Other Sport / Extreme sports
A passion for adventure
Bristol-based business The Adventurists is comprised of a team of people who enjoy going on ever-more extreme adventures because they say that the world has become too safe and boring.
Ranging from 1,000-mile unsupported air races to the toughest horse race on the planet, the Mongol Derby, the adventurers take people around the globe in the pursuit of excitement.
“One of the main points of these events is to put people into situations where they have to ask for help from local people and strangers,” says former company director Simon Walker.
is needed now More than ever
The business has been successful in displaying the kindness that the strangers around the world have shown, helping the racers to survive and thrive in challenging environments.
In the Icarus Trophy, paramotorists flew over Victoria Falls in in Zimbabwe. Photograph: Andy May
With many of these extreme journeys taking place on the ground, The Adventurists realised that they didn’t do much in the air, and wondered what the cheapest and most accessible vehicle was to travel through the skies.
Four years ago, the idea of paramotor racing – essentially paragliding with a motor attached – was born, and so was Simon’s love for the new sport. It’s compact, accessible and you don’t need any special licences for it, only training and the passion for adventure.
Since then, its popularity has grown worldwide, and in the recent Icarus Trophy race held in southern Africa, one of the pilots hailed from Bristol – Andy Place. Simon is full of praise for the adventurous spirit who learned paramotoring in March 2018 and was competing in the world’s only long distance paramotoring race just a few months later.
Andy Place, from Bristol, took part in The Icarus Trophy 2018.
Simon says that Bristol is a perfect place for a company like The Adventurists: “The city is vibrant and creative, and has an adventurous spirit,” he says.
However, he regularly travels much further afield for training and proudly carries the title of ‘Guinea pig’ for all the test runs of the kit he has done. His latest and most challenging one yet took place in southern Africa, recceing the route of the Icarus Trophy. “It was rewarding and exhilarating with gorgeous views and plenty of animals,” Simon says.
The next Icarus Trophy 2019 will take place in Brazil, and with some more training, Simon is hoping to take part. In the mean time, he’ll continue to run trips for others with The Adventurists and who knows: perhaps other Bristolians will join him in his new favourite extreme sport along the way.
Read more about Simon’s African paramotoring adventures by visiting www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2018/4/3/icarus-trophy-africa-the-recce, and find out more about The Adventurists at www.theadventurists.com
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