What’s the Best Feeling in Adventure Sports?

The world of adventure sports is filled with so many incredible moments of grace and glory, it’s impossible to list them all, partly because there are many and partly because the definition of peak experience is highly personal.

For me, one moment stands in sharp relief above all the others. Much as I love the sensation of a surfboard trimming on a wave, of geeing into berm on my bike, or even discovering a new panel of rock art, the face shot is my singular apex. It takes nothing away from a perfectly carved turn, or a sequence of moves of rock finally solved, to say that something about that experience of deep snow, burial, flotation, and spray elevates me, strengthens me, obsesses me, more than any other.

On the other hand, there’s getting tubed…no wait, I committed myself to the face shot, I’ll stick to it.

These summits of experience are what drive us forward. They are the light that eliminates that cold shadows of suffering and doubt. They are the payoff to the investment of a lifetime.

And so now here’s the question: Can we agree on one? Probably not. We’re too diverse, too tribal. But let’s take a stand and see where things settle out.

One note about the poll answers – it is impossible to enumerate every possible apex moment, so I’m going to restrict them to the ones I think are most common. If I miss something obvious, mention it in the comments (as if I have to tell you that) and I’ll add it. I’ve also programmed the poll so you can add your own response, and I’m letting you guys pick up to two, the idea being that you can choose one from the existing list while adding your own. Finally, I’m sticking to sport-specific feelings, not more general ones like “surviving an epic.”

[polldaddy poll=8368215]

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WIN SMITH SUNGLASSES JUST BY VOTING


This week, one poll participant will receive a pair of Smith Optics Serpico sunglasses. We’ll pick the winner via random number generator (and announce it here) – all you have to do to enter is vote and leave a comment so we have your email to contact you. Must have a U.S. or Canadian address. Contest ends Sunday, October 19, at midnight PST.

Congratulations to Dana Miller, who wins the Smiths this week!

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Photo by MikeP

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