O.K. We are finally giving in to reality. The United States is BIG.
Too big for us to even pretend that we can hunt out and report all the cool extreme sports sites around the nation. But along the way we have discovered so many folks that are interested in the ingredients we've got poured into this beast: from traveling, to sports, to new experiences, to living on the road. And more than just interest, these folks are the ones that point us in the right direction!
Think of your greater backyard. Is there...a perfect little break that works when an east swell comes through...a slough near your parent's farm that is glassy every morning, just asking to be wakeboarded...a great beach that blows steady sideshore on a northeast wind...that single track that is so much fun a day after it rains...the group that meets every Wednesday night to rip up the town on blades....tell us about it!
We're soliciting material from "guest editors" who know the local spots. If you're interested in being a part of The Extreme Road Trip and would like to write up your local haunts, we'd love to publish them.
THE SPORTS
We're interested in the goods on any of the following activities:
Surfing
Windsurfing
Mountain Biking
Rock Climbing
River Rafting/Kayaking
Kite Boarding
Snow Boarding/Skiing
Skate Parks
Rollerblading/Group Skates
Dirt Biking
Scuba Diving
Wakeboarding
Skydiving
Mountain Boarding
If you think something is missing from this list, or you know of something a little further out on the edge, don't click away, just tell us to wise up! Our doors are definitely open...
THE CONTENT
Here's what you'll need to put together to get your spot write-up posted on The Extreme Road Trip:
Description: 200-400 words offering some general info on the spot. See any of our sports entries for an example.
Season & Conditions: If the spot is only good at certain times of the year, be sure to point that out.
Ability Level: Be clear if the spot is good for beginners, or only appropriate for experts, that sort of thing.
Costs Involved: Will you have to dish out any ducats to get to this spot? Be that in parking fees, lift tix, whatever.
Unique Features: Anything strange or kooky to watch out for? Any specific rules? Good or bad...both are important to know.
Directions: Pretty straightforward. Pick a major highway and give driving directions from there. Try not to use landmarks like "my brother Tony's house."
Photos: These are optional. If you've got a digital camera and you want to send us some pics, great.* If not, no worries. If you've got snapshots but no scanner, you can send them snailmail to our home base in Cali and we'll scan them in when we get back, provided you label them so well that a third grader could match the photo with the spot.
THE METHOD
Email is the answer.* Send us your hot spot write ups per the guidelines listed above via email, and we'll get back to you ASAP with any questions, concerns, shouts of excitement or bouts of exstatic enthusiasm. Then we'll post the story, give you full credit, and let you know when you're stuff is online. (We reserve the right to edit any submissions to The Extreme Road Trip...which basically means that we'll make your stuff sound even better than it was when you released the pure genius from your Outbox.)
If you'd like, please send us a little bio about yourself, even a photo if you've got one (those four-strip $2.50 booth deals work great). We'll get your stats linked out from your by-line. We can also link your email address with your name, if you want.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: While on the road, we are bandwidth-handicapped. With the exception of a few kinko's encounters, all of our uploads, downloads and email are done via cell-phone...which makes 28.8 modems look like lightning connections. So, please be kind if you've got photos to send. ONLY send photo submissions when there is a write-up to accompany the pics, and please ONLY send photos (optimized if possible) to editors@theextremeroadtrip.com.
