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Olympic swimming gold medallist Anthony Ervin on zen and the art of rising from the depths
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THE WORLD OF RED BULL
EXTREME FOCUS
We present 2016’s best action shots – from dirt tracks in Poland to the Florida skies
WELCOME
08
“I know I’m looked at and gazed upon with much more force than before”
CHRISTIAN ANWANDER (COVER), MARCIN KIN
This month’s Red Bulletin is shot through with a mantra that seems improbably simplistic: do what you love to do, even if that passion comes up against apparently immovable forces – of nature, will or the mind. For our cover star, Olympic swimmer Anthony Ervin, it took a journey into some dark depths to realise that the thing he was trying to escape – competing at the highest level – was the thing he loved most. For the windsurfers of Red Bull Storm Chase, force-10 gales are beaten by “having fun at the precise moment you feel nervous”. And for those at Red Bull Hardline, beating one of the world’s toughest MTB courses requires the mental strength to let go and enjoy the wildest of downhill rides. Simple it might be, but it is true: love does conquer all.
ANTHONY ERVIN, PAGE 22
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IN THE HEAT OF ACTION, THERE ARE THOSE WHO TRUST THEIR LUCKY STAR – AND THOSE WHO PREFER THE EMERGENCY, THE WORLD’S FIRST WRISTWATCH WITH BUILT-IN PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON. Equipped with a dual frequency micro-transmitter, this high-tech survival instrument serves to trigger search and rescue operations in all emergency situations – on land, at sea or in the air. The first ever personal locator beacon designed for wrist wear, meaning literally on you at all times, it shares your feats around the globe while guaranteeing maximum safety. Breitling Emergency: the watch that can save your life.
BR E I T L I N G . C O M
DECEMBER 2016
50
AT A GLANCE BULLEVARD
GALE FORCES
Ferocious winds are a green light for the extreme windsurfing elite: Red Bull Storm Chase is go!
15 INSPIRATIONS Unique talents
FEATURES
73
Zen and the art of swimming with America’s Olympic comeback kid
30 The year in action
Photographs to amaze, inspire and entertain: the best of 2016
44 Black Coffee
The superstar DJ talks fast cars, overcoming injury and thinking big
62 HANGING ON THE LINE
Twenty-one riders, one mother of a course: Red Bull Hardline, the toughest downhill MTB race on Earth, returns
50 Red Bull Storm Chase SWEDE DREAMS
Top 20 hit, Euro 2016 anthem with David Guetta… Swedish pop teen Zara Larsson has done all that – now she wants more
77
Monstrous waves and 100kph winds: this is extreme windsurfing heaven
62 Red Bull Hardline 2016 We go trackside at Dan Atherton’s brutal bike challenge in Wales
70 Heroes of the month
Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, punk band Green Day, pop star Zara Larsson and Red Arrows leader David Montenegro
ACTION! 77 SEE IT. GET IT. DO IT. The best travel, gadgets, films, music, wheels, watches and events. Plus what’s on Red Bull TV this month, and how to escape a straitjacket… upside down
44 STRAIGHT NO FILTER
From township kid to arguably South Africa’s biggest musical export: the rise of DJ and producer Black Coffee 10
ALL-TIME HIGH
There’s skydiving and then there’s the Everest Skydive – jumping from the roof of the world is the ultimate thrill
91 POWER PLAY Gaming: the next level 98 FLASHBACK Celestial surfing
THE RED BULLETIN
SEBASTIAN MARKO, OLAF PIGNATARO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, SONYMUSIC, CHRIS SAUNDERS, TOM NOONAN/PAUL-HENRY DE BAERE
22 Anthony Ervin
om c . s l o o t e silverlin
E K TA W O B A H C RA
! N O S A E S T C E F R E P THE 6 1 0 2 P M A H C D L WOR
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@ E K I B #WINA Photo: Sven Martin
CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUE DECEMBER 2016
WHO’S ON BOARD
SEBASTIAN MARKO
Aim high: photographer Christian Pondella on Kilimanjaro
Chasing adrenalin around the globe A climber on the icy glaciers of Kilimanjaro. Hardenduro racing on Poland’s most vicious dirt tracks. Never-before-seen skateboard tricks in a drained waterslide in Dubai. For our collection of the best action shots of 2016, we curated pictures from all over the globe. Shooting them demanded courage not only from the athletes but from the photographers involved, as American Jimmy Chin explains: “I shot a climber on a 200m-high limestone arch in China while hanging on a rope between heaven and earth.” See page 30.
The Austrian sports photographer followed extreme windsurfers into force-10 storms to document Red Bull Storm Chase. “We faced gusts up to 160kph,” he says. “I had to fix myself to the ground to stand up.” Page 50.
MATTHEW RAY
The sports and adventure journalist knows how to find out what makes athletes tick, from climbers to boxers. Ray went behind the scenes of possibly the world’s toughest MTB event: Red Bull Hardline. Page 62.
THE RED BULLETIN AROUND THE WORLD The Red Bulletin is available in nine countries. This cover, featuring DJ Black Coffee, is from the South African edition. Read more: redbulletin.com
IN FOCUS BEHIND THE LENS
“His energy was absolutely special” PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTIAN ANWANDER ON COVER STAR ANTHONY ERVIN The New York-based Austrian photographer – known for his work with music (and space) oddities Daft Punk – found a willing and zany subject in Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer Anthony Ervin. “We met him a day before he shook the President’s hand, and he still went for a dive in the East River!” See page 22.
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Anwander with Olympic swimmer Ervin in New York
THE RED BULLETIN
WE CUT THE CURVES, YOU CARVE THE SLOPE
THE NEW DARE 2B BLACK LABEL COLLECTION IS OUR MOST PREMIUM COLLECTION TO DATE
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BULLEVARD THE HOME OF PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE, ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE, INNOVATE
ALL CHANGE
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EDDIE REDMAYNE THE BRITISH ACTOR IS ONE OF MODERN CINEMA’S POLYMATHS. FOR HIS LATEST ROLE, HE VENTURES INTO FANTASY BLOCKBUSTER TERRITORY Lauded stage thesp, Academy Award-winner, OBE recipient and potential 007, Eddie Redmayne has come a long way from a childhood yen for performing, and a post-university spell as a model. Early film roles gave way to theatre success in the likes of Red – for which he won a Tony Award – and Richard II, before a return to cinema in My Week With Marilyn and Les Misérables. It was in 2014’s The Theory Of Everything that he struck gold with both public and critics, winning an Oscar for his portrayal of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. One transformation followed another as he played transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl, and now he’s morphed into a blockbuster star for Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. For Redmayne, these shifts are guided by instinct: “When I read a script, I’ll have an instant gut reaction. It’s an annoying phrase, ‘trust your instincts’, because I’m like, ‘How do I know what that is?’ Recognising what your instincts are is half the battle.”
THE RED BULLETIN
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BULLEVARD
THE DUEL THIS MONTH, TWO GIANTS FROM THE WORLD OF FANTASY FICTION SQUARE UP. WHO WILL SURVIVE THE BATTLE?
vs GEORGE RR MARTIN
ROBERT KIRKMAN
American. Aged 68. Writer/creator of Game Of Thrones
NET WORTH
1:0
Cheques, mate
In the mid-’70s, before becoming a fulltime writer, Martin worked in legal aid, organised chess contests and taught journalism at a college run by nuns. Before the latter, a friend says, Martin “wasn’t making enough to stay alive”.
$20 million
Kirkman’s first comic book was self-published in 2000, and The Walking Dead debuted in 2003. The big bucks came when the latter was made into a TV series in 2010.
All shook up
EARLY HARD YARDS
2 :1
While trying to break into comics, he worked in a light-bulb factory and had 17 credit cards; when the bills came in, he’d lie on the floor and shake. “If I had to do it all over again,” he said last year, “I wouldn’t do it. I’d work at the bank.”
FAN DEVOTION
It’s no game
Undead good
3 :1
Westeros is serious business for GoT fans, who have made entire recipe books containing meals from the saga, and speak its made-up language, Dothraki.
Fourth most popular costume last Halloween in the US? Zombie. Meanwhile, Facebook group The Spoiling Dead Fans, which ruins show surprises, has 400K likes.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLOUT
789,000 Twitter followers
605,000 Twitter followers
4:2
But he’s not a prolific tweeter. More active is his blog, Not A Blog – though fans would rather he was writing novels.
Wild man
Martin co-created and edits Wild Cards, a 23-volume book series about the effects of an alien virus on mankind. TV producers are hoping it’ll be the next GoT.
Harbour desires
The son of a longshoreman, Martin dresses like an old-time harbour worker, with a fisherman’s hat, braces and beard (before it was cool).
8.89 million viewers
In the US, the final episode of GoT season six got four times the viewers of the first-ever ep in 2011. The seventh (due mid-2017) and final (2018) seasons are based on books he has yet to complete: the TV show is his own biggest spoiler.
OTHER WORLDS
4:3 STYLE (KINDA)
4:3 ( B OT H G E T Z E R O ) SHOW BUSINESS
4:4
Just over 4,000 tweets in seven years, mainly promotional stuff for Skybound, Kirkman’s comicsand-production company.
In and out
Kirkman writes three monthly comics: The Walking Dead, teenage superhero saga Invincible, and Outcast, about demonic possession. The latter is on TV now.
Geek god
As a thick-set chap with a neat beard and a penchant for checked shirts, Kirkman is a fashion leader for 90 per cent of his male fanbase.
14.19 million viewers
Figures for the TWD season-six finale were three times those of the first-ever show, and spin-off Fear The Walking Dead had the highest-rated debut season ever on US cable TV. TWD on screen is two-thirds into the comic-book story.
THE MAN SAYS
Long game
“I had no idea when all this started where it would lead… or how long the road would be… I’d thought the whole story could be told in three books [and] three years… Ah, how innocent I was.”
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Talking head
4:5
“I have a notepad in my phone that I’m always pulling out when I’m pretty much anywhere,” Kirkman says of his multitasking. “If I’m not working on something new, I just don’t feel good about what I’m doing.”
THE RED BULLETIN
EBAY, ROGER VIOLLET/PICTUREDESK.COM (3), GETTY IMAGES (2)
$65 million
Martin is 2016’s 12th highest-earning author ($9.5m). First published in 1971, he got his big breakthrough in 1996 with the start of the series A Song Of Ice And Fire.
American. Aged 37. Writer/creator of The Walking Dead
BULLEVARD
FACE VALUE LILY COLLINS THE ROCK STAR’S DAUGHTER WHO HAS EARNED HER PLACE ON THE HOLLYWOOD LADDER
JUSTIN R. CAMPBELL/CONTOUR BY GETTY
On paper, Lily Collins’ path to screen stardom could have been the classic Hollywood tale of a rock-star offspring’s directionless search for fame in Tinseltown, drifting from project to project before fading into obscurity. There were detours en route for the daughter of Genesis drummer and solo superstar Phil Collins – a stint as a teen-magazine columnist, an appearance in reality show The Hills and a period studying broadcast journalism – but when she bagged her breakthrough role in the Snow White reboot Mirror Mirror, her true calling was clear. Since then, it’s been an upward trajectory, from fantasy epic The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones to her latest lead role, in oddball romance Rules Don’t Apply. Growing up the daughter of a music icon has put her in good stead, she says: “I experienced and saw the good and the bad, and I entered into this knowing [about both], so I think that’s helped me deal with stuff.”
“HOLLYWOOD IS SUCH A FICKLE PLACE, YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO DAY-TO-DAY AND WITH THE FLOW” THE RED BULLETIN
17
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
MATT HEAFY TRIVIUM’S GUITAR-SHREDDING FRONTMAN ON HOW A JIU-JITSU LIFESTYLE ALLOWS HIM TO ROCK EVEN HARDER ON TOUR
3,750
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CALORIES HE EATS DAILY WHILE TRAINING “You don’t realise how many calories you get through. I was only eating 2,000 per day, but burning maybe 1,500 during training. Then I started a weight-lifting programme of four workouts a week and bumped it up to 4,250 per day to get me to 88kg. Now I eat somewhere around 3,750.”
5
18
THE NUMBER OF DAYS HE TRAINS IN BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU EACH WEEK ON TOUR “We take along 10x10 mats and I grapple with my tour manager. I've become a better guitar player and singer thanks to BJJ – it requires the same consistent drilling of exercises and ensuring there are no bad habits.”
109 THE WEIGHT IN KILOS THAT HE CAN DEADLIFT “I’ve never been overly strong, but before BJJ I was weight-lifting for aesthetic reasons and it didn’t work. I lost weight when I started, but I also seemed to be getting a lot of weird little injuries. So I began my weights programme to help the jiu-jitsu and also strengthen my joints and muscles. I actually had to raise the action [distance between the strings and frets] on my guitars, because my hands were much stronger from all the gripping in BJJ.”
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3
THE NUMBER OF HOURS A DAY HE PRACTISES BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU “At home, I train for two-three hours a day, six days a week, including an hour of weights, conditioning or yoga. There are no shortcuts in BJJ – you improve through mat time, and practice with partners.” A martial art focused on grappling, BJJ is a way of life for its practitioners, building character and teaching discipline. “Since taking up jiu-jitsu, I’ve learned more about who I am than ever before.”
VITAL STATISTICS
Discipline: Metal God Age: 30 Height: 1.91m Weight 84kg Roll of Honour: Guitarist/singer in topselling US metal band Trivium. Seven albums to date starting with 2003’s Ember to Inferno. Last year’s Silence in the Snow peaked at 19 on the US Billboard 200 and on the UK album charts.
THE WEIGHT IN KILOS HE LOST WHEN HE STARTED TRAINING “When I began doing BJJ, I dropped almost 20kg. At one point, I was doing two sessions a day and maybe burning too many calories and driving myself too hard. Then friends and coaches encouraged me to eat more – and healthily. I don’t eat fast food, or go to chain restaurants. I’m not really strict, but I am a foodie. And in my daily calorie intake I do require three beers!”
FITNESS TRACKER THE HOTTEST THINGS IN HEALTH
THE APP MAPMYFITNESS
With a foolproof user interface and simple data presentation, this workout pal can track over 600 kinds of activity. It’ll even tell you when it’s time for new running shoes. For iOS and Android. mapmyfitness.com
THE TECH GARMIN FORERUNNER 735XT
A high-end, multi-sport watch/tracker. Use it indoors or out to log running, swimming and cycling achievements. Monitor your heart rate without a chest strap (but you can use one with it). A fine bit of kit. garmin.com
THE FUEL ALMONDS
Eating whole almonds can improve athletic endurance, according to a paper published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The nuts were given to cyclists who went 10 per cent further in time trials than their nut-less rivals. jissn. biomedcentral.com
THE RED BULLETIN
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BULLEVARD
BULLEVARD
EXPAND YOUR NETWORK
SAY WHAT?
FOLLOW, LIKE AND RETWEET YOUR WAY TO A SMARTER MONTH
BEFORE YOU CAN AIM BIG AND REALISE YOUR POTENTIAL, YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR LIFE’S FOUNDATIONS IN ORDER, AS THESE INFLUENTIAL FIGURES WOULD ADVISE
“I always say, ‘I’m not a voyeur – I’m a participator.’ And I like being in life. It’s a gift, this life, and I just love the adventure of it”
DEEP SEA NEWS
NICOLE KIDMAN, OSCAR WINNER
“[A manageable work life is] being able to say you are finished at the end of the day and you’re going to go home and not think about work. We try to have the rule to not check email between 6pm and 9pm… If you are working 24/7, you’re not going to have interesting ideas” SUSAN WOJCICKI, YOUTUBE CEO
“The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on”
“One of the best things for a woman to hear is that she is sexy” SCARLETT JOHANSSON, SEXY ACTRESS
“How you feel is entirely in your mind. Your mind has nothing to do with your environment. It has nothing to do with anyone around you. It is entirely your decision. Making a change in your life is as easy as making a decision and acting on it. That’s it”
twitter.com/ deepseanews News-wise, we’ve got most of the planet’s landmass covered, and NASA and its peers are doing better at reporting the universe. But what about the mysterious world beneath the waves? This genius feed aggregates stories about robot larvae on the ocean floor, cleanup operations, amazing subs and more.
RONDA ROUSEY, UFC CHAMP
“We have a couple of rules in our relationship. The first is that I make her [wife Jessica Biel] feel like she’s getting everything. The second is that I actually do let her have her way in everything. And, so far, it’s working” JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, SEXYBACKER
WOODY GOOCH instagram.com/ woodygphoto Professional surf photographer must rank as one of the world’s great jobs – and Woody Gooch must rank as one of the world’s great surf photographers. While other beachside snappers only capture the epicness of the sport, Gooch does that (brilliantly) and also goes inside the lives of surfers like no one else.
BARACK OBAMA, OUTGOING US PRESIDENT
20
THE RED BULLETIN
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MUNCHIES facebook.com/ munchies The food section of the Vice media empire presents features on delicious eatables and drinks that are not only a feast for the eyes, but you might actually get to taste them, too. Street food; edible trends you don’t have to wear a jacket to enjoy; backstreet BBQ: they’re all here.
SWIM FREE
There was a time when the weight of a gold medal was more than ANTHONY ERVIN could bear. Then he learned the anxiety was there to be embraced, rebellion to be encouraged, and the path to finding himself would lead once again through the pool WORDS: JOSH DEAN  PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN ANWANDER
Ervin shocked the world with his 50m gold in Rio
23
In a sense, this pool, dingy and dimly lit, is where it all began. Anthony Ervin was basically lost in 2006 when he scrounged enough money for a one-way ticket to New York, a city he’d never even visited. He was 25 and broke, having dropped out of college, quit his band, and run out of hobbies to distract himself from the reality that he was a former world-class swimmer who had no idea what to do with his life. When an old friend who had swum with him at the University of California offered him a job teaching part-time at the swim school he’d co-founded four years earlier, Ervin thought, “What do I have to lose? I might as well try New York.” So, six years after winning a gold medal in the 50m Freestyle at the Sydney Olympics as a college freshman, Ervin packed up his guitar, flew east, and began to teach five-year-olds how to doggy paddle. “I spent a lot of time here,” says Ervin, slumping back in a folding chair on a deck overlooking the pool on Manhattan’s East Side where a new generation of kids splashes around. His former employer, Imagine Swimming, is now the largest swimming school in New York City. And Ervin, at 35, is once again the Olympic gold medallist at 50m – the fastest swimmer on Earth – 16 years after he won for the first time. Ervin’s eyes are red. His lids sag. He’s fighting a cold and just off a flight from Brazil, where he entered and won a made-for-spectators race, then caught the red eye to New York. Tomorrow he’ll fly to Washington to meet the President. 24
Since Rio, Ervin has had a total of two days off. Otherwise, he’s just “riding this thing as long as I can”, he says – competing for prize money, taking speaking gigs, and doing the paid meetand-greets afforded to Olympic stars. The first time around, Ervin did none of that. He was a teenager who went from unranked swimmer to Olympic champion in the course of a year, and – like so many other young stars – he couldn’t handle it. Within three years, he’d quit the sport. If you had told Anthony Ervin at 23 or 27 that he’d ever return to the Olympics, let alone win, he would have laughed in your face. Even after he moved to New York and started teaching, Ervin says, he THE RED BULLETIN
New York remains Ervin’s spiritual home
“There’s a certain selfabsorption in swimming that you don’t really have in other sports. The senses drip away”
THE RED BULLETIN
25
Stories about his comeback this summer typically referenced drugs, drinking and suicide – not unfairly. But they ’re less menacing inside the whole of his story wasn’t proud of his medal; it felt more like an albatross. “That was not the mantle I wanted to assume,” he says. “I wasn’t comfortable with it.” Ervin was finished with swimming. “But I needed a job.” And that job, eventually, sparked the fire that had long since burned out. Given time, Ervin came to see that everything he’d done during his nineyear hiatus from swimming had made him stronger. The talent was still there, but now so was wisdom, maturity and an ability to harness anxiety and use it as a focus. He had been to the top and also the bottom, and had come out of it all feeling like he’d truly found himself. “It’s a pretty cool story,” he says.
I
f you want to know exactly what happened to Anthony Ervin after Sydney, you should read his book, Chasing Water: Elegy Of An Olympian. The book, which he co-wrote with another Imagine instructor, the writer Constantine Markides, is one of the most honest athlete biographies you’ll ever read. Chasing Water is Ervin’s 26
story, unvarnished. There’s sex, drugs, reckless motorcycle riding, various stints in bands, and even a suicide attempt where he swallowed an entire bottle of the medicine he is prescribed to moderate his Tourette’s syndrome. Not every period is disruptive, however; Ervin dived headlong into Buddhism and meditation, went in search of understanding about his African-American heritage – his father is black; his mother Jewish – and even auctioned his 2000 Olympic gold medal to raise money for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. “A big part of the book is the rejection of, and resistance to, authority and power and control,” says Ervin, walking the empty boardwalk along New York City’s Rockaway Beach the day after speaking to the swimming groups. Cherry-picking anecdotes from Ervin’s narrative can be misleading. Stories about his comeback this summer typically referenced drugs, drinking and suicide – not unfairly, because all these things were true – but they’re less menacing inside the whole of his story.
“It may have seemed impulsive when I got into a thing but followed through on that thing for a while,” he says. “Like the motorcycle – I was riding for hours and hours a day for months on end. Or when I started doing music – I was playing all the time. [Whatever it was] I tried to get enveloped by it. It may seem to the spectator that it was impulsive… but for me it wasn’t. I was looking for something until I found what it was.” None of these things, he believes, were a waste of his time. In every new obsession, he found some truth and incorporated that into his life, making himself a better person for having done it. Take meditation: Ervin no longer meditates as a practice, but he learned and absorbed the process, so that he can call upon it when needed. This is the art of “being self-aware instead of being led along by the senses of your environment”, he says. “Be aware of them. Don’t reject them, but be very conscious of them.” The previous night at the pool, a kid had asked him about being scared in the moments before a race, and Ervin’s reply was that, sure, he feels anxious, and that’s the important thing: he feels it. Even the world’s best athletes can be overcome by anxiety, to the extent that it hampers their ability to perform at the highest level. And that used to happen to Ervin, too, until meditation taught him to recognise negative emotions, hold them up to a light and move them aside. There’s a koan [Zen paradox] he likes: “The thoughts come. You can’t stop the thoughts from coming.” Zen taught him that an empty mind is a fleeting thing: no one can sustain it. “You may have gaps where there’s absolutely nothing [in your mind],” he says. “Inevitably it rains, and the water comes, and it flows over the rock.” Rather than fixating on a thought, you recognise it, take it in, then breathe out and just let it go. That’s how you deal with nerves.
E
rvin felt the first itches when his friend Erik Vendt, a silver medallist at the 2004 Games, left Imagine to train for Beijing in 2008. He joined the club’s Masters team and raced against a clock for the first time in five years. He was faster than he’d expected, but it felt weird. “More than anything, I didn’t fully understand why I would be doing it,” he explains. “It was just trying to get control. Trying to get my body back.” Ervin saw his kids’ love of swimming and that in turn helped him rediscover his passion, too. He realised that what he liked about swimming was the same THE RED BULLETIN
Although Ervin no longer meditates regularly, he’s able to call on it when things get overwhelming
“I’ve learned the art of being self-aware instead of being led along by the senses of your environment. Be aware of them. Don’t reject them, but be very conscious of them”
Ervin reaches out at Rockaway Beach, NYC
“I know that I’m looked at and gazed upon with much more force now than I was before. While I don’t want that to change me, inevitably it does. I hope the change is more of a polish than me becoming something I don’t want to be”
thing he liked about music, about meditation, about hallucinogenic drugs. “There’s a certain self-absorption that you don’t really have in other sports,” he says. “The senses drip away.” Ervin didn’t commit to a comeback. He worked in the pool, but he also played in bands and went out a lot, often wearing a trenchcoat and eyeliner. He was still smoking, both cigarettes and pot. In 2010, Ervin moved back to California with a girlfriend, completed the last few credits of his bachelor’s degree and enrolled in grad school. He still wasn’t training per se, but he wasn’t not training either. Ervin was somewhere in the middle when he watched the University of California team win the 4x100m Freestyle Relay at the National Championships in March 2011 and it hit him: “I want to be part of this energy. I want to race again.” The following summer, Ervin was once again an Olympian. At the London 2012 Games, not even two years after returning from nine years of “doing absolutely nothing”, he finished fifth. That alone blew minds. But Ervin wasn’t done. He decided to train for Rio the second he left the pool in London: “I knew that I could be so much better.” But he was also 31. By the time the Rio Olympics began, Ervin would be 35 – five years older than anyone who’d ever won an individual gold medal in swimming. He would have to train like athletes 10 or even 15 years younger while overcoming his own aging body. But he had an edge: his mind. “Young people can bounce back really well,” he explains, “but what they don’t necessarily account for is emotional and mental energy. They have a lot more energy to work with, but a lot of that time is used frivolously.” An older man understands his body better – and his mind doesn’t work against him. Ervin felt none of the distractions that had plagued him as a young swimmer; he enjoyed training and didn’t have to argue with himself every morning about getting up for practice. Most days, he woke early, before his alarm, and had plenty of time to eat breakfast. Being a veteran of two Olympics, Ervin knew he had many advantages in Rio. The young guys, he says, tend to be terrified; they get distracted. He knew what the regimen would be like. He knew how little personal space he’d
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN Anth o ny Er vin’s p ath to Olymp ic succ ess – a n d th e lo n g jo u rn ey b a c k 1981 Born in
Valencia, California. Takes to the backyard pool at an early age
March 2000
Skinnier than his rivals, Ervin wins the 50m and 100m Freestyle at the NCAA Championships as a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley
Sept 2000
At the Sydney Olympics, the 19-year-old takes gold in the 50m, tying with freestyle legend Gary Hall Jr, and silver in the Men’s 4x100m Relay
2001 Wins two golds – 50m and 100m Freestyle – at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, but his motivation begins to flag as his appetite for partying increases 2003 Fails to
make the semi-finals of the 50m Freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Spain.
Retires from the world of swimming age 22
2005 Auctions off his Olympic gold medal on eBay and donates the proceeds – $17,100 – to UNICEF’s tsunami relief fund following the devastation in Indonesia
2006-2009 Works as a swimming instructor in New York, but spends most of his time trying to make it as a musician and experimenting with psychedelics
2010 While on a graduate programme at Berkeley, he quits smoking and gets back into the pool 2012 Finishes fifth in the 50m Freestyle at the Olympics in London 2016 Wins gold in the 50m Freestyle at the Games in Rio, becoming the oldest individual gold-medal winner in swimming
have. He knew the food in the athletes’ cafeteria would be terrible. Ervin was expected to swim in both the 50m and the 4x100m Freestyle Relay. But the night before the semi-final of the latter, the coaches told him they were swapping in a younger swimmer. “A very fast, sharp depression came on,” he recalls. In previous years, the funk would have ruined him, but Ervin let the thoughts come and began to work through them. The night before the 50m final, his godmother called. The coaches’ decision might be wrong, she told him, but it was over, and his Olympics weren’t. To wallow was hurting “all the people that I actually was doing this for. My family and my friends did not want to see me swim when I wasn’t present. I’m a freestyle swimmer – I’ve got to swim free.”
It’s easier to get to the top than it is to remain there, he tells the kids at the pool. Getting there is a naïve mission: you’re blind to everything except the drive to be the best THE RED BULLETIN
He’ll never forget what she said at the end. “She told me that these coaches are concerned with greatness, not goodness. And all greatness fades. All empires eventually crumble. But if you’re good to people, that endures from life to life. She reminded me that I’ve been down and up a lot of times, and when I was down, it was the good people who helped me up. When she helped me rediscover that, the weight that I had been carrying around lifted and I was free.” For the 50m final, Ervin drew lane three, directly between defending Olympic champion Flo Manaudou and Ben Proud, a young Brit and a rising star. These were arguably the two fastest starters in the world sandwiching a guy famous for his slow starts. “Two years ago, I would have panicked and been like, ‘I’m going to see them ahead of me and I’m going to buckle under that pressure right from the get-go,’ ” he says. “This time, I was like, ‘All right, they’re going to dive in, and their wave is going to lift me up and push me forward.’ ”
S
omething else Ervin told the kids at the pool is that it’s easier to get to the top than to remain there. Getting there, he said, is a naïve mission: you’re blind to everything except the drive to be the best. But once you reach the top, you’re suddenly aware of the hundreds of swimmers who want to be where you are – where he is, again, right now. Ervin does not discount this as a factor in what happens next year, and for however long he keeps swimming. He has always tried to do one thing above all others: just be himself. “I know that I’m looked at and gazed upon with much more force now than I was before,” he says. “While I don’t want that to change me, inevitably it does. I hope the change is more of a polish than me becoming something I don’t want to be.” This time, he’s not rejecting the success: he’s proud of the medal, and of the first one, too. Someday, he thinks, he might buy it back. Ervin has neither committed to, nor ruled out, trying for a fourth Olympics – in Tokyo – in 2020. He would be 39. He fully expects a new generation to rise up and usurp him, and he knows that in all likelihood he won’t be able to cheat time and beat them all again. But that’s fine: the target has shifted. “My definitive goal would be to make sure I’m in the finals at the Olympic trials,” Ervin says. “Just to show I’m still f--king good.” anthonyervin.com
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ACTION SHOTS OF THE YEAR
IT’S ALL SO BEAUTIFUL OFF THE BEATEN TRACK. THE RED BULLETIN PRESENTS THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT TOOK OUR BREATH AWAY IN 2016 WORDS: ROBERT SPERL
POWDER PLAYER LOCATION Les Deux Alpes, France PHOTO
Bartek Wolinski
“In the summer of 2015, I spent a few days with friends at a bike park in France,” says Wolinski. “The conditions were great; it was dry and there was lots of dirt and loose gravel. But
I actually got this shot of Nick Pescetto on a day the bike park was closed for maintenance work. We’d taken a shortcut down into the valley and suddenly found
ourselves on a skislope building site. There was a road made for trucks that was about 30cm deep in dirt! It was like coming downhill in powdery snow. You should have seen me afterwards.” 31
SCALING THE HEIGHTS LOCATION Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa PHOTO
Christian Pondella
“I’d been planning this expedition with Canadian Will Gadd for years: a climbing tour of the highest mountain in Africa, where the ice on the glacier is disappearing faster than almost anywhere else in the world, due to global warming,” says Pondella. “This photo was taken at Kibo’s crater, near the
summit. At around 5,800m above sea level, the climbing was pretty tough on Will, both technically and physically. The razor-sharp shards may have been incredibly beautiful, but they were also scary, because Will
just didn’t know how stable the ice was. The ice debris at the base of the formations was the first sign that they were close to collapse. All in all, it meant our trip was important; slowly but surely, the glacier is disappearing. By 2020, there will probably be none of the ice left at all.”
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SLIDE RULERS
LOCATION Aquaventure Waterpark, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
PHOTO
Stefan Eigner
“Ask any skater who’s ever seen the Aquaconda waterslide in Dubai and they’ll probably all say the same idea popped into their head: ‘Just let me turn off the water and hurtle down this snaking labyrinth
on my board to my heart’s content,’” says Eigner. “Sadly, the waterpark is very popular and therefore it’s always in use. But last January the slides went dry for three days for maintenance work, and this gave skaters Alex Sorgente, Milton Martinez and Jan
Hoffmann a chance to go wild. This was a one-off opportunity for us photographers to take skateboarding pictures the likes of which had never been seen before.”
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TEST OF COURAGE LOCATION Kleszczów, Poland PHOTO
Marcin Kin
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
“The Red Bull 111 Megawatt in Kleszczów is one of my favourite events. I’ve taken a lot of cool photos at it, and this year was no different. The organiser of the event is my friend Łukasz Nazdraczew, and he’d secured me a good place to stand. At one point, a throng of riders was getting closer to me, and I thought, ‘Something’s
gonna happen now.’ I wasn’t wrong – suddenly things got hairy. Standing there in the middle of the track, I had a choice: I’d either get a good shot or get run over. I felt like a war correspondent reporting from the battlefield. I don’t remember exactly when I took the photo, but I happened to get this shot of Marcin Kurowski, the Polish motocrosser. To be honest, I’d just wanted to stay alive.” 37
HOME BOY
LOCATION Red Bull BC One Cypher, Cape Town, South Africa PHOTO
Tyrone Bradley
“I took this photo the same day I moved into my first home,” says Bradley. “Up to that point, BC One Cyphers in South Africa had always been fairly informal affairs, so I
was sure I’d be able to move house and do the photoshoot. But I was flabbergasted when I got to the Cape Town
Stadium. There was a great atmosphere, the place was packed and you could barely move! Somehow, I managed to catch B-Boy Toufeeq at the exact moment he happened to look at me. I captured his total commitment.”
TUNNEL VISION
LOCATION Bundoran, County Donegal, Ireland PHOTO
Ian Mitchinson
“Cian Logue is one of the best surfers in Ireland, and also one of its top backhand tube-riders,” says Mitchinson. “I really like the special feel you get in this picture. It was a dark and overcast day, but just as I took the picture, a ray of light broke through a gap in the clouds. The chance of getting the right light must have been one in a million. The water
was reflecting the light quite a lot, and the sun wasn’t in a good position. The thing that makes this photo such a triumph from my point of view is that Cian had been struck in the face by a wave just a moment earlier, and his hair was hanging down over his forehead as he went barrelling through. So the shot has everything: his skill, courage and determination, plus the beauty of the wave itself, and all in this unique light.”
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ARCH RIVAL
LOCATION Great Arch of Getu, Guizhou Province, China PHOTO
Jimmy Chin
“The Great Arch of Getu is a crazy quirk of nature: a tunnel through a limestone massif made of sharpedged rock, the roof of which is 200m high,” says Chin. “The limestone is tempting for climbers, with all its holes, ridges and
ledges, but only a handful have managed to bend the arch to their will so far. Every centimetre is a conquest when you’re hanging upside down from the arch. There’s no time to celebrate,
either, because your concentration might lapse and you need it for your next move. The first person to conquer the arch was the Spaniard Dani Andrada. Here, I’m photographing the Brazilian Felipe Camargo working on a new route. I was also hanging on a rope between heaven and earth at the time.”
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RIDERS ON THE STORM LOCATION Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Florida PHOTO
Jon DeVore
Skydiving photos are always a challenge, but when an athlete like Sean MacCormac says that this time he wants you to follow him through thunder and lightning, you think, ‘Today, things are gonna get really exciting’. As a photographer, I’ve
42
taken thousands of shots of jumps, but never before had I been asked to keep an eye on a skydiver and a storm at the same time. Sky-surfers normally call it a day when those dark clouds come rolling in. There’s only one guy crazy enough to jump out of a plane in weather like that,
and that’s Sean MacCormac. As Sean says, and he’s right, ‘The chances of being struck by lightning are much smaller than our fear of it.’”
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
RISING TO
THE TOP WITH HARDCORE CREATIVE DETERMINATION, BLACK COFFEE WILLED HIS STELLAR DJ AND PRODUCTION CAREER INTO BEING. NOW HE’S ON TOP OF THE WORLD, BUT HE’S STILL DREAMING WORDS: HAGEN ENGLER PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS SAUNDERS STYLING: JAMAL NXEDLANA
ILLUSTRATOR EDITOR XX
Dream machine: Black Coffee in a Mercedes-Benz AMG – his favourite car
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“It’s the most expensive production car in the world,” someone murmurs reverentially under their breath, as Black Coffee, aka Nkosinathi Maphumulo, admires a white McLaren. Within seconds, he’s shifted his attention to a black Mercedes-Benz AMG. “This is my dream car,” he gushes over the gleaming beast. He’s one of the most successful DJs and producers in modern music, one of the coolest men on the planet, and he’s jumping around like a teenager. It’s clear that Black Coffee, this man with fans in their millions, is a fan himself. So the location for today’s shoot at RACE! – Johannesburg-based importers and customisers of the world’s leading automotive brands – is apt. As he encourages his hosts to start the engine of the AMG and sits grinning in the driver’s seat, it’s clear he’s into this; cars are his thing. Well, cars and music. Black Coffee has built his life on a love of music. Growing up in dusty Mthatha, Eastern Cape, the young Maphumulo refused to have his prospects limited by his modest beginnings. Aged 14, he permanently injured his left arm on the day that Nelson Mandela was released from prison, but he didn’t stop dreaming. He imagined his career, his cars, his home, his future life. Through strength of vision and determination, Black Coffee willed himself into being. Then, through talent and strategy, he became one of the world’s most successful dance producers. Right now, he is probably South Africa’s biggest musical export. His singles routinely hit number one on download site Traxsource, his albums likewise and his world tour is pretty much ongoing. The biggest names in music want to work with him. As the photographer shoots some edgy portraits with Maphumulo’s own black SLS in the background, he can barely contain his enthusiasm. “It’s hard not to turn around and watch,” he chuckles as the driver expertly spins the vehicle across the concrete behind him, plumes of rubber smoke erupting from the wheel cavities. the red bulletin: Are you a bit of a piston head? nkosinathi maphumulo: Not really. I love cars, but… it’s the same with music, really. I’ve never been the guy who can tell you the history of a record label, or the history of the producer. So you’re more of a fan than a fanatic? Exactly. Even with cars, I won’t be able to tell you details about the engine and all that… As an artist, it’s the design that attracts me, the way a car looks. Then I think, “OK, let’s change the sound. Change the colour. Dechrome it. Get a better exhaust.” Because I don’t want it to feel normal. It must be unique. Always remixing? Yeah, that’s it! What was your first car? A Volkswagen Polo Playa. A 1.4i or something. I was staying in Pretoria and needed to get around to gigs. I truly loved that car. Put mag wheels on it, put 46
THE RED BULLETIN
“I NEVER LIMITED MYSELF AS A KID. I ALWAYS WANTED THE BEST THINGS”
“I’ve always been a Mercedes fan. It’s such an amazing car to drive,” says Maphumulo
a sound system in... But I have always been a Mercedes fan. Getting a Mercedes was always an aspiration for me. It’s such an amazing car to drive, and it’s so underrated. It was always my dream car. Did your love for cars come later in life, or was it always there? It was there from when I was a kid. Township kids do that thing where you stand by the road, and as the cars come by, you choose: “That’s mine!” I never THE RED BULLETIN
limited myself as a kid, despite where I grew up. I always wanted the best things, even though it was unclear how I would get them. As a kid, I used to take a piece of paper and literally draw my dream house, my dream car and my future family, despite having a dream of being a DJ – because at the time, DJs were not known as family people. But I wanted to have a family and be a DJ. Not have a rock star life.
But you do live a rock star life! Every weekend! So in a way, you designed your life. That’s exactly what I’m telling kids to do. I’ve been going to high schools lately, speaking to kids about self love, sharing my story. [I say] “Imagine yourself in a couple of years’ time. Fully. Say to yourself: ‘I’m gonna wear these clothes. I’m gonna drive this kind of car.’ These are things you must speak into life now, 47
“IF YOU HAVE NOTHING, THE BIGGEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF IS THINK, ‘HOW AM I GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE?’”
when you’re in high school, and it will help you get there. Have a clear vision. You need to start attracting these things.” How did you learn that? We’re assuming that you weren’t surrounded by DJ role models as a child. This is my childhood: in the Eastern Cape, every morning, at 5am, my grandmother wakes me up. She makes me toast and coffee. I leave while it’s still dark. Alone. I’m 14 years old. I walk, dogs barking, to where the cattle are kept. Get there; milk the cows. Minimum two, sometimes three or four. From there, change and go to school. School comes out at 2pm. I have an hour or so to hang out with other kids. Then I go home, take the buckets, go milk the cows again. Every. Single. Day. That’s all I was exposed to. How did you build a vision beyond that? It’s all here. [Taps his head] You don’t need to move somewhere else to think bigger. It’s up to you. If you have nothing, the biggest thing you can do for yourself is to think, “How am I going to get out of here?” Visualise that. Be a dreamer. Create a life. As a kid, I used to daydream about myself being visited by Michael Jackson, eMthatha! At that stage, being a DJ was a dream too, but I used my imagination. I look at my life now, and I’m almost there. Only you can limit yourself. And then you had your accident, which surely is even more of a limitation? It was, but it happened when I was a kid, which helped me. If it had happened later, I could have been too conscious about myself and my thoughts would have affected me. It would have killed me. But because I was still young, I was just this driven kid. You still had that innocent belief that anything is possible. That innocence got me here today. I had serious nerve damage on my shoulder. I did physiotherapy as a kid… that almost crippled my mind. Because you’re a kid, you have hope: “Last week I went two times, I’m going go three times this week.” Then eventually I realised that it wasn’t helping. One day I told my grandmother that I wanted to stop. And that was liberating for you? So much. Because from that point I shut it down. I just forgot that I was injured, label. It was freaking people out – in a started playing with other kids. I remember year I put out six songs. You Turn Me On this particular day… I was running, and I just thought, let me put my hand in my was number one for a whole year. The pocket, which was weird at the time. And year after, it was Superman. That’s how I got into doing shows overseas. that was it. My friends looked at my new You started your record label, Soulistic, solution and they were like, “OK!” early on. Is there something that Which came first: DJing or producing? distinguishes the music business from I started DJing first. I’m an old-school DJ. I started DJing on cassettes. You’d other businesses? go to shows with a pen to rewind and There are so many opportunities in music. fast-forward the tapes. You can be a publisher, a management But you started producing pretty early… company, you can be a record label and Yes. My approach was different. I came concentrate on album sales. Overseas, from an era where compilation albums merchandise is big. Justin Bieber makes a were big. Local DJs would fight over which sweater; he kills it. It’s a unique business. songs to license for their compilation Many people are bedroom producers, give them some production tips. albums. Revolution was one of the few Go with your feeling, man. People dance artists making their own albums. sometimes get thrown off, trying to follow That inspired me. I thought instead of the new sound. But take Happy by Pharrell registering my label on Traxsource and Williams. It’s a hit, but it’s not a part of a trying to introduce myself, and finding trend and it’s different to his hip-hop stuff. songs to license, let me license my songs If you start feeling the funk, go with that to them. Let me be this new kid they funk. When you go with your feeling, it introduce. By the time I got to my third helps you, because that’s what you know. album, it became the most licensed. Do you approach DJing in a similar way? International producers will work on A DJ is a tastemaker. Without a DJ playing maybe two songs a year. I would hold that new song, people will never know it. back my album, and release one single on a label, release the next on another With DJs, the temptation is to be safe and
“I WANT TO GET A NIGHT IN IBIZA, A RESIDENCY, GET TO NAME THE PARTY, CREATE A BRAND”
THE RED BULLETIN
play the same music because we’re afraid to break new songs. But I like to take risks. Especially at the beginning of a set, when people are paying attention. I use that excitement to educate and introduce new songs. I start with a song people don’t know. I don’t even know where I’m going to go after that. I keep layering it till I get to the song people know. Then you go back to what they don’t know. You were in the Red Bull Music Academy in 2003. What did that teach you? It helped me understand music in a different way. It got me thinking a lot about production. I am South African, but I started thinking how to dress this thing up so everyone can understand it. That’s probably a lesson many South African artists can learn. You have to ask yourself how far you want to go. It starts with your name. What’s your goal? You might need to change a lot of things. Speaking of other SA artists, you had an altercation at a show with AKA’s team? Was it about professionalism and punctuality? It’s not only about that. It’s about respecting other people. If you’re not on time, then wait. Wait for the person who is on time to do their thing. Then have your turn. Being late happens to all of us. But especially when you’re only going to go sleep after the gig, you can wait for the other artist to perform. I literally had a jet waiting and another show back in Jo’burg. Is there much still to be achieved of the dreams of that kid in Mthatha? Of course. It’s a pity Michael Jackson is gone. Is there anyone like him left? There is. Chris Brown. His approach to music is second to none. What’s next for me is getting a night in Ibiza, a residency, get to name the party, create a brand. When it becomes strong, you tour that name. I’m playing a residency at Shimmy Beach in Cape Town in December. So it’s happening. And when the brand becomes stronger, you can go as far as Vegas. That’s the DJ side. The production side… Would you change genres? Listen to my new single, Your Eyes. It’s different. Slower; kind of mid-tempo. I feel I’ve confined myself to one genre too much; musically I want to explore. I don’t want to say I’m just a house-music producer. I’m putting out an EP, and then I’m doing an album next year with Ultra Music. That album is different styles. Obviously house music will be there, but anything that I love will go in there. blackcoffee.dj
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Wave Breakers Words: Andreas Rottenschlager Photography: Sebastian Marko
In Red Bull Storm Chase, the world’s best extreme windsurfers face winds in excess of 100kph and the most severe storms that planet Earth can throw at them. Its stars reveal what you learn about self-confidence when riding the crests of those punishing waves
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Show of strength: German Dany Bruch tames 105kph winds off Cornwall, the last stop on the 2014 Red Bull Storm Chase calendar
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Storm warning Red Bull Storm Chase 2017 will take place between the beginning of January and mid March. As soon as a serious tempest nears the Northern Hemisphere, the drill will run as follows:
96h
ALARM
60h
ANNOUNCEMENT
48h
LAST CHANCE
24h
JOURNEY
0h
MISSION
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A gale-force 10 storm is advancing on a surfing spot The windsurfers get the official go-ahead from the organisers There's a final opportunity to cancel if the storm dies down The eight competitors set off from all corners of the globe Red Bull Storm Chase begins
Record-breaking storm: Windsurfers Boujmaa Guilloul (left) and Julien Taboulet at Brandon Bay in Ireland in 2013. Wind speeds peaked at 140kph
D u r i n g a s eve r e sto r m , i t ’s c h a o s o n the high seas. Masts break, sails snap. A gust of wind might hit a windsurfer as he performs a jump and carry him a wa y. T h e n , p o w e r l e s s , h e c a n d r o p 10m into waves the size of a house� 54
Landing Down Under: the 2013 Red Bull Storm Chase windsurfers at an airport in Tasmania
Dany Bruch “You have to be able to conquer panic”
Above: Red Bull Storm Chase veteran Dany Bruch will take on the storms again in 2017 Safety measures: if a windsurfer (main pic: Boujmaa Guilloul) loses control during a jump, he hurls his board out of the way to prevent himself crash-landing on it
The Red Bulletin: During the 2013/14 Red Bull Storm Chase, you surfed in storms with winds exceeding 100kph. Where do you get the confidence to face such conditions? Dany Bruch: It comes from years of windsurfing experience, which has included surfing in tough locations. But, also, being able to control panic is just as important as self-confidence. How do you control panic? By giving yourself a good talking-to. I was once drifting at sea with a broken board, and I said to myself, “Dany, you’ll be OK. Pull yourself together.” That sounds very matter-of-fact… But it works. You have to be able to press the reset button in your brain. If we get stuck in a lift and start to panic, should we also try to calm ourselves with that kind of clarity? You should. Another very simple thing to do is to take three deep breaths – that also works. What helps you on days when you’re doubting yourself? My morning routine: it consists of two glasses of water, training my back muscles and doing press-ups.
Right: Frenchman Thomas Traversa in mountainous waves off Cornwall
O
n the afternoon of February 10, 2014, Thomas Traversa stood in a bay in Cornwall, looking out at the hailstorm erupting over the Atlantic. The French windsurfer wore a 5mm-thick neoprene suit with a hood, yet still had to raise his arm to protect his face from the ice pellets flying at him horizontally. Gusts of wind measuring more than 100kph whipped across the ocean. Huge, dark-grey waves lashed the beach break, The Bluff, which Traversa was due to surf just minutes later. The thunderous noise sounded like houses collapsing. Cornwall was the last of three stops on the Red Bull Storm Chase calendar for extreme windsurfers. The aim of the competition is to conquer storms the like of which have never been surfed. Winds must measure at least gale-force 10 on the Beaufort scale, which translates as 89-101kph; at such speeds, the force can officially “uproot trees” and cause “serious damage to houses". For the duration of the competition time window (from the beginning of January to mid March in 2017), the sportsmen commit themselves to travelling to the location of a storm, from wherever they are on the globe, as soon as the Red Bull Storm Chase organisers announce it. The participants are only told the exact destination of the competition on site. Storm-surfing is a sport that only a handful of fearless professionals practise. When winds reach such extreme speeds, masts break and sails tear. A gust of wind can hit a windsurfer during a jump and blow him off his board. When that happens, he might end up falling, powerless, into the sea from a height of 10m. In Cornwall, the hail gave way to heavy rain. Traversa grabbed his board and waded over the long, flat sandbank and into the Atlantic with a GPS transmitter in his lifejacket. Two rescue-team jet-skis circled him. Traversa was the lightest participant at 73kg – a disadvantage if you’re exposed to squalls when jumping high on your board. 56
Thomas Traversa “Nervousness is a good thing. It shows you something exciting is happening” The Red Bulletin: You’re the current Red Bull Storm Chase title-holder and you’re considered to be the world’s best extreme windsurfer. Do you still get excited when you surf into a storm? Thomas Traversa: Of course. You can’t train for a gale-force 10 storm. You’d need your own rescue team and jet-skis escorting you. There’s always an element of risk. That’s what makes it exciting. When you surf in a squall, you have to be in total control of your decision-making. What’s your trick for keeping calm? I observe the others before the start; it makes me feel better if they’re nervous, too. I don’t feel so alone with my nerves. Your fellow competitors are seasoned professionals. What do you do if they’re completely calm before the storm? That is never going to happen, believe me! Do you have a tip for regular people on how to conquer nerves? Say we’ve got to give a speech at a wedding… I do: try to have fun at the precise moment you feel nervous.
How is that meant to work? Humour is your best weapon against nerves. Being funny is better than getting stressed. Your brain will do that anyway. How can we suddenly be funny when we’re panicking? You don’t suddenly have to be funny. Learn a joke by heart. In an emergency, just tell yourself the joke. How would that be beneficial? It’s interaction, because the other guests will react to your joke, or they’ll crack one themselves. There’s nothing worse than sitting in silence in a corner before you’re about to take on a challenge. That just makes things worse. Is there a good side to nerves? Of course. Nerves are exciting in the right dosage. After all, they remind you that something exciting is happening to you.
Red Bull Storm Chase title-holder Thomas Traversa: “There’s always an element of risk”
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FORCING A DECISION Red Bull Storm Chase competitors must wait for gale-force 10 winds (89101kph). This satellite image shows the storm over the final venue – Cornwall – on February 10, 2014. The winds peaked at speeds of 61 knots (112kph)
FINAL VENUE: CORNWALL
Main pic: Hawaiian Josh Angulo surfs Brandon Bay in Co Kerry, Ireland. Right: Judge Klaas Voget waves a flag to interrupt proceedings in Ireland due to bad visibility
Englishman Duncan Coombs is head judge at Red Bull Storm Chase and on the World Windsurfing Tour
Duncan Coombs “You can train yourself to be brave” You were an active competitive windsurfer for 33 years, and in 2013/14 you travelled the world with the best storm windsurfers for the Red Bull Storm Chase. Is it possible to learn bravery? Duncan Coombs: In my experience, bravery is very often innate. The craziest kids – the ones who’ll climb the tallest trees – will go on to become the bravest sportsmen and women. But there must be ways of training yourself to be braver? Absolutely. You have to learn to have faith in yourself. That’s more of a cliché than a piece of advice, though… But it’s true. It’s very easy to start. Just get yourself up off the couch. Go on a bike ride. Learn to skate. Work your way up gradually. So you mean there’s a step-by-step programme for bravery? Exactly. Nothing will work if you don’t have faith in yourself. It doesn’t matter whether you’re surfing a storm, asking your boss for a promotion, or inviting a beautiful woman out on a date. Ultimately, it always boils down to the same thing: developing a lust for life.
The ocean greeted him with howling winds and crashing waves. The sea was white with foam. The water temperature was 4°C. Traversa wore no gloves as he didn’t want to lose his feel for the wishbone boom. His fingers began cramping within minutes. The Frenchman headed into the first crests of the waves, but went in at the wrong angle and was knocked off his board. He had to swim back and haul himself onto his surfboard, spitting out saltwater as he did so. He had done battle with the rough seas for 15 minutes when a particularly steep wave came heading for him. It was the perfect ramp. Traversa aimed straight for it. The wind catapulted him into the air. Traversa kept going higher and higher – seven, 10, 12m into the air. Time stood still for two seconds. He later said that windsurfers experience a short moment of calm while at the highest point of a jump. You’re hovering high enough to escape the wind, which howls loudest just above the surface of the water. But, Traversa explained, everything was almost calm 12m above the water – a surreal moment. Two seconds later, he came crashing back down into the ocean. On the way down, he rotated his surfboard 360° forward and landed a front loop in the waves. From his perch on the beach, judge Duncan Coombs first looked through his binoculars and then in disbelief at his colleagues. Coombs, a man with broad shoulders and a West Country accent, had been awarding points on the World Windsurfing Tour for 16 years. He would later say that it was a mystery to him how someone who weighed so little could hold onto a sail out there. His expert verdict: “Thomas has got balls of steel.” Traversa made his way back to shore after 20 minutes in the water. He didn’t feel cold or the pain from his cramping fingers. The adrenalin only worked its way out of his body an hour later, after a hot shower in the Cornish sailing club, as he stood on the top of the podium at the award ceremony. Thomas Traversa, just 73kg, was king of the storm-chasers. The 2017 Red Bull Storm Chase will take place between early January and mid March. For details of the competitors and other information, go to: redbullstormchase.com Or visit: facebook.com/redbullstormchase
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Competition judge Duncan Coombs said it was a mystery how someone weighing just 73kg could hold onto a sail out there. His expert verdict: “Thomas has got balls of steel" Leap of faith: Dany Bruch braves the storm in Cornwall during the 2014 Red Bull Storm Chase
REGULARLY CITED AS THE WORLD’S HARDEST DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE, RED BULL HARDLINE IS A FEARSOME BEAST, BRED TO DEVOUR THE UNPREPARED. SO WHAT MAKES COMPETITORS RIDE INTO THE MOUTH OF A MONSTER?
RIDING THE
RAGGED EDGE
RICHIE HOPSON, BORIS BEYER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
WORDS: MATTHEW RAY PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHIE HOPSON
RUARIDH CUNNINGHAM The Scottish rider and 2015 Red Bull Hardline winner prepares to take to the saddle and defend his title
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in this year’s World Cup round in Cairns, Australia it’s quite an admission. The riders assembled here are seasoned World Cup downhill racing pros, yet at Red Bull Hardline they’re in awe of the course, and have to push their limits just to compete. Stretching the competitors to those limits is MTB star Dan Atherton. In 2013, when Atherton decided to build a downhill course in his backyard, he wanted to create a real challenge for the best riders in the world – but even he didn’t realise how big it would get. “I’ve created a bit of a monster and it’s taken on a life of its own,” he admits. “It’s definitely next level,” confirms Hannah. “The jumps aren’t the biggest and the technical stuff isn’t the hardest, but the combination of woods, rocks, drops, step-ups, step-downs and doubles, all of which you have to adjust your technique for, is what makes it so challenging.”
T Joe Smith catches his breath after his final run at Red Bull Hardline 2016. He was hoping for a winning performance to improve on last year’s second place, but had to settle for eighth
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he mountains of the Dyfi Valley may look rounded and gentle, but they’ve steered torrents of water out to sea for aeons, creating steep, plunging slopes perfect for shredding on a mountain bike. And they are high, too – the course has more vertical drop than the World Cup at Fort William. Mastering the vertiginous declines and yawning jumps stretches every rider – be they wily seasoned campaigner or ultra-confident young gun. On practice day, the warm autumn sun burns off the cloud while a cool breeze flows down the mountain. The conditions THE RED BULLETIN
DAN HEARN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, RICHIE HOPSON
n intense clattering and whirring makes a solid knot of spectators crane their necks towards a narrow path where a mountain bike rider hammers through a tightly packed rock garden, shoulders bunched and arms set to absorb the shock. Rider and bike cannon past, just metres from the faces in the crowd, so fast and so close that the only way to process the movement is like a camera in ‘burst’ mode. The rider drops onto a long wooden ramp and, legs pistoning, accelerates hard before sailing into the void, trusting to power and providence that he’s done enough to cross the seemingly unbridgeable 60ft chasm. This is the Road Gap at Red Bull Hardline 2016, deep in Wales’s Dyfi Valley, where watching riders launch themselves high above the ground to cross such a distance unaided is a genuine ‘you have to see it to believe it’ moment. It’s a leviathan of a jump and begs the question of whether the competitors prepping for their first runs on the daunting course are truly aware of just how fearsome a challenge they’ve taken on. The answer comes from Australian rider ‘Sik Mik’ Mick Hannah: “It’s impossible to gauge what we do on camera – photos and videos really mellow it out. I got here and I was like: ‘Whoa, that is big.’” From a man who finished second in the 2013 MTB World Championship and third
“IT’S DEFINITELY NEXT LEVEL. THE COMBINATION OF WOODS, ROCKS, DROPS, STEP-UPS, STEP-DOWNS AND DOUBLES IS WHAT MAKES IT SO CHALLENGING”
JOE SMITH The Welshman is no stranger to this challenging course and looked comfortable on home turf
The Dyfi Valley in Powys, MidWales, provides a stunning setting for Red Bull Hardline. But for the riders, including Taylor Vernon (pictured), there’s no time to stop and enjoy the view
are near perfect and in diametric opposition to last year when wind, torrential rain and jumps chewed up and spat out the riders. “Last year there was an element of survival,” says surprise 2015 winner Ruaridh Cunningham. “Practice was like The Hunger Games, with people hitting jumps, but then disappearing off into the trees left and right. This year it’s a really good atmosphere – I’m pushing my limits, but when the jumps are the biggest you have ever done, it’s pretty damn fun.” The mood is light as the riders attack the course in groups, a far cry from the shuttered, hypercompetitive atmosphere of the World Cup circuit where, Cunningham says, “you’d never [ride together] because nobody wants to give their lines away”. Beneath all the good-natured camaraderie, however, no one is taking the course lightly, as Cunningham admits: “The big features are intimidating, but when you take those away it’s still a hell of a track – really technical,” he says. “The middle section of the course in the open is super steep, really rocky and narrow, plus our bikes have higher tyre pressures and harder suspension to cope with the bigger jumps, gee outs and hits – [Dan Atherton] has built some monster, but we’re here to tackle it.” The Scot has triumphed here before, however, and is convinced that he has the measure of the monster. “It’s not all about winning,” he says cautiously, “but if I stick to my gameplan and put together the run that I think I am capable of, I do believe I can win. When I get in the gate tomorrow and the clock starts ticking down, I’ll be ready.” Guaranteed to be in hot pursuit is Bernard Kerr, the English rider who has 66
“LAST YEAR, PRACTICE WAS LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES, WITH PEOPLE HITTING JUMPS BUT THEN DISAPPEARING OFF INTO THE TREES” RUARIDH CUNNINGHAM
had a breakthrough season in the World Cup circuit finishing 15th, and who is known to be comfortable with huge amplitude, but the course has already bitten him – hard. “I had a massive crash yesterday,” Kerr says ruefully. “I hit the Renegade Step Up really well three times and then I was just too chilled coming into it the next time and came up way too short. I ditched the bike in mid air to bail off, came down on the back of the landing and then almost got landed on by two other riders. It rattles you a bit and it makes you nervous. I have a sore neck and back, but I’ve ridden today, so it’s all good.” While Kerr was able to shrug off the Renegade’s first assault, French rider Alex Fayolle, teammate to Hannah, carries too much speed into the jump and massively overshoots the landing. He takes a big hit and is knocked cold. In double-quick time he’s airlifted off the course to hospital. It’s a dispiriting moment. “Alex had been one of the smoothest, most in-control riders out there – he was looking really good. But that’s the thing with this course, it really can bite you,” says Dan Atherton. As the light begins to fade and the skies above begin to darken, so too does the mood on the mountain.
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he following morning there’s good news – Fayolle has been released from hospital and while he won’t race today, the word is he’s OK. It’s a relief for Hannah. “I basically live with Alex throughout the season and really enjoy having him as a teammate,” he says, while admitting the crash has had an affect. “It’s hard to bounce back from something like that and get into a stable state of mind to go and ride your bike yourself. It’s a reminder that although the course is within our capabilities, when it goes wrong it can go badly wrong. That’s something that you have to respect.” So how does the veteran rider push past the doubts and throw himself into competition? “It’s really important to separate your body from your thoughts because of all of the nerves, the knots
BERNARD KERR Surrey-born Kerr rose up the ranks from third last year to take the 2016 Red Bull Hardline crown. “I felt confident going into the final, but I also knew that I could throw it away in a blink of an eye”
RUTGER PAUW/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, RICHIE HOPSON
MICK HANNAH The Aussie MTB veteran known as “Sik Mik� was in full entertainer mode this year, sending his signature suicide no-handers all over the track
“IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THE FACTS. CONFIDENCE ISN’T JUST A FEELING; IT’S BASED ON TRUTH AND PROVEN FACTS” ‘SIK MIK’ HANNAH
Red Bull Hardline course creator Dan Atherton (left) and his brother Gee join spectators to watch this year’s final runs on the big screen
RICHIE HOPSON
in your stomach, the adrenalin. It’s important to remember the facts – you can ride a bike, you are prepared. Because confidence isn’t just a feeling; it’s based on truth and proven facts.” And then it’s time. Time for the riders to put that truth to the test: against the clock, against each other, but most of all against the course. However, because this track is so demanding some of the riders’ qualifying runs will also be their first non-stop runs. “That was my first full run,” says Ruaridh Cunningham of his descent. “Physically it’s pretty tough to ride because there’s nowhere to rest – if you’ve got anything close to rest it’s because you’re in the air! This race is won and lost in the bits between the jumps, the technical bits no one is talking about – I had a few bobbles there in this run and lost a bit of time.” Cunningham’s strategy reflects what the riders have learned about the jumps on Red Bull Hardline. They have a set speed – too slow and you ‘case it’, too fast and you overshoot. But the shifting wind is altering that split-second calculation. It’s Dan Atherton’s brother, Gee, who sets the pace, pushing past the pain of a shoulder injury sustained in practice to set a marker that raises eyebrows among the other competitors. It takes a scorching run from Cunningham to knock Atherton off top spot, but the younger rider admits afterwards that he had to find a new level to take the lead and it almost cost him.
Adam Brayton put in an aggressive run that looked like it might place him above Ruaridh Cunningham on the podium. But, in the end, the man from the Lake District was narrowly pushed into third
“It was wild – I made some big mistakes,” he says. “It made me angry and I tried to make up for it by going even harder. That wasn’t working and on the run in to the Renegade Step Up I told myself to relax. From there down it was pretty smooth.” In the end, fighting for and finding that control is the biggest victory of the weekend for Cunningham. “I honestly thought I’d blown it up top, so to turn it round was awesome,” he says contentedly.
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f the 20 riders who started the week, only 14 are left at the finish – it’s a high attrition rate and one you would bet would include anyone gung-ho enough to really let it all hang out on a final race run. But that’s exactly what Bernard Kerr’s victorious, charging finale looks like – bold, loose and exhilarating to watch. It’s incredibly quick too, and if the look in his eye at the finish is anything to go by, then it was also hairy as hell. “It was sketchy man, really sketchy!” he says. ‘My qualifying time gave me confidence, but I’ve been saying all weekend that I’ve been having fun and I think that really helps me to go faster.” In the end, Kerr eclipses Cunningham by just over two seconds to take victory. Over such a technically challenging course it’s a small margin and the gap to those behind is even slimmer, with just a second separating Cunningham from third-placed Adam Brayton and Gee Atherton in fourth. However, it’s possible that in that gap rests the edge needed to translate an ability to ride the tiger into truly taming the beast. It lies somewhere between a wild ride on the ragged edge and the knowledge of when to turn exuberant confidence into control. In Kerr and Cunningham, and ultimately in the gifts of every rider who braved the world’s toughest downhill race, those seemingly opposing forces produced a mighty spectacle. Watch the action on Red Bull TV
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HEROES
“TAKE THINGS IN TO GET SOMETHING OUT” JIM JARMUSCH The cult director knows how to
get by in life: you summon the gods, you hunt the sheep, and you forgo email
the red bulletin: Paterson, the titular protagonist in your new movie, refuses to get a mobile phone. Do you have one yourself? jim jarmusch: Yes, I have an iPad, an iPhone. They can be very valuable tools, but we can get sucked into them. I love to read about new musicians I don’t know about, 70
then go on Spotify or YouTube and listen to them. But I’ve never owned a laptop, and I don’t have personal email. Why not? I would be on it half the day; I already have to fight to write and make music. I want to read and think and do my job. Joe Strummer used to say, “No input, no output,” which means you have to spend time taking things in to get something back out of yourself. And you don’t get sucked into your phone? New York is a drag: you walk down the street and everyone
When your cat died, you went to a priest and asked him whether its soul would go to heaven… And he said no and I never went back to church. I was 12 years old. But have you ever heard of a drug named DMT? Ayahuasca, which is used by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, is a form of it. You can smoke it, among other things. It might answer that question better than I could. And you used it? Only once. It’s released in your brain when you die, too, so it’s a kind of window. The philosopher Terence McKenna, who studied hallucinogenic drugs and shamanism, wrote a lot about DMT, and included
“I SAY TO MYSELF, ‘ACCEPT THAT YOUR HOUSE IS FULL OF BROKEN THINGS AND YOUR SHIRT IS ON BACKWARDS. YOU ARE AN IDIOT’” is fumbling around with their phone. I want to shove them out of the way and say, “What is your problem? There is a f--king world around you!” But you can’t shove them out of the way. They’re like sheep. “Baa! Baa!” But you’re the embodiment of calm and coolness… Not always. I have a terrible thing with inanimate objects. Some days, I might drop a tea cup, or a window-shade will break, and I’ll freak out.
Earth. I really appreciate this, because the planet is going to hell. We’re overpopulated, and nature is starting to deal with that. It will wipe out most of us. Are you afraid of death? No, but I want to prepare for it. My father is already gone, I’ve lost a lot of friends in recent years, and my mother is very old now. I love her. She’s not going to be here forever, so I’m reading The Tibetan Book Of The Dead.
it in his masterwork Food Of The Gods. He said that if you use hallucinogenic drugs and you receive the call once, hold onto that message and hang up the phone. So I take that to heart. Am I really saying all this? I can’t believe it. I’m not advocating the drug. But in any case it did answer some things for me, very much. Rüdiger Sturm Paterson is in cinemas from November 25; k5international.com THE RED BULLETIN
JEFF VESPA/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
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ilmmaking legend Jim Jarmusch has been responsible for some of the most revered independent movies of the past three decades. From giving lead roles to Tom Waits in 1986’s Down By Law and Clash rocker Joe Strummer in 1989’s Mystery Train to achieving mainstream success with the Johnny Depp Western Dead Man and mobster flick Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai, Jarmusch, now 63, has defied Hollywood convention. He has trodden a culturally omnivorous and determinedly offbeat path to success, influenced in part by the wisdom of late friend Strummer, who told him, “No input, no output.” But what does this mean in an age of constant information overload?
How do you collect your thoughts again? I do things like Tai chi, and I say to myself, “Come on, accept it. Accept that your house is full of broken things and your shirt is on backwards. You are an idiot.” So you’re a follower of Eastern philosophy? I do have a kind of Buddhist perception, although I’m not practising. Because of Tai chi, I studied with a Sifu – a master – and read a lot about Buddhism. I also have a lot of Native American friends. I always salvage hope from them, because they understand how all things are connected; that there’s an energy running through us and everything on
Jim Jarmusch, 63: the director doesn’t waste time with emails; he reads, thinks and does his job instead
“FAILURE IS IMPORTANT” GREEN DAY How do you become
America’s biggest punk band? By making the most of setbacks and not being afraid of flops, says lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong
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unk legends Green Day have sold 75 million records in 30 years, and that’s despite contrarily defying expectations at every turn. In 2009, the iconoclastic American band wrote a Broadway musical; then, in 2012, they released three albums in a four-month spell. Why? Because, says 44-year-old frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, “you have to risk being adventurous if you want to stay fresh”.
the red bulletin: You claim that you can only have a great career if you’re willing to take risks. Why is that? billie joe armstrong: Because only adventure keeps your fires burning in the long run. It’s our willingness to take risks that has kept the band going all these years. But what’s the point of taking risks if success is assured anyway? You sound like our record label! Back in 1994, they were pushing us to just put out a copy of our successful album Dookie. But would we have been satisfied doing that? No. It’s better to try things nobody is expecting, to surprise your fans. And do you know what? I’m sure that’s why those fans stay loyal to us. But risk also means you can end up blowing it, right? Failure is all part of the game. OK, so our last effort was too ambitious [sales for the 2012 album trilogy ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! were underwhelming], but we thought it was such an absurd idea – and such a great one – that we got carried away with it. Do you regret it now? No. Failure is important. Of course, you can get away with it when you’re a multi-millionaire… We were already taking risks when we were still broke. It’s not about the money. You fight with your record label, which wants to make as much money as possible as easily as possible, and dislikes nothing more than artistic ambition. But when you prevail over your label manager and then it doesn’t work out, you feel like a loser – regardless of your bank balance, believe me. And when that happens? You get right back up again. You look for a new adventure, and you fight even harder for it this time. It’s better to make mistakes than to do nothing at all! Marcel Anders Green Day’s new album, Revolution Radio, is out now; greenday.com THE RED BULLETIN
FRANK MADDOCKS, SONY MUSIC
Billie Joe Armstrong (centre) and his Green Day bandmates: “You have to risk being adventurous”
“REACH FOR THE STARS” ZARA LARSSON The pop
princess sets the bar extremely high. She explains why you have to aim for the very top if you want your career to take off
the red bulletin: You and David Guetta gave us the official anthem of Euro 2016 and your latest single reached number 13 in the US charts. That’s pretty good going for an 18-year-old. zara larsson: Well, to be honest I expected much more at this point. I’m not even close to where I want to be. Most 18-year-olds are just happy to pass their exams and finish school. My motto is: if you can reach for the stars, why settle for less? If you separate your dreams from your goals, you’re limiting yourself. But doesn’t it make better sense to have realistic goals? There’s no such thing as an unrealistic goal. If other people can get a number one hit in the US and sell out stadiums, why can’t I? It might take another 10 years, but I’m not going to despair in the meantime. Patience and hard work are the keys to success. Florian Obkircher zaralarssonofficial.com
Zara Larsson wants more. “Why can’t I do that too?”
Squadron Leader David Montenegro, 40: if the Red Arrows were an orchestra, he’d be the conductor
“RANK DOESN’T ENGENDER TRUST. IT HAS TO BE EARNED” DAVID MONTENEGRO The leader of the Red Arrows explains why, with just metres separating you in the air, faith in your fellow pilots is key
SAC ADAM FLETCHER, REDS ARROWS PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION
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AF Squadron Leader David Montenegro is routinely referred to by his call sign: Red One. In the Red Arrows, he flies at the head of the formation, guiding it to where it needs to be, in every sense. Inspired by seeing the aerobatic display team as a child, Montenegro joined the air squadron at his university, then stepped up to the RAF in 1999; 10 years later, he was selected for the Red Arrows and was one half of the Synchro Pair – the two aircraft that perform heart-stopping opposition manoeuvres. After three years flying displays, Montenegro returned to operations and the frontline. He was recalled to the Red Arrows as Team Leader for 2015. His is a multi-faceted job: mentor, training officer, manager – and pilot. The squadron, he says, functions on trust and mutual respect, though these aren’t given freely. the red bulletin: You lead the formation. What exactly does that entail? david montenegro: I have the glory of being able to see THE RED BULLETIN
where we’re going! I set the pattern of the show, so all the other pilots use my aircraft as a reference. I navigate to the location, and during the display I’m flying the pattern that keeps us centralised. Do you communicate much in the air? Constantly. Our displays are almost scripted, and every manoeuvre is done on my command. It’s about getting the timing right, listening to my voice; there’s a very deliberate cadence. It’s like I’m narrating.
Trust starts to build during our training season. The most important part of selection is character assessment: you want those who are confident, but not over-confident; who accept informed criticism and can talk about their issues. By the end of training, having seen the new pilots work on their weaknesses and develop their skills, you go into the display season confident that they’ll respond to tough situations in the correct way. Are there degrees of trust? Many. I think the most crucial relationships are between the team members and the leader, and then between the Synchro Pair. We begin the training
You fly to venues with the Circus [technical support team] sitting in the back seats. Is that unusual? In the fast-jet environment, yes. But it’s a close relationship. You have implicit trust in them to prepare the aircraft, because you know the training they’ve been given by the RAF and you know their character. Does being a military squadron make that process easier to manage? I think our framework allows us to get jobs done very well and quickly. We understand each other’s background. The 21-year-old senior aircraftman appreciates where I’ve come from, and I know the quality
“EVERY MANOEUVRE IS DONE ON MY COMMAND, AND THERE’S A DELIBERATE CADENCE TO MY VOICE. IT’S LIKE I’M NARRATING” You’re a previous Synchro Leader. Is the responsibility of heading the whole team more burdensome? I’d describe it as more of a positive responsibility! Being in the Synchro Pair was great, but getting the most out of this team of individuals is superb. Definitely worth the extra work and the occasional missed heartbeat. Do Red Arrows pilots trust each other automatically? No, it’s not a case of selection bringing instant appreciation.
season in small groups and build up to the full formation, but for four months we barely see the Synchro Pair. They share an office and work up their routine, honing the raw flying ability they’ll need. Synchro 2 is a second-season pilot who will become Synchro Leader in his third year and be responsible for choosing a partner from the first-year pilots. It would be… wrong for me to become autocratic and make that decision; it must be the Synchro Leader’s choice.
of training he’s had and how he’s got where he is. That helps. I think the relationship is strong because there is a natural hierarchy in the service. I can ask for a task to be done and know it’ll be done a certain way and on time because this is what we do in the RAF. But my massive caveat is that simply wearing rank doesn’t engender trust. It always has to be earned. Matt Youson Twitter: @RAFRed1
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PEAK VELOCITY
Drop in on Everest Base Camp – from above
PAUL-HENRY DE BAURE
The average skydive takes place at an altitude of 4,000m, but this is no average skydive. The airport runway is already 3,800m above sea level, and it requires three days of ascent just to acclimatise. When you jump, you’re more than 7,000m up, looking across at the tallest mountain on Earth. This is the world’s highest commercial skydive and, with zero experience, you could take the plunge.
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WHEELS
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EVENTS
HOW TO 77
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Mountain excitement: Everest Skydive
HIGH TIME
More ways to get your drop kicks
Flyin’ king
Never has nothingness looked more spectacular than when skydiving over the unending sands of the Namib Desert in south-west Africa. skydiveswakop.com
THE INSIDER
“People have been skydiving with mild levels of hypoxia [oxygen starvation] for many years to no ill effect, but because of the extreme heights we need bailout systems,” says Noonan. “When you’re hypoxic, you don’t recognise the signs, but others might.” Syangboche NEPAL Lukla, Nepal To arrange a skydive over Everest, drop into everest-skydive.com
And then there’s the jump itself. “We’re not getting out over a flat drop, we’re dealing with the changing altitudes of topography in the Himalaya. Placing the aircraft in the right point above the drop zone is critical, based on wind drift.” Jumping solo obviously requires some degree of experience – 200 leaps is the minimum recommendation – but for your first tandem jump you only need to be in reasonable health, 95kg or lighter, and have a body free from metal (a spinal fusion can shatter vertebrae on a hard landing). You also need the funds – two solo jumps cost US$22,000 – but then, there are few more unique experiences you could blow your money on. “Thousands of people trek to base camp every year, but will never have the opportunity to experience the Himalaya the way we present it – at altitude with the mountains without being on them,” says Noonan. “To exit the aircraft and find yourself in freefall beside these massive monoliths; to have the parachute open and go from a noisy, high-speed environment to a calm quiet where you’re soaring like a bird and gazing at the south face of Everest… I’ve never had a jump where I didn’t appreciate that moment.”
Bonding session
Re-enact the famous bungee jump from Goldeneye, plunging down the 220m vertical face of the Verzasca Dam. If Brosnan can do it, so can you. trekking.ch
Fright train
It’s been eclipsed as the world’s fastest rollercoaster, but, at 139m tall, Kingda Ka at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure remains the world’s highest. sixflags.com
THE RED BULLETIN
TOM NOONAN, PAUL-HENRY DE BAERE
“Everest is actually a goddess. Her name is Sagarmatha or Chomolungma, depending on the language, and she protects the people and the land. When we go in there, we do it to celebrate not ourselves but Mount Everest and her willingness to allow us to do what we do.” So says Tom Noonan, and he should know: as chief jump instructor of Everest Skydive, the mountain has consumed the last nine years of his life. In that time, he’s performed more than 120 skydives above her colossal earthly form – without incident. Sagarmatha has been good to him. It hasn’t always been this way. When Noonan first came over in 2008, “our jackets said ‘Everest Skydrive’, and that wasn’t a misspelling – the Nepali had no concept of what skydiving was”. Within a year, the UK-based company had imploded. But instead of going home, Noonan and his elite teammates banded together to create a new company with one difference: it was Nepali-owned. “We’re using Nepali-owned aircraft and Nepali pilots, we’ve trained three local guides to skydive solo, and 100 per cent of the profits stay within the country,” he says. Leaving behind more than you take – I call it the social responsibility of adventure tourism.” The Nepali call it good karma. It’s something you need plenty of for this adventure. For starters, the airport, Syangboche, is 3,800m up. “We’re taking off from the same altitude most skydivers exit their aircraft from,” says Noonan. “We can’t fly in, as we have to acclimatise, so we’re looking at the physical challenges of climbing from 2,600m. Weather conditions change on an hourly basis; if the mountain doesn’t want skydiving that day, we’re closed in. It could snow, or it might be as warm as 26°C.”
TRAVEL
ACTION
GEAR
WORLD IN MOTION
On-the-go tech that keeps track of you and your surroundings, whether you want to stop and enjoy the sights or stay focused on your destination
TomTom VIO
Apple Watch Series 2
Sat nav for your bike, because a smartphone on your handlebars won’t do. Built-in GPS delivers turn-by-turn guidance with traffic avoidance, speed-camera warnings and caller alerts. It even works with gloves on. tomtom.com
Apple’s smartwatch gets into serious shape. Joining the heart-rate monitor is GPS for phonefree fitness tracking. Water-resistant to 50m, the watch now provides swimming workouts, and the Breathe app helps you focus and relax. apple.com
Series 2 still comes in aluminium and stainless steel, but the 18-carat gold edition has been replaced by a white ceramic model.
Trace
Wistla
iPhone 7 Plus
Surf, snow, kite, wake, mountain – whatever your board or bike, attach this puck-sized action sports tracker and measure your waves, turns, vertical drops and airtime. Sync with your GoPro and it overlays the footage with your data. traceup.com
The new app to gather a crowd – discover, join and create them around the things you love to do. Shout out or ‘wistl’ to get the attention of others and create a buzz by sharing livestream, video and images from the event. wistla.com
The world’s most popular camera now has a larger aperture for low-light shots, a six-layered lens for enhanced colour, and the Plus adds a second wideangle telephoto lens to challenge DSLRs. The 7MP selfie cam is the best around, too. apple.com
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ACTION
GEAR
Meet the man who creates Star Wars holograms with the power of his mind
THE IDEAS MAN Tristan Duke, 35 It was in 1977, when Luke Skywalker discovered that Princess Leia had hidden a message inside R2-D2, that filmgoers around the world were introduced to the hologram. “Star Wars made holography a household word,” says Duke, the optical artist who this year put holograms back into the sci-fi franchise, literally: his hand-etching on a special-edition vinyl of the soundtrack of The Force Awakens earned Duke and Walt Disney Records a prestigious Clio Award. The Force is strong in this one. infinitylightscience.com
Where did the idea for the etchings come from?
I discovered the work of [US science hobbyist] William Beaty, who in the 1990s noticed a glint of light in the shape of a hand floating above a car hood in a parking lot. He’d stumbled across an accidental hologram. Somebody had inadvertently made scratches in the hood while polishing it, and these patterns reacted with the light to create an image of their hand. I started to think: photography is to drawing as holography is to what? I call it holographic drawing – carving micro-reflectors, grooves, into a holographic plate.
So you etch vinyl records?
I got a call from Jack White [from The White Stripes], saying, “I heard about these holograms and I’d like to have one on my next album. Can you have it ready in three weeks?” I was like, “No, but I’m willing to give it a try.” So I read everything I could about record manufacturing, built my own
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Duke’s holograms are etched onto the record. When a light hits its spinning surface, 3D images of the Millennium Falcon and TIE fighters appear
press out of a book press and two hot plates, then I started cutting up junk records and melting them down.
That’s when the Star Wars people came knocking?
As soon as they contacted me, I got very excited; I knew right away that it was a great fit. There are so many objects in the Star Wars universe that look great in a hologram – with black vinyl, you have this sense of deep space with ships flying around the void. The Star Wars hologram is the first I’ve done for vinyl records that has what we call ‘occlusion’, where there are solid parts that disappear when they go behind others.
How do you transfer a 3D object from your mind onto a 2D surface?
The first step is doing sketches from different vantage points to help me internalise the three-dimensional structure. I have to find a vantage point that doesn’t exist in space,
Normal holograms are created by bathing an object in laser light and etching its image onto high-resolution holographic film
looking at the object from an abstract, four-dimensional viewpoint. I’ve had to devise a different set of geometric rules that allow me to create a 3D holographic drawing.
How come we still don’t have holograms as good as the one in Star Wars?
The film planted an expectation so wildly outside of what was possible with holography. You’re capturing microscopic interference patterns smaller than wavelengths of light. In a normal photo, you get blur if the subject or camera moves; in a laser hologram, if you have any movement close to one-third of the wavelength of light, you get no image. You’re also casting a specific object at one-forone scale – if you want a hologram of the Eiffel Tower, you need a plate the same size. Holographic drawing liberates holography from the shackles of indexicality; I can draw anything I imagine, as opposed to needing to find an object to hologram.
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HERI IRAWAN
INNOVATIONS: FORCE PERSPECTIVE
A CROSS OVER FULL FACE HELMET
VORTEXTM IN-MOULDED VENTILATION | FRPTM FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER SHELL | XRAILTM - INTERNAL ABSORPTION | EPRTM - EMERGANCY PAD RELEASE
TRAIL • FREERIDE • RACE iXS.COM/SPORTS
ACTION
GEAR
WATCHES
Edited by Gisbert L Brunner
UNDER PRESSURE
Tag Heuer Aquaracer 300M Calibre 5 Black Titanium
Most divers’ watches are made watertight by a rubber gasket, but this will erode. Get it serviced annually
Legend has it that the waterproof wristwatch was born on October 21, 1927, when British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze emerged from crossing the English Channel wearing a fully functioning Rolex Oyster. But the truth is slightly different: Gleitze failed in her attempt – her second Channel swim in a fortnight – and was fished from the water seven miles from her goal; also, the watch was not on her wrist, but around her neck. The latter is crucial, because while the Rolex did indeed “defy the elements” as the newspapers trumpeted, it might not have done so with the added pressure of her arm hitting the water. Resistance to water is measured in atmospheres of pressure, or bars (one bar equals a depth of 10m), but don’t go diving 30m wearing a three-bar watch – currents and moving limbs will render it barely splashproof. If you want something that will take a proper beating in the water, Tag Heuer’s Aquaracer 300M Calibre 5 might be the watch for you. The latest in a series designed to withstand anything the ocean can throw at them, this version, rated at 30 bars, favours uncluttered functionality with its black titanium case and easily legible blue-on-black dial and ceramic bezel. Plus it has a cool divinghelmet engraving on the back. tagheuer.com
FIELD OF DEPTH
Dive with these sunken treasures
Certina DS Action Diver DS stands for Double Security – a system of O-ring seals on the crown and case. It also has scratch-resistant sapphire glass and a reinforced back, which contribute to the ISO 6425 standard of a true diving watch. certina.com
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Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Diver BN0150-10E This has everything a pro diving watch needs: corrosion-free case, screw-locked crown, unidirectional bezel, 20-bar water resistance and a rubber strap that stretches over your wetsuit cuff. citizenwatch.com
Mido Multifort Diver Two Crowns The stand-out feature of this 42mm, 20-bar diving watch is the double crowns; the top one sets the dive-time bezel, which features white and orange SuperLumiNova numerals that are readable even in the darkest depths. midowatch.com
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ACTION
WHEELS
MOTOR MERCH
Four is the magic number: the powerful Ferrari GTC4Lusso
Adding acceleration to your accessories
Bugatti Veyron cufflinks
ALPINE REFRESH
Ferrari’s ambitions for the sporty hatchback are scaling new heights, as Shmee discovers in the Dolomites The FF is the car that brought hatchback styling to Ferrari – four seats, four-wheel drive, the Ferrari Four. Its successor, the GTC4Lusso, takes the idea further, but throws out the neat naming structure. FF2 might have sounded better, but let’s not go down that road. Instead, I’m taking it up a mountain pass in the Italian Alps. The name may seem as convoluted as these beautiful winding roads, but the ‘4’ remains significant – now it also represents four-wheel steer. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front for a tighter radius and more grip. At higher speeds, they turn the same way as the front wheels for stability. The new car is more powerful than the FF – 0-100kph in 3.4s – but in Comfort mode it’s also gentler. The throttle response is softer, the steering more relaxed, and the air-con quieter. There’s even a powered trunk. This is a car more at the GT end of the spectrum. I don’t regularly do comfort; in nine months, I’ve put 13,000km on my FF, mostly in Sport mode. Maybe it’s the mountain air, but I could be convinced to trade up. Besides, put your foot down and the hills come alive with that naturally aspirated Ferrari engine sound. ferrari.com
Tim Burton, aka Shmee150, is one of social media’s mostfollowed supercar connoisseurs. Now he brings that expertise to The Red Bulletin. Watch Shmee’s full video review of this month’s cars at redbulletin.com
Can’t find cufflinks to go with your Veyron? How about cufflinks made from a Veyron. TMB Art Metal has crafted these from bronzerimmed aluminium salvaged from a Veyron OZ Racing wheel. tmbartmetal.com
Aston Martin by Hackett Now 007 can do all his shopping at one store – the Aston Martin by Hackett autumn/winter collection includes items such as a belted leather field jacket with buttons cross-hatched like vintage radiator grills. Pure Brosnan. hackett.com
RAW EMOTION
FERRARI S.P.A.
The MINI Cooper S JCW: good on paper, even better on the road It was John Cooper who turned the original Mini into a Monte Carlo Rally winner. Now, each John Cooper Works MINI is built for performance: 228hp at 1,205kg propels the latest Cooper S JCW from 0-100kph in 6.3s, peaking at 246kph. But it’s not all about the numbers: a MINI should be fast and fun. The ride is as firm as you’d expect from a car with go-faster stripes
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on the bonnet, and very pointy steering and a short wheelbase make it good on the twisty stuff. Inside, the tech includes a headsup display that changes colour with each drive setting; Sport mode is red with a rev counter, and lots of crackles and pops from the engine. All of which proves you don’t need massive horsepower to enjoy a car – as Cooper knew 50 years ago. mini.com
Shmee150 app Take our man on the road… on the road. Tim Burton’s smartphone app puts you right next to him in 360° video road tests of the world’s best supercars. You also get the latest show reports, updates, and links to the Shmee150 store. shmee150.com
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ACTION
CULTURE OUT OF THIS WORD
In new film Arrival, humans must crack an alien dialect. Here are some we did earlier…
Klingon (Star Trek) This popular fictional tongue was first spoken in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. James Doohan (aka Scotty) invented the initial sounds and words, which linguist Marc Okrand developed into a language. Handy phrase: “‘IwlIj jachjaj!” (A toast that translates as “May your blood scream!”)
Assassin’s Creed: shopping for swords on Black Friday? Schoolboy error
ONE GIANT LEAP
Assassin’s Creed brings the game’s heartstopping climbs and jumps to the big screen. Michael Fassbender’s stunt double, Damien Walters, talks about doing them for real How does one become Michael Fassbender’s stunt double? My friend was a stunt co-ordinator on the movie. I was very familiar with Assassin’s Creed – I played the first three games and loved them – so when the opportunity came up, I was very happy. I was with Michael every day, fight-training, working on wires. We got on really well. Really nice guy. Perhaps ironically, you’re recreating a video-game character without the use of computer graphics… Justin [Kurzel, the director] wanted to push the limits on what’s humanly possible. He wanted a very real, organic way of moving, so we had very few wires – the jumps were real. He wanted me to feel a little scared, because it helps with the body language. We were safe, but some of those jumps were 20m up, from building to building. We had an airbag at the bottom, but you don’t want to be landing that way, hitting stuff on the way down. Tell us about the game’s acrobatic trademark dive, the Leap Of Faith. You’re falling at almost 100kph on impact, right? There aren’t many people in the world who will do that sort of height, but because I do high falls quite a lot, we decided to try the Leap Of Faith for real. I had a day’s rehearsal, got up to about 30m, then on the day of the shoot we decided to go even higher. It was a pretty hairy moment: the high fall is not the problem, but you have to land flat on your back – you can’t land any other way. You’re falling 40m and your stopping distance is 3m, so if you’re landing any way other than spreading your weight on your back, that’s bad news. Even when landing on your back it’s a big hit. It’s a hell of a thump. What’s going through your mind just before the jump? Make sure you hit the crash bag. Don’t miss!
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SMOOTH MOVES
Three signature stunts that give the Leap Of Faith a run for its money Bruce Lee’s One-Inch Punch First demonstrated by the martial-arts icon at an event in 1964, the small but explosive hit became part of the legend of Bruce Lee. Forty years on, the punch was adapted for The Bride’s escape from a coffin in Kill Bill: Volume 2. Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Helicopter Kick The 360° spinning kick is the stuff of fighting games, but former kickboxing champion Van Damme became famous for executing the move for real – as seen in his breakthrough film Bloodsport (though sadly not in his recent beer ads). Tom Cruise’s Hanging Off Things In The Air The world’s most famous movie star doesn’t ‘do’ stuntmen, particularly in his hit Mission: Impossible franchise. Cruise has clung heroically to trains, skyscrapers and, most recently, a plane during take-off, all in the name of entertainment.
Gungan (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) Little is known of how Gungan, a variation of English, was born. Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) believes George Lucas based it on the speech of the director’s son Jett, then six. Handy phrase: “Mesa greeting. In peles mesa comen.” (“Greetings. I come in peace.”)
Divine Language (The Fifth Element) Luc Besson and Milla Jovovich collaborated on her character Leeloo’s dialect for the 1997 film, speaking in the Divine Language on set to refine it. Sadly for all involved, Jovovich’s best remembered quote in the film was “Mul-ti-pass”. Handy phrase: “Mu fryesh akta simoulai.” (“You have just offended me with your actions.”)
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KERRY BROWN, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, GETTY IMAGES (2)
FILM
CULTURE
THE PLAYLIST PIXIES
ACTION
TURN ON, TUNE IN Newly relaunched, Red Bull Music Academy Radio is now a 24/7 streaming platform with exclusive DJ mixes, live sets, and interviews with influential artists. Try these highlights… rbmaradio.com
What do Nirvana, Radiohead, Blur and The Strokes have in common? They have all been influenced by the same band: Pixies. Kurt Cobain even stated that Smells Like Teen Spirit was his attempt to write a song in the style of the Boston band. With their unique approach to indie music in the late ’80s – combining surf rock with catchy pop melodies and elements of noise – the quartet created enduring anthems such as Gigantic and Where Is My Mind?. In celebration of the band’s sixth album, Head Carrier, guitarist Joey Santiago reveals five tunes that had an impact on the legendary Pixies sound. pixiesmusic.com
TRAVIS SHINN, PIAS RECORDINGS, BACKROOM ENTERTAINMENT, TORVIOLL JASHARI, PHILIP COSORES / RED BULL CONTENT POOL
MUSIC IN FILM
Jimi Hendrix
Neu!
Purple Haze
Super
“Jimi Hendrix was the main reason I picked up a guitar. Watching footage of his shows, it seemed like the guitar was part of his body. I love his debut album [Are You Experienced], especially this song, mainly because of the opening chord [E7#9], also known as the Hendrix Chord. It’s the secret ingredient in Pixies songs like Tame. The chord sounds strange; you don’t know whether it’s asking or answering a question.”
“Guitarist Michael Rother started this band after his split from Kraftwerk. You would expect synthesisers, but instead you get proto-punk. This song is energetic, it’s aggressive – they’re screaming throughout the song – and, most importantly, it’s simple. They use only two chords, but it’s not missing anything. Genius! I always say that if you use more than five notes in a riff, you’re not working hard enough.”
Jack Nitzsche
Them
The Lonely Surfer
One Two Brown Eyes
“I’ve never been a surfer, but listening to instrumental surf rock from the 1960s when I was young had a big impact on my guitar style. One of my favourites is this one by Jack Nitzsche, who is mainly known for his [production and arranging] work with Neil Young and The Rolling Stones. The baritone guitar and the horn section sound like a big wave coming at you – it’s majestic and beautiful.”
“What I love about this garagerock song is the interplay between vocals and guitar. When the singer [Van Morrison] says, “Gonna cut you down to my size,” the guitar reacts with a noise that sounds like a knife cutting into something. I’ve used that semi-scoring technique in many Pixies songs, like Dead. The lyrics reminded me of the shower scene in Psycho, so I created a riff that sounded like the iconic string stabs.”
Canned Heat Poor Moon “This gem is almost 50 years old and it still sounds fascinating to me, especially the backing vocals. They sound strange, like Kermit The Frog talking gibberish. It’s similar to what we did on our song River Euphrates. Apart from that, I love the tremolo guitar – it’s one of my favourite effects. It sounds like someone’s turning the volume knob up and down, like the sound evokes an ocean wave.”
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Lauded film composer Brian Reitzell (Lost In Translation, Hannibal) looks at the art of movie scoring, talking to filmmakers such as Gaspar Noé, and dissecting iconic scores like Apocalypse Now with their creators. Every first Monday, 8pm GMT
EARL SWEATSHIRT Hang out with rap’s coolest and most talented enfant terrible as he takes over Red Bull Music Academy Radio, playing weird jazz gems, chatting with peers such as Knxwledge, and debuting unreleased material. Every fourth Friday, 8pm GMT
THE GADGET The Lyric Speaker
Reckon your living room could do with a sci-fi makeover? You need the Lyric Speaker. Synced with a database that contains the words to 120 million tunes, this Wi-Fi device displays the lyrics of the song you’re listening to on a translucent LCD screen with added motion graphics. It also analyses the song’s mood and genre, and changes the display accordingly. lyric-speaker.com
KINDNESS
The British indie-pop darling takes listeners on an acoustic road trip, meeting up with artists he admires – from pop star/producer Dev Hynes to hip-hop snapper Eric Johnson – to talk about art and passion. Every fourth Thursday, 10pm GMT
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ACTION
“When I first started telling people about my plans to kayak over Niagara Falls, some shared my vision, but most people thought I was crazy” Rafa Ortiz, extreme kayaker
American whitewater specialist Evan Garcia was one of Ortiz’s team for the filming of Chasing Niagara
WHAT’S ON IN DECEMBER
GOING AGAINST THE FLOW
From extreme kayaking on the Niagara Falls, to inspirational innovators, to the king of the B-Boys – here are some of this month’s highlights on Red Bull TV
CHASING NIAGARA MOVIE PREMIERES DECEMBER 25, 9PM This new, original movie sees pro kayaker Rafa Ortiz taking on the Niagara Falls. Setting off on a three-year trip with renowned paddler Rush Sturges and friends, they travel from the Mexican rainforests to the towering waterfalls of the US Northwest before a heart-stopping climax at the iconic destination.
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CULTURE RED BULL TV HIGHLIGHTS
RED BULL BC ONE WORLD FINAL LIVE DECEMBER 3
Tune in to see if reigning champion Victor (US) can repeat his hardfought success at this year’s ultimate B-Boy showdown in Nagoya.
DISTANCE BETWEEN DREAMS MOVIE DECEMBER 19, 10PM
WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE Red Bull TV is a new, global, multi-platform channel that features inspirational and entertaining programming beyond the ordinary. Available across devices, watch Red Bull TV anytime, anywhere.
To learn more, visit redbull.tv
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MARCOS FERRO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL (2), LANE JACOBS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, NIKA KRAMER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, SHANE GRACE, PETER HAMBLIN, RED BULL TV
Watch iconic surfer Ian Walsh and his brothers as they take on massive El Nino swells across the Pacific and embark on a quest to progress surfing to unimaginable heights.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT: SEASON TWO SERIES DECEMBER 12, 9PM
This hugely successful series is back with a uniquely visual portrait of the innovators, influencers and entrepreneurs who have shaped the worlds of technology, media and youth culture.
SKY TRIPPERS SERIES DECEMBER 26, 9PM
Original series featuring three of the world’s top adventure paramotor pilots, who set off on an expedition throughout Southeast Asia to cover the most remote, rugged and culturally interesting territory on the planet.
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ACTION
EVENTS SAVE THE DATE Ring in the new (and the old) at a timetravelling NYE party
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December Back to the future Enjoy a century of NYE bashes at the Vintage New Year’s Eve Party at London’s Royal Festival Hall – five floors of sights and sounds from the ’20s to the ’90s. Pick a dress code, then gatecrash your way through the decades. southbankcentre.co.uk
November 20 Four to the floor Anfield, Liverpool It’s the rugby league tournament that separates the wheat from the chaff, pitting the world’s top four teams against each other. This year’s Four Nations saw Scotland make the cut alongside England, Australia and New Zealand. Now, following three weeks of epic matches across the UK, the best of the best will be crowned in a grand final at Anfield – only the fourth rugby league game ever played on Liverpool FC’s hallowed turf. rugby-league.com
December 2 Big ’n’ serious
November 24-27 Frost bitten
Indigo at The O2, London
National Show Centre, Dublin
Grime Live returns to south-east London to party even harder than last year, with Big Narstie, Ghetts, Frisco, AJ Tracey, Scorcher, Splurgeboys and President T on the bill, and DJ Ironik and Dapper Laughs on hosting duty. theo2.co.uk
One thing lacking from Bram Stoker’s original Dracula novel was a bit of ice-skating. Musical spectacular Dracula On Ice more than redresses the balance, adding gymnastics, acrobatics, fire juggling, a light show and, crucially, flying vampires. ticketmaster.ie
December 9-11 Boss level NEC, Birmingham The UK’s biggest gaming festival, Insomnia59, ends 2016 with a bang (or, rather, a chorus of them). Prize-money tournaments for CounterStrike, Overwatch, Battlefield 1 and more will be fought on the eSport Stage; the Drone Racing iSeries champion will be crowned, as will the best cosplayers; and attendees will be able to try the latest VR kit, alongside classic retro games. insomniagamingfestival.com
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December Toast the new year Blaze a trail into 2017 at the Tar Barl festival in Allendale, Northumberland. This centuries-old ceremony ends with a procession to the village square, where 45 flaming barrels of tar are thrown onto a bonfire. visit northumberland.com
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December Edge of tomorrow
Keep on partying well into the new year at Percolate’s 22-hour rave at east London’s Oval Space and Pickle Factory. It starts at 9pm on NYE, with the likes of Bicep and Floating Points spinning tunes till 7pm the next day. percolatemusic.co.uk
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SWPIX, DAVID PORTASS
Kop a load of the Four Nations rugby final at Anfield
ACTION
HOW TO
ESCAPE A STRAITJACKET... UPSIDE DOWN Here’s one for the foolhardy: the secrets to Houdini’s signature escape trick On November 6, 1916, a huge crowd gathered on a Pittsburgh street corner. Five storeys up, dangling by his ankles, a man struggled to free himself from a straitjacket. That man was famed escapologist Harry Houdini, and minutes later, to rapturous applause, he’d done it. The next day, Houdini was on the newspaper front pages, just as his show opened in town. The same trick still draws crowds, and on its 100th anniversary, magician Lee Terbosic will be re-enacting the feat on that very street corner. But first he’s going to tell you how it’s done. Buckle up! houdini100.com
how to 1 Learn get dressed
“As they’re putting you in the straitjacket, fill your lungs with air, That way, when they’re buckling the straps, they don’t go to the last notch and you gain that extra half-inch of slack. The other way to resist is with your arms, which are strapped across your body as if you’re hugging yourself. While this is being done, push them out a little – the place you need the most slack is in the arms, and the start of the process is getting them free.”
MARK THOMAS
2
Remember to use your head
“People have a tendency to freak out at this point, but you must stay calm; fighting the jacket will wear you out. With your arms strapped, get your right hand up to your left shoulder. This creates a gap you can put your head through, but be warned: twisting your neck is uncomfortable and I’ve pulled muscles multiple times. Thrust your head through the opening and your hands become free. Feel for the buckles around your butt and neck and undo them through the canvas. Then it’s just a matter of pulling the jacket off your body.”
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upside 3 The of down
“Hanging upside down from a height makes the trick more impressive. There’s a little strain on your ankles, but it’s the same process, and you have the aid of gravity to manoeuvre through the positions – watch old videos of Harry and he’s like a guppy on a line, wiggling to get the slack. But you have to condition your body to be upside down for long periods without blacking out. I jump onto a gym’s inversion table and stay there for 10-15 minutes at a time.”
in shape for 4 Get your escape
“You don’t have to be doublejointed – that was made up by Hollywood – but flexibility definitely helps. It’s way easier if you’re in shape, because it’s kind of a workout getting out of the damn thing. It was a lot harder when I was heftier, mainly because of all the huffing and puffing. I knew the process, but I was winded.”
other methods 5 Iffail,alljust cheat
“There are gimmick straitjackets that give you control when the straps are being buckled and allow you to let out the slack. The beauty is, most people wouldn’t notice. I’d be able to spot something, but it’d be very slight – like, if their hands moved in the sleeves in a certain way, I’d know they were doing something they shouldn’t. Most people who use trick jackets are still learning; they’re like stabilisers. I use a regulation hospital straitjacket. They don’t mass-produce them any more, but you can have one custom-made for your size, height and weight. There are no gimmicks with those.”
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THE RED BULLETIN GAMES SPECIAL
READY P L AY E R O N E G E T YOU R G A M E ON – AT HOM E , ON T H E GO, IN T H E B AT T L E A R EN A A N D B E YON D R E A L I T Y
MOBILE GAMES To find the world’s most popular games machine, just look in your pocket – some of today’s best-looking and most playable titles were made for the smartphone
Tomb with a view Go tomb raiding without the claustrophobia. In addition to the platform action, Lara Croft GO has a turn-based system that focuses on puzzle solving, making it easier to play on the move. iOS, Android; laracroftgo.com
Coining it in Bat mobile Dark Knight games are often as enjoyable as the films, and Batman: The Telltale Series even looks like a movie, with fast edits and cinematic angles. It’s being released in episodes, too. iOS, Android; telltale.com THE RED BULLETIN
Nintendo’s superstar heads to the big Apple The Italian plumber took his sweet time coming to the iPhone, but now he’s hit the road running. A mix of classic Mario platformer and endless runner, Super Mario Run has phonefriendly, one-finger gameplay – you tap the screen to jump and flip him on his Bowser-beating quest. iOS; supermariorun.com 91
HOME GAMES For raw power, cuttingedge graphics and a truly immersive depth of play, nothing beats a home gaming system. And the latest titles on the newest consoles are among the most incredible games ever created
Screen test
Look at the bigger picture With Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles outputting 4K images (that’s four times the resolution of regular 1080p HD), you need a TV to match, like the 65in LG B6. The model plays High Dynamic Range (super-high contrast) video on an OLED screen capable of displaying pitch blacks and ultra whites. lg.com
History lesson
Pitch perfect
Robot wars
Battlefield 1 transports players to WWI, from the trenches of France to the Suez Canal. Fight on horseback and in tanks, biplanes, even airships in this cutting-edge war game. PS4, Xbox One, PC; battlefield.com
The world’s best-selling sports game gets a major refresh in FIFA 17, with updated teams and kits, improved AI and movement physics, plus a new story mode where you play a rising star. PS4, Xbox One, PC; easports.com
From Mega Man’s creator and the Metroid Prime team comes ReCore. Blast your way across a desert planet, salvaging the cores of hostile robots to power your own puzzlesolving team. Xbox One, PC; recoregame.com
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THE RED BULLETIN GAMES SPECIAL
ALL KITTED OUT Everything you need for the gaming and entertainment set-up of your dreams
Changing stations The new PlayStation4 ‘Slim’ is smaller and cheaper, with twice the memory, but not much changed otherwise. The PS4 Pro, however, can upscale your games to 4K, and play ‘Pro Enhanced’ games faster, smoother and prettier. playstation.com
Box of wonders
Peak performance Snow games get real
Steep is the closest most mortals will get to extreme snowboarding, skiing, wingsuiting and paragliding – and we mean damn close. Roam free in a huge openworld replica of the Alps, finding new runs, carving up others online, and capturing it on your in-game GoPro. PS4, Xbox One, PC; steep.ubisoft.com
The S in Xbox One S could stand for smaller (by 40 per cent) or sharper – it’s an Ultra-HD 4K Blu-ray player. It also comes with a larger hard drive (2TB) than last time, and a wireless controller with double the range. xbox.com
Drive time To truly experience driving games, you need a wheel. The Thrustmaster T300RS features a frictionless motor for smooth steering, belt-driven force-feedback and durable metal paddle shifters. thrustmaster.com
King of the road
Clash of the titans
Drowned in sound
Drive more than 350 cars – from a Robin Reliant to a Lamborghini Centenario – across an open-world recreation of (sort of) Australia in Forza Horizon 3. Insane, unbelievable, but fun. Xbox One, PC; forzamotorsport.net
A first-person shooter with parkour-leaping soldiers, and giant mech exoskeletons to climb into – what’s not to love about Titanfall 2? This time, there’s a single-player campaign, too. PS4, Xbox One, PC; titanfall.com
The Samsung HW-K950 soundbar is the ultimate audio set-up for games and movies. Fifteen speakers, each with their own amplifier, create a three-dimensional sound experience that wraps around you. samsung.com
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VIRTUAL REALITY True VR finally arrived this year, but in 2017 this exciting new technology will really show us what it’s capable of. Here are some of the big-hitters on the market
Console yourself
VR at a real-world price Just out, Sony PlayStation VR has some big advantages over its rivals: it’s half the price, and you don’t need an expensive gaming PC. Just plug it into your PS4 (though you’ll need a camera and two Move controllers, too). Being PlayStation, it also has the best launch games. playstation.com
Space commander
Head start
HTC Vive matches the high image and movement quality of Oculus Rift (right), but comes with two handheld motion controllers and double the external sensors, allowing players to walk around while playing games. vive.com
Oculus Rift kickstarted the VR craze – literally – following a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that raised US$2.4m. It comes with an Xbox One gamepad, but Touch controllers are on the way. oculus.com
Cruise control
Hammer time
Hold tight
Like playing driving games from the cockpit? Driveclub VR puts you behind the wheel of 80 cars. Race online on 114 tracks, hit Cruise Mode for a scenic ride, or take in the sights from the passenger seat. playstation.com
Build crazy virtual machines with your hands to solve a puzzle. The real fun of Fantastic Contraption is that those around you can see your efforts on TV. One day, all machines will be made this way. fantasticcontraption.com
Freeclimb a cliff face high above the emerald waters of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. Spectacular but terrifying, The Climb is the perfect demo of how powerful and convincing VR can be. Gripping in every sense. theclimbgame.com
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ESPORTS
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Winning big bucks for playing games sounds like a wild fantasy, but for professional gamers it’s a high-paying reality. With the right gear, maybe you could join the eSports elite
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE As in any professional sport, eSports athletes need precision equipment to match
Head in the clouds In competition gaming, good sound is about more than just quality – spacial awareness is key. The HyperX Cloud Revolver headset has a range with depth and width that allows precise audio positioning of your opponents, and it’s comfy for long sessions. hyperxgaming.com
Big shot
Core strength
The game to watch
Gaming laptops are the most powerful you can get, and the Razer Blade Stealth is the best. But, for pro gaming, even this ultra-thin 4K notebook needs a bit extra, so plug it into the Razer Core desktop graphics tower for championship-level clout. razerzone.com
Following its launch in May this year, team-based firstperson shooter Overwatch has set the eSports scene on fire. Hardly surprising when you consider that it comes from the creators of StarCraft II – a title that shaped the pro gaming scene. In September, the televised Overwatch Open offered US$300K in prizes. playoverwatch.com
Mighty mouse A pro gamer’s mouse needs to be an extension of their body. The Corsair M65 Pro RGB can be button-mapped to any player’s style, has a pixel-precise optical sensor, auto-calibrates to its playing surface, has an adjustable centre of gravity, and can take a bashing. corsair.com
Streets ahead
League of its own
The grandaddy of fighting games is still going strong thanks to a thriving eSports scene. In July, 5,000 Street Fighter V players battled for a top prize of US$5K at the televised Evo 2016 tournament. streetfighter.com
In August, the Championship Series Final of Rocket League – football with rocketpowered cars – streamed live to a millionplus Twitch viewers. Next year, the prize pool grows to US$250K. rocketleaguegame.com
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Keys to success The Logitech G910 Orion Spark is what you call a pro keyboard, with faster keys that can be lit in more than 16.8 million colours to signify game commands; nine programmable buttons; and a smartphone dock for use with Logitech’s Arx Control app. gaming.logitech.com
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A step into the unknown, a rush of adrenaline, a surge of emotion and memories that last a lifetime. Epic adventures in Wales come in all guises and sizes. Where will you find yours? visitwales.com #FindYourEpic
This is Wales.
MAKES YOU FLY
“It’s a oncein-a-lifetime chance” The documentary Under An Arctic Sky follows six surfers on their quest to find undiscovered spots along Iceland’s coast. Since there were only four hours of daylight, most sessions started at night. This picture shows US longboard surfer Justin Quintal just after sundown. He’s one of the first pros ever to surf the spot by the light of the aurora borealis. Watch the film: underanarcticsky.com
Longboard pro Justin Quintal, 26, uses the Northern Lights as background for his tricks
CHRIS BURKHARD
WESTFJORDS, ICELAND
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shops nationwide www.snowboard-asylum.com