediver Ant Williams shattered boundaries by swimming 182m on a single breath beneath solid ice in Iceland.
Williams was a sports psychologist drafted to work with extreme sports athletes. He helped them push past their fears but felt a bit of a fraud. He didn’t understand the feeling of what he was asking them to do. This led him to free diving. Decades later, he is one of the best free divers in the world.
Remote Paragliding and Climbing in Canada: Over two days, Will Gadd flew his unpowered paraglider to Mt. Assiniboine, one of the most iconic peaks in the Canadian Rockies. Once there, he soloed its northeast ridge, descended a little, then flew back to a town 100km away.
Rock of life
Nine-Year-Old Climbs Rock of Life: Nine-year-old Hong Kong climber Veronica Chik has just become the youngest person to complete the Rock of Life route in Yangshuo, China. She spent several hours trying and failing before completing the demanding 5.14a route. Already a national champion in boulder-and-lead combined competitions, Chick is cementing her place among the sport’s rising stars.
First Ever Finisher of the Arctic Spine Race: Norwegian ultra-runner Leif Abrahamsen has become the first person to complete the grueling 472km Montane Arctic Spine Race.
Running along Sweden’s Kungsleden Trail, Abrahamsen faced temperatures of -40°C, 60kph winds, and whiteout conditions. He crossed the finish line in 200 hours and 14 minutes (just over eight days). Reflecting on his journey, he described it as “more of an expedition than a race.”
Paddling film festival
Paddling Film Festival Winners 2025: The 20th annual Paddling Film Festival World Tour launched on February 20, in Mississauga, Ontario. It showcases the world’s best paddling films across 10 categories, including a winner from each.
Among the award winners is Wild Sea, a short documentary exploring the life of Jeff Allen. In 2004, Allen made a remarkable circumnavigation of Japan. Another winner, Mother River, is a short film about Devin Brown’s attempt to become the first black woman to kayak the Mississippi River.
Eight Confessions of an Extremely Moderate Ice Climber: After 17 years, Maya Silver would class herself as a “long-time, below average ice climber.” It took a few years to get the hang of it, and a few more to fall in love with it. Along the way, she racked up funny and embarrassing stories.
Silver reflects on her early misadventures and ice-climbing confessions; ill-fitting second-hand boots bought in exchange for a six-pack of beer, and unconventional gear choices.
Base jumping. Photo: Alenka Mali
A lucky escape
My Parachute Didn’t Open: On January 22, seasoned BASE jumper Alenka Mali took the familiar leap from Chief, a 701m granite wall in British Columbia. She had made the jump over 100 times before, but a rushed parachute packing and an unexpected crosswind led to a catastrophic 180° line twist mid-air. Within seconds, she crashed into the cliff face and plummeted to the ground.
Suddenly she stopped falling, her parachute caught in a tree. Left dangling precariously as a rescue team tried to get to her, she spent the longest four hours of her life trying to figure out how long the tree could hold her weight.
Mountain Rescue Memories, a Miracle on Ben Nevis: In the brutal winter of 1990, 17-year-old venture scout Gary Smith went missing on the icy slopes of Ben Nevis. Everyone thought he was doomed. With a blizzard closing in, a rescue mission was launched involving RAF helicopters and 120 mountain rescuers.
For three days, they scoured the mountain. What followed was nothing short of a miracle. Against all odds, Smith survived.
