Extreme Element are pleased to announce the launch of their new Spanish website. Our Spanish team have been working tirelessly over the last few months scouring the mountains and the valleys of Spain to get together the ultimate collection of extreme Sports Courses and Experiences. From Skydiving in Empuriabrava to White Water Rafting in Cataluna. You will find all the old favourites as well as some new and exciting experiences that cannot be found in the UK. Check out a couple of the examples below…

Bridge Swinging

This does exactly what it says on the tin. You will need Nerves of Steel and a good head for heights! Attached securely to a safety harness and rope you are ready to swing. All you have to do is jump of the bridge! Sounds simple doesn’t it? You will reach amazing speeds of 70 km/h as you swing under the bridge.

Snowboarding + Skiing

Not to knock the amazing indoor snow domes we have in the UK but there is nothing to compare to the feeling you get flying down the slopes of a real mountain on real snow in Sierra Nevada - awesome.

Currently the website is only in Spanish, our translators are working hard to translate it all into English. So if you are heading to Spain this summer then give our Spanish team a call on 0844 8844 995 (Don’t worry they speak English very well too!)

Alright, so the votes are in and have been independently counted and verified, drum roll please…… The Ex Brag community have dared Al Gosling, Mr Extreme to, drum roll please……walk down Oxford Street covered in goose fat and feathers with a surf board under his arm asking directions to the beach! Now that is very silly, personally I voted for one of the more extreme options but for comedy value this one is top! Al has graciously (and with no uncertain amount of cajoling) accepted the dare and is right now preparing mentally for this rather embarrassing challenge!

Here is what Al had to say:

“Well I guess I got what I deserved, I never thought that being the CEO of Extreme would bring me to this. You’ve had your say and the EX Brag community has kindly voted for me to walk down Oxford Street carrying a surf board and asking directions for the beach…oh and I’ll be covered in goose fat and feathers. It’s happening Tuesday 15th April on Oxford Street, London so if you fancy a bit of a laugh come on down!!”

So 15th April in Oxford Street be there and take pictures, lots of pictures. He wants people to come down for support but really i guess the main reason to get yourself down there id for a right old laugh. Oh yeah did I mention taking pictures! Will post the best ones up here after the event. Oh and to place your bet as to whether he will go through with the dare or not then check out Ex Brag.

Indoor Sky diving was different to any other extreme sport I have been lucky enough to be involved in. The usual mix of nerves, excitement and anticipation experienced before a high adrenalin sport often add a surreal flavour to the memory. As we pulled in to the car park all eyes were fixated on the miniature sky scraper that was to be our high pressured home for the next few hours. Standing at over 18 metres tall and roaring furiously, the tunnel was doing its best to frighten me. This was where I first noticed this was going to be different, the absence of fear or nerves heightened the anticipation and the excitement inside me was equally as high pressured as the tunnel that was soon to swallow us.

Not normally one for safety briefings, I approached this in a similar manner. Jealously staring out of the window I could see people going in and out of the tunnel and although the brief was thorough and very useful, I was just itching to fly! Removing all jewellery and accessories we got kitted out in our flying suits and hurried our way across the short path to the tunnel. Watching people floating up and down, left and right I gathered a sense of self belief that I was going to be great at this. Indoor sky diving looks simple in essence, just “arch your back” and “straighten your legs” begs the question ‘how hard can this really be?’ The answer I found out to be, quite hard, actually! Sat in a semi circle around the transparent tunnel we made small talk, with all eyes following the laughing person floating with a grin from ear to ear.

When my turn finally came around I stepped towards the gap where the instructor was holding out his hand ready to make me fly, and in I jumped. The tunnel has the capacity to create winds of up to 170mph and simulates freefall from a plane to the finest detail. As I struggled to keep a constant motion, my instructor was giving me hand signals demonstrating where I was going wrong. Having watched Ben hover over us like a kestrel, I reflected on my own performance and how it resembled a ‘daddy long-legs’. The time spent in the tunnel seemed short at first but the effort required to achieve aviation proves it really wasn’t as easy as I’d foolishly thought.

By the end of my second go I was flying and safe in the knowledge that this is well and truly addictive. Having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and shouted about how much we’d enjoyed it (noisy tunnel) the instructor took to the stage, and how. Like a fish put back in the water, he confidently fell in to the tunnel and shot straight to the top. Out of our sight for a few seconds he suddenly darted back down and stopped a matter of inches above the mesh separating us from the four 250bhp wind engines. Like Tom Cruise in mission Impossible with limbs & body spread evenly, he demonstrated phenomenal skill and a confidence that only practice can achieve. And it was less than difficult to understand why someone would want to practice this so much! Spinning upside down and dropping in and out of our view, we were treated to quite the break dancing show.

We finished the day much better at what we set out to do, but there wasn’t one of us that didn’t want at least another few flights on this hugely impressive machine. I don’t think it is possible to tire of the experience and the novelty factor would remain forever. “If I won the lottery…” could be heard as we undressed and collected our DVD’s from the smiling staff. Watching the DVD was almost as much fun as we remembered & reminisced about how surreal and extraordinary that was.

NEVER BACK DOWN is a coming-of-age story that is sure to pack a punch this April.

Shortly after moving to a new town with his family, Jake Tyler finds himself face-to-face with local martial arts champion Ryan McCarty and suffers a humiliating beating. After relentless taunts Jake seeks the mentoring of a veteran fighter (played by two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou) to train his mind and body for one final, no-holds-barred, elimination fight with his unrelenting nemesis.

Featuring adrenaline-pumping action and starring Sean Faris (”Smallville”), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Gladiator), Amber Heard (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Friday Night Lights) and Cam Gigandet (”The OC”). © 2008 Momentum Pictures. All rights reserved

Extreme Element have teamed up with Momentum Pictures to celebrate the launch of Never Back Down by giving away an awesome pair of Powerizers - the latest extreme sports craze which is sweeping the world to one lucky winner. All you have to do to get your hands on this week’s fantastic prize is to answer the question below.

Never Back Down is released in Cinemas Nationwide on:

A. April 4th
B. May4th
C. June 4th

Please email your answers along with your full name, postal address to comp@exelement.co.uk. All entries are subject to the T’s and C’s below

Ts and Cs:
1. No purchase necessary – free prize draw. 2. Closing date for free prize draw 17/04/08. 3. Winners will be picked at random from all entries received. 4. Winners will be notified by 31/04/08 by either email or phone. 5. Entrants should enter by submitting their details via email to comp@exelement.co.uk. 6. One entry per household. 7. There are no cash alternatives. 8. These prizes are non transferable and non refundable. 9. Offer open to residents of UK mainland only. 10. In the event that any prizes become unavailable, they may be replaced by ones of equal or greater value. 11. Promoter’s decision is final and in the event of a dispute, no correspondence will be entered into. 12. Prize draw not open to employees of Extreme, Momentum Pictures or its agencies. 13 Promoter: Extreme Element Ltd, Brighton Media Centre, 22 Old Steyne, Brighton, BN1 1EL

Two weeks have passed since the official launch of ExBrag - the new ‘extreme’ focused web community by the guys behind the Extreme Sports Channel and Bragster, an online daring and betting website. To mark the launch Al Gosling, CEO of the Extreme Group put himself up for the challenge of a lifetime, to be dared by his own social community to take on any crazy stunt they magic up. Since then suggestions have been pouring in and now 5 final dares have been announced visit: http://www.exbrag.com/bet/9923-you-cant-dareThe online poll starts now and ends on the 27th March. The final dares are:

1. Being elevated across the Serpentine in Hyde Park by helium balloons wearing a 3 piece suit, George Banks style.
2. Walk down Oxford Street covered in goose fat with a surf board under his arm asking directions to the beach.
3. Skateboard around the financial district of London wearing a super hero costume shouting ‘I am the Extreme Dream.’
4. Para-sailing over the channel.
5. Cross the Thames in a dingy with a mega phone signing nursery rhymes.

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As we heard “You cannot have more fun in an aeroplane with your clothes on” it really brought home the magnitude of what was to come. During the previous six months I have been privileged to take part in many extreme sports, including some serious pant-twitchers like bungee jumping and apache rally driving. However, nothing could have prepared us for aerobatic flying. From the welcome introduction & safety briefing it became obvious that this day will stay with us forever. “If you hear me say ‘bail out’ twice then it is an echo because I will have already left” Greeners, my pilot for the day informed me. It is difficult to describe the feeling an hour prior to take off; nerves, fear & excitement combine awkwardly and create an irremovable cheesy grin from my face.

As we made our way across the airfield it was impossible to break the menacing stare of the Extra300, the plane’s teeth and eye decoration suggested that this machine really was a monster. It became more difficult to pay attention to the parachute briefing as I quite literally could not wait to climb aboard and take to the skies. Sat in the front of the plane with the ex RAF pilot positioned just behind, I heard “Nokia formation, ready for departure” across my headset and away we went, weaving our way to the runway. From a young age, flying on commercial airlines has been a pleasure and often the most exciting part of a holiday; particularly the take off. But once again the Extra300 surpassed any thrill I have encountered in airline simply with the immense power demonstrated in the take off.

The best description I could offer of the next forty minutes is; surreal. It is virtually impossible to convince yourself that the scenery on display is that of which we have just walked and driven across. Fields and roads resemble toys and appear like special effects from new movies. The fear & nerves at this height have been completely eradicated and replaced by pure ecstasy. I sat there in virtual silence at the mercy of Greeners, my pilot for the day. The emphasis is placed largely on having a good time and not pushing yourself to experience the full effect of G-force. However, as you drop and twist, loop and spiral it is a Moorish experience that leaves you begging for more. And it was more I got! With the plane hanging vertical, parallel to God’s green Earth I realised that my notoriously trigger happy stomach felt that a tactical vomit was in order. Of course this is not ideal because in no way did I want this to end.

After much deliberation and what felt like a few thousand spins, I reached for the bag. “Are you ok?” I heard through my headphones, “of course, let’s carry on!” was the response, as if there was any other option! The next twenty minutes were some of the best and most exciting of my life so far. The skill demonstrated by these pilots is phenomenal and a joy to be part of. The only disappointment of the day was when we had to land. Unfortunately we ‘can’t not stay up there forever’ apparently.

Married doctors William and Dakota Block (Josh Brolin and Marley Shelton) find their graveyard shift inundated with townspeople ravaged by gangrenous sores and a suspiciously vacant look in their eyes. Among the wounded is Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a go-go dancer whose leg was ripped off during a roadside attack, and El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), a mysterious drifter with a past. Cherry may be down on her luck, but she hasn’t danced her last number… As the virus turns the invalids into enraged aggressors, Cherry and El Wray lead a team of accidental warriors into the night, hurtling towards a destiny that will leave millions infected, countless dead and a lucky few heading for the last safe corner of PLANET TERROR. © 2007 The Weinstein Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Extreme Element have teamed up with Momentum Pictures to celebrate the launch of Planet Terror by giving away an IPod Touch to one lucky winner. All you have to do to get your hands on this weeks fantastic prize is to answer the question below.

The leading Female Character in Planet Terror is called:

A. Strawberry
B. Cherry
C. Pear

Please email your answers along with your full name, postal address to comp@exelement.co.uk. All entries are subject to the T’s and C’s below.

Ts and Cs:
1. No purchase necessary – free prize draw. 2. Closing date for free prize draw 17/03/08. 3. Winners will be picked at random from all entries received. 4. Winners will be notified by 31/03/08 by either email or phone. 5. Entrants should enter by submitting their details via email to www.comp@exelement.co.uk. 6. One entry per household. 7. There are no cash alternatives. 8. These prizes are non transferable and non refundable. 9. Offer open to residents of UK mainland only. 10. In the event that any prizes become unavailable, they may be replaced by ones of equal or greater value. 11. Promoter’s decision is final and in the event of a dispute, no correspondence will be entered into. 12. Prize draw not open to employees of Extreme, Momentum Pictures or its agencies. 13 Promoter: Extreme Element Ltd, Brighton Media Centre, 22 Old Steyne, Brighton, BN1 1EL

The CEO of the Extreme Group and founder of the Extreme Sports Channel, Al Gosling, has decided to prove that his company lives up to their name by letting the online community of his new website, ExBrag.com, take control, choose his fate, and be dared by the most extreme and crazy fools out there. The ‘Group Daddy’ and bona-fide dare-devil has put himself up for the challenge of his lifetime. Users have the chance to delve into their bizarre and obscure imaginations and ‘Dare the Boss of Extreme’. They will have 2 weeks to get their wacky and potentially dangerous ideas in with a further online poll before the final crunch day on 1st April.

The countdown is on!! So go on ‘Dare the Boss of Extreme’

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Hi all,

Finally made it home safe and sound after our 3 week adventure. Now ready to do something else! Last time I was in contact we had lost our second car and then had a run in with the African Security Services whilst trying to sort it all out. This meant that we had to stay in the exact same place where the French family were murdered only days previously, which lets just say didn’t fill us with confidence!

The end of car 2!

By now Team Four500.com were split between a Lada Niva, a BMW and another Mitsubishi Shogun. Having managed to ruin both of our trusty steeds! Luckily for us all of the guys we were with were absolutely cracking people and so we really had a great laugh and didnt get stranded! It was all going really well until I cracked my head on a bracket used to hold the spare wheel to the roof! To give you a bit of background the night after our car blew up we had to spend the night on the beach. We did this so that we could leave quick enough to make it across the beach in the morning before the tide came back in and stranded us for another 12 hours. This was awesome fun, As we only had a limited time to make it across it was full speed ahead, with no regard for any bumops on the beach. Hitting a sand bar at pace resulted in me leaving my seat and ploughing head first into the roof. To say I saw stars was an understatement. We managed to catch it on film too, so you can laugh at me again when we get that up on the site! The tide was repidly approaching and started to lap at tthe wheels as we made it to the end of the beach. Unfortunatly the Sisters lost their rear bumper to the tide, creating rather a hazard for the cars that followed!

Anyway we managed to get to Bamako with about 4 days to spare and we decided we’d chill out and try and relax for a few days. We stayed at a wicked place, which cost about £2 a night and also had cold beer! During our 4 days stay we visited a Children’s home, and a local hospital. We donated some first aid equipment, some tents and some bits for the kids. This was a fantastic experience, they were very excited to see us and for me this was the highlight of the trip. To play football with the kids and to see the look on their faces once we’d given them some bits and pieces was so rewarding. It really makes it quite clear that you don’t have to do very much to make a real difference.

As I have read this blog back to myself it quite obvious that I’ve missed out so much stuff which would bring a smile to your face but I’d be writing for days getting it all down so I think the best thing to do would be to sign up and experience it for yourself. Its quite honestly the most amazing experience I’ve had. We experienced highs and lows from day one, times when we were more than a little nervous and times when were just bloody scared but we have all decided that we wouldn’t change a thing. It wouldn’t be a challenge if it were easy.

I’d say the only downside would be trying to get back into the flow once you get home. We just want to go
back. I’m happy to give any advice to anyone planning to get involved just email me at steve@four500.com.

Watch this space for our next big adventure….

Hey,

So having heard the news that the upmarket Paris to Dakar Rally has been cancelled makes our safe arrival in Bamako even sweeter. We finished the Plymouth Dakar Rally on budget and with no major incidents (except for wrecking 2 cars). Obviously we have been a little worried about the whole incident but have been told that being English is ok which makes a change. We were actually hoping to avoid the area where the french were killed but ended up camping there which was far from ideal but we could travel at night due to animals crossing the road.

Well we arrived and we did it, i’ve just had my first shower and change of clothes in 4 days. My boxers were a strange shade of brown when i finally got them off. Ha ha. It’s a bit weird to think we’ve finished our journey. We got here yesterday afternoon and me, ben and mark are gonna chill out here for a bit before coming home.

I managed to sign the truck over to some corrupt copper in the last town who went into the desert to find the truck at about 1am the following morning. It was an interesting decision - one that reather back fired! I spent most of the day in the National Security Office, think MI5 and youll be close, surrounded by teenage blokes with semi automatic machine guns trying to sort out a big confusion! I ended up getting driven around by some security dude in a desperate attempt to find someone to stamp my passport. Luckily we escaped unscathed and ended up sailing across the boarder with no questions whatsoever.

Anyway i want a well deserved beer so im going.

Cheers for now

Blakes