An Extreme week
The Ozoneriders Sigve Botnen and Christian Nerdrum just came back from the biggest extreme sports event in the world. This is their story from Ekstremsportveko in Voss, Norway.
Paragliding, hangliding white water river padling, basejump, wingsuit, downhill biking, surfing, street biking - and of course kiting! A sick setting in the beatiful village Voss, west in Norway. The summer really kicked in during the whole week with temperatures averaging above 30 degrees celcius. Hundreds of extremesports athletes were gathered to the festival this week, and the Norwegian Ozone boys also met Dominik Zimmermann, who is on his way to the north of Norway on his bike!
This year there was only 20 minutes of wind for the kiters. Voss is situated midland, and the spot is on a river, so the wind is unpredictable. But when it works here, the spot rocks. Unfortunately, Sigve did not have a chance to defend his four times title. But Sigve and Chrstian did a lot of other cool stuff. Sigve went for white water river padling. At the end of the day he managed to flip himself back up, and was then ready to go for harder currents.
– It is for sure something I will do again. It pumped me with adrenaline.
Sigve and Christian also had two nice days with surfing in the standing wave og Bulken. Strange feeling standing there in one place, but still super smooth to surf. 50 cm of glassy water pasing you when you’re standing there and looking strait to the bottom. Nice training for normal surf, for sure.
Sigve and his brother Oystein decide to join the multisport competition Horgi Ned. The competitors could do it by themselves or organize their own a team.
– We made a team, and my brother was skiing and Frode Gudvangen (a friend) did river paddling and I was downhill biker in the team. So three disciplines. Oystein went with a helicopter to the top of the mountain, I was walking up to the start and Frode waited for me close to the river.
Oystein did a nice run, it took him 6-7 minutes, and he gave it a 100% We really had a nice time, on the top 3 at this point. Then it was me, I warmed up before the start so I was super ready. My first half run was good, but then I had a puncture in the back tyre. Shit shit shit! I decide to keep going since it would take too much time to change the tube. It was hard to bike with a flat tire, and I was totally empty when I arrived the finish line. Anyway we lost over a minute here. Sorry guys!
Frode did a good job as well, had a nice line and we ended up number 6 of 11, so still we did a good job, explains Sigve who is keeping his body in shape with his new mountainbike when he is not kiting.
The boys had also some nice parties at the Extremesports week. It is really a festival feeling with all kinds of concerts. If you have time next year come and visit. It is a memory for life, says Sigve.
Christian
|
