The Hov Pod has evolved over many years to become the most popular small hovercraft on the market. This is not by accident, but attention to detail, to find out more about the process from design to shipping we have prepared a Craftmanship & Quality document to give you an overview of the process here at Hov Pod.

Hovercraft Surfing

Video Courtesy of www.ajaxhov.gr

Whether by LAND and/or by SEA

Video Courtesy of Hov Pods

Like this??? Want more info go HERE !!

Any place where the terrain is rough and the sky is blue in Dallas, Houston or elsewhere in Texas is a place you’ll probably find mountain bikers. The sport of mountain biking usually refers to riding bicycles, which possess particular design characteristics, off-road, although sometimes the term simply refers to riding a mountain bike.

It’s a tough, demanding sport that requires endurance, good bike handling skills and a lot of self-reliance. It’s an individual sport that can be performed almost anywhere. There are certain aspects of mountain biking that are similar to trail running, more so than regular bicycling. And, because riders are often far from civilization, there is a strong ethic of self-reliance. Seasoned riders have learned to repair their broken bikes or flat tires to avoid being stranded in the middle of nowhere. This reliance on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics of the sport. Club rides and other forms of group rides are common, especially on longer treks.

Mountain biking can be roughly broken down into five categories: cross country, downhill, freeride, dirt jump and trials/street riding. And, even though there are five very different terrains to ride upon, most mountain bikes have a similar look: knobby tires, large round- frame tubing, and some sort of suspension or shock absorbers. Mountain biking can be done anywhere from a backyard to a gravel road, but the majority of mountain bikers prefer to ride trails which they call singletrack — narrow trails that wind through forests, fields, deserts or mountainsides.

The bicycle has really been no stranger to off-roading since its invention toward the end of 1800’s. The modern sport of mountain biking originated in the 1970’s with several groups of riders in Texas and other areas of the U.S. making valid claims to playing a part in the sport’s birth.

Riders in Crested Butte, Colorado, and Cupertino, California, tinkered with their bikes and adapted them to the rigors of off-road riding. Other riders around the country copied their friends who rode motorcycles off-road, and then began riding their bikes in a similar fashion.

However, a group in Marin County, California — recognized by the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame — played a central role in the birth of the sport. They began racing down Mount Tamalpais on old 1930’s and ’40s Schwinn bicycles, retrofitted with better brakes and fatter tires. This group included Joe Breeze, Otis Guy, Gary Fisher and Keith Bontrager among others. It was Joe Breeze who built the first new, purpose-made mountain bike in 1977.

Tom Ritchey built the first regularly-available mountain bike frame, which was accessorized by Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly and sold by their company called MountainBikes. The first two mass produced mountain bikes, the Specialized Stumpjumper and Univega Alpina Pro, were sold in 1982.

Mountain bikes differ from road racing bicycles in several ways. They have a smaller and stronger frame, knobby, as well as wider and higher-profile tires, which are mounted on a rim that is stronger and more durable than a standard bicycle rim. They also include a larger range of gears, to facilitate climbing up steep hills and over obstacles; a wider flat or upwardly rising handlebar that allows a more upright riding position; and, often, some form of suspension system for either the front wheel or both wheels.

The inherent comfort and flexibility of the modern mountain bike has led to an estimated 80% market share of bike sales in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. While it is estimated that only between 10 and 20% of mountain bikes are actually ridden off-road, the sport of mountain biking has seen an explosion in popularity and diversification.

There are environmental concerns regarding a number of outdoor extreme sports, but properly-built mountain bike trails have little negative environmental impact. Studies reported in the IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) Trail Solutions manual have shown that a mountain bike’s impact is comparable to that of a hiker, and substantially less than that of an equestrian.

But irresponsible use, such as using a trail when it is too wet, can be damaging, whether the individual is on foot, bike, or horseback. It’s clear that other activities, such as horseback riding and ATV or motorcycle use, are far more damaging. Improper routing or trail construction techniques may result in a trail that does not hold up well to any kind of use. Riding in rainy conditions can create ruts and holes in the trail, making it less usable.

Physically demanding sports such as mountain biking can be a great way to exercise to maintain good health.

-Climbers Elbow
-Tendinitis
-Strained or pulled finger pulleys (most common pulley injury is the A2 pulley)
-Injured Hamstrings
-Shoulder injuries

Now all five of these rock climbing injuries can put you out of commission for weeks or even months, not too mention I have seen rock climbers who had to literally have surgery to heal from these injuries. Now if you are like me and you go through withdrawals from not being able to climb, you don’t want to get injured. Especially when a majority of time you can prevent the injuries in the first place.

Let me explain. Most climbers do a lot of things that don’t protect them from injury. Now I do not have time in this article to go through that entire list but I will point you in the right direction for more information if you would like. In this article I am just going to talk about the #1 cause of rock climbing injury.

So what is the #1 cause?

Above and beyond everything else this one thing is by far the major cause for rock climbing injury. A drum roll please…a simple as it may seem the #1 cause for climbing injuries is not warming up and cooling down properly. Now before you completely dismiss this and stop reading now let me explain. This is really important, trust me I know after being injured and out of climbing for nearly 6 months a few years back.

Our bodies are capable of doing many great things, but when we look at climbing we see our bodies having to do very brute, powerful, and unorthodox things. We are heel hooking, mantling top outs, dynoing for holds, snatching up tiny crimps and monos, etc. All of these things can be very hard on the body especially if your body is not warm.

Did you know your body can perform better by 20% or warm when it is properly warmed up? You probably didn’t but it is true when we take the time to properly prepare our body it is ready for the task at hand and will perform even better.

Not too mention by warming up and cooling down your body your decrease your chance of injury dramatically.

So how should you warm up?

I use a several steps and recommend you do the same. Start by doing some jumping jacks, jogging, running in place, or any form of cardio to get your heart rate up and your blood moving. You only need to do about 5 minutes of this.

After the blood is moving I recommend you do some light stretching. Start with some shoulder circles, neck rolls, and forearm stretches. Be sure to breathe deeply during your stretching and hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds. Stretch out all the muscles in your upper body including your hands and finger joints.

Don’t forget to stretch out your calves, hamstrings, and quads. A lot of climbers don’t even bother with this and that is why when they need to do a powerful heel hook their hamstring hurts for days on end.

After your stretching it is important to do some moderate routes for your ability before you try anything really hard. This will help you loosen up and prepare your body for the demands you will place on it.

After you do a couple routes do some additional light stretching and now you and your body should be ready to go.

After climbing hard all day be sure to do at least one easy route and stretch everything out once again. If you are able to do some light jogging, hiking, or even some jumping jacks after your climbing session. This will cool the body down and disperse the lactic acid in your forearms to help recovery.

I know this might seem hard for some but this little bit of extra work will keep you climbing injury free and keep your body in better health. Not too mention you will be able to climb harder and longer.

So the choice is yours if you want to improve your climbing while protecting yourself from injury follow my advice. If not don’t come crying to me when you cannot climb.

Ryan Coisson is a rock climbing expert who has helped thousands of rock climbers just like you. For more information about staying injury free see his article http://www.rock-climbing-for-life.com/climbing-injury.html 7 Steps to Being Climbing Injury Free.

Article Source: http://www.article-buzz.com

You set out for a 10 mile hike alone on a well known trail in the mountains. It’s cloudy with little wind and the temperature is a balmy 67 degrees. You have done plenty of hikes, and spend a lot of time outdoors. On this particular day, you take a slightly more adventurous route and move a little faster than usual. It’s getting late in the day and you don’t want be out after dark so you push a little harder. All is going well until you slip on a rock and mildly sprain your ankle. You can still walk, but you have been slowed down.

You are annoyed at yourself, but settle down to the fact that you are just going to be later than you thought. Unfortunately, you inadvertently followed the wrong stream which is now leading you deeper into the woods and not back to the main trail. Your life is now in grave danger and you don’t even know it. It’s getting dark and you are dressed in hiking shorts and cotton shirt. The light is fading and a light rain has started to fall. A cold front has moved in the temperature has dropped quickly to 50 degrees and the wind has picked up. Feeling cold, you stop. You now realize that you picked the wrong trail and are now not certain which direction you should be traveling. The heavy cloud cover makes it tough to get a bearing from the sun. At this point you ask yourself a critical question – do I stop here and prepare to spend the night and wait for help or do I make an intelligent guess and press on. You pick what you think is the correct direction and move faster, using a stick as a cane.

It’s now almost dark and the temperature is at 44 degrees with a 15 mph wind giving a wind chill of 27 degrees. You are shivering. Your pace has slowed to a pathetic crawl, and you can’t even see the trail. Your fingers are numb and you struggle for a few minutes to unwrap the candy bar in your pack. Your clothes are wet from the rain and and your ankle is throbbing. The wind has picked up a little and the wind chill is well below freezing. You feel a little confused about the situation and can’t really remember how you hurt your ankle.

After stumbling on in the dark for a few more minutes, you have to stop because of the violent shivering. Your thinking process has slowed dramatically and you feel signs of depression. Luckily you find a rock overhang and climb under it to get out of the now heavy rain. Your shivering stops and you feel that’s a good sign. WRONG! You are now in the severe state of hypothermia. You start doing some irrational things and believe you hear voices to which you call out but hear no response. Your breathing has become shallow and erratic and you feel extremely tired, drifting in and out of consciousness. You curl up into the fetal position to keep warm and fall asleep.

The next morning your cold and lifeless body is found by some hikers approximately 150 yards from the main trail.

This story is a fictitious, although not impossible, example of what can go horribly wrong with a simple outing. Hypothermia is the silent killer. By the time you are aware that you may have hypothermia, it’s too late to help yourself. Hypothermia results in hundreds of deaths each year in the United States and Canada.

What is hypothermia? Hypothermia is a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired. Basically, it occurs when your body is losing heat faster than it is generating it.

How cold does it have to be? In wet and windy conditions you can get hypothermia at 50 degrees or even higher. You can become hypothermic in water temperatures of 60-70 degrees as water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air.

Recognizing Hypothermia Symptoms Knowing what symptoms to look for can significantly help you or others at risk of hypothermia. With that said, it is difficult to recognize the symptoms in yourself as the very symptoms impede rational thought. The following shows the symptoms that might occur as hypothermia sets in and progresses. Wet and windy conditions will significantly worsen the situation. Your chances of dying from hypothermia are also greatly increased if your judgment is impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Progressive Symptoms of Hypothermia

* Intense shivering
* Violent uncontrollable shivering. Poor coordination and stumbling Difficulty speaking.
* Shivering ceases. Muscles are stiff or rigid. Impaired thinking and judgment. Depression and amnesia.
* Muscle Rigidity continues, slowed pulse rate and respiration. Stupor, Immobility.
* Unconsciousness, most reflexes cease, heart beat erratic, possible death.
* Cardiac Fibrillation. Pulmonary edema. Cardiac and respiratory failure.
* Death!

How do I prevent Hypothermia ? The colder it is, the warmer you need to dress. If you do not have warm clothing, building a fire is essential. It is very important to get out of rain/wind/snow, so shelter is critical. Some clothing like wool, retains it’s thermal properties even when wet. Always have warm clothing even if the weather looks great when you start out.

At what point do I stop and prepare to wait for help? It is tough to determine the exact point, as each situation is different. Basically you must not wait until you are too cold, that you can’t use your hands. The secret is not even go out unprepared. In the event that you find yourself in a situation that could turn serious, seek assistance immediately. The word “could” is used as it is imperative that you recognize potential problems long before they arise.

In the northern states, you and your family are always at risk of hypothermia when outdoors during cold months. Be prepared for the worst and don’t take chances with this silent killer, especially when out with kids.!

Be Safe !

About The Author

Graham Armitage, is founder of the family outdoor website, Georec. The site allows anyone to discover new outdoor places and invites you to review and comment on outdoor locations. To access all the free hiking, fishing, paddling and other information available, or to add your own content, visit www.georec.com

Copyright 2006 – georec.com. All Rights reserved WorldWide. Reprint rights – you may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, and do not edit the article in any way, and give credit to the author.

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com