Who's up for Extreme Erging?

[MaxDev]

Like the idea of flash erging too! And extreme erging on buildings as well.

Must admit, I hadn't really considered the possibilities of towing, since I don't have anything to attach to my wheel bar, and as we all know too well, the tiny wheels on the C2 are hopeless on anything other than smooth flat ground.

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't tow, rather than carry - as long as you get the erg to the erging point under your own power somehow, it shouldn't matter how. And it means that it opens up extreme erging for those to whom 28kg is a substantial portion of their body weight (sadly that doesn't include me).

That must be one extreme all-terrain pushchair you've got though Thomas!

And if that's a subtle way of asking for a photo of me (and not a tongue-in-cheek way of saying that there's sure to only be one person insane enough to try this), then I guess I can oblige... camera out again this morning for a proper shot (but oh dear, look at that beer belly bulging over the waist strap though... time to stop messing about with extreme erging ideas and get on for some serious erging to try and get rid of that, I feel)

[BorisZ]

It's time to think about extreme erging on all continents, in all countries, highest and lowest elevation etc.. The wealthy & sometimes lazy jet set can hire porters, but hardcore ergers of steel carry their own erg up. Mont Blanc is pretty flat on top - might be a good start?
Rog, in the UK C2 newsletter, could make a nice cartoon out of this...

[Stan]

Just got back from Vegas - seems I cant leave you lot alone for 2 weeks without another crackpot idea being mentioned. Mike if you want to try erging up the Malverns there is a nice comfy sofa bed here for you!

[ptruz]

As with all things "Free Spirit" this can be done at one's own pace. Some may want to climb Everest.......it's about doing something....erging.....and standing out.

I suggest that we also focus on collecting ,members erging at well known tourist spots.......either as a group or individually.

You know.....put your erg on by the river and someone get a shot of you with Big Ben behind you.......or The Eye......On The Eye with Big Ben or St. Pauls behind you, or Tower bridge.......these are all good.

We should have a gallery of the photos......

Best if the words Free Spirits are in the shot......wear a shirt....paint it on your erg......have a blimp flashing the logo behind you......a flag....whatever.

It does not matter how slow or small we start......The Free Spirit effect will take over and you know what happens then.

DISCLAIMER: Free Spirits takes no responsibility for arrest or injury due to EXTREME ERGING activities.......

[ptruz]

One more note on Base Erging.....

Did not consider actually jumping.....just perching.....

IF you are going to jump I suggest:

1. a seat belt.

2. A parachute....or.....

3. A Hang glider

4. some DaVinci type device attachment that can help you fly.....ROW HARD.....2K new PB.....No PROBLEM.

(Insert disclaimer) I can't help it.....I'm an insurance agent

[ptruz]

Use the Expedia Gnome as a template.

[Thomas W-P]

Base erging might be tricky anyway - you are in free-fall so no weight pressing you down on the seat. Maybe a FANAS with velcro might be in order.

<thinks>Why on earth am I mentioning this?</thinks>

[Mike Channin]

Thomas, it is a really sad sign to be tagging your thoughts.

But then, so is planning to cart a 28kg machine up something just to do more exercise with it at the top, and then carry it back down.

Stan - great to have you back, mate. This madness is not of my making, although I may have encouraged it a bit. May well take you up on that offer - oh and I might want to borrow your erg too

Seriously: This is a new and novel idea. Most of the serious extreme stuff has been done well and already by far better athletes than we are (I speak for myself, anyway). But no-one has done this before. We could organise a monthly event, and run this as some form of long term charity fund raiser type thing. Has to get good publicity - I'm sure C2 will love it. And the global nature of Free Spirits means we can do this like no one else.

For the full on outdoor stuff, there will be some serious practical issues to be solved - like keeping outdoor ergs from getting wet and wrecked if it rains (some form of erg protector tent??) Also, there will be practicality issues against carrying 28kg of machine + nutrition and fluids and clothing (and tent, and ...) to anywhere really tough - don't want to kill anyone!

Max/Stan - think we may have to do a Malvern dry run at this sometime to see if it is feasible, and how much it hurts!

[PSims]

I see an erging pub crawl coming on....cart the C2 to the pub, a drink, 5k then off to the next....

Mile high erging....

Erging on a slope up, or down (might be interesting)

High altitude erging has been discussed before (oxygen training for the sprinters).

Iron man triathlon (erg in place of the run or bike)

Erging whilst on a boat (surreal)

[MaxDev]

Bet erging on a slope will be hard on the legs (quads or hamstrings mainly, depending which way the slope is)!!

I had another idea that came from Paul's suggestion of erging on a boat, and what ptruz said about doing some extreme erging by a river)... why not IN the river.

Needs a firm gravel bottom, water no more than 8'' deep (there's parts of the river Wye at Hereford that go like that in summer, and I'm sure there's plenty of others)...

Water should preferably be over the footrests, and just under the slide.

Brings a new meaning to OTW

[Mike Channin]

Erging in a (shallow) river - brilliant guys.

And we can get loads of photos and do a Free Spirits poster afterwards:

Caption: "Guess that proves it then..., ergs DON'T float!"

[Thomas W-P]

I had a thought...

...if we *do* do this crazy thing and lug an ergo to the top of a mountain what distance should we do?

The height of the mountain of course!!

Though 8,850m at the top of Everest might be a little tough on the lungs.

[Mike Channin]

IF (and this is a big IF) I am stupid enough to lug a 28kg rowing machine all the way up something like Ben Nevis, Snowden, Scafell Pike, or even Leith Hill, I am going to want to go FURTHER than a few minutes worth. It'd take longer to assemble the machine than to row the distance.

Of course the reality is that it may well be limited by conditions and safety considerations.

This all sounds great, but an ironing board is a damn sight lighter and more portable than an erg. Think we may find this is SERIOUSLY hard to do. Am also concerned that it is well nigh on impossible for the Lwts of this world.

Let's have a go on the Malverns at some point (which are relatively low, but something of a challenge) and see how it goes...

[Mike Channin]

That said, I can see this being great to do somewhere like central London. The challenge could be just getting the thing around the City to row in different silly places, or in climbing something like the Monument, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Tower 42, The Gherkin, etc. (possibly using multiple trips to carry the bits up). And relatively easy to get press coverage. (Not certain I want to be seen doing this, but if it is in a good cause, I can probably cope...)

On another, similar thread, I wonder if we can get permission to drop an erg OFF somewhere high in revenge...

[ptruz]

Do our brothers and sisters on the wrong side of the Atlantice not know what the "ROAMING GNOME" is?

Travelocity (not Expedia...sorry).....an internet Travel Company....has a long running promotional/advertising program where they take a colorful.....18 inch tall.....plastic lawn gnome and place it in many famous tourist places.....

you may see the gnome at the Empire State Building.....Disney World.....Las VEgas.

I wish I could insert a picture......

Anyway, I see a campaign....as Mike has also suggested where all over the world we collect shots of Free Spirits erging at famous and interesting places.......example....the Eiffel Tower......

Like the Gnome

[Mike Channin]

Off topic, I know, but did you know you can buy the travelocity gnome.

That's right, on fleabay!

http://search.ebay.com/travelocity-gnom ... Z1QQfsopZ1

[ptruz]

I WANT A PICTURE OF THAT LITTLE GUY....ON AN ERG...IN FORNT OF THE PYRAMIDS!

[MaxDev]

I will definitely be up for trying this out on the Malverns...

Close to home for me, they're only little, and easy walking (though I haven't carried a 35kg+ pack up them before, and I think it'll be all of that once, as Mike says, you've got the erg, food, water and clothing, even if you can make it into a day trip)

Like the "Ergs don't float" poster idea too... OTW rowers have been saying that for ever...

And the extreme erging in the City idea as well for publicity/charity purposes. Anyone seen those films ('Jump London' etc) about these crazy French (and now English) guys 'free walking' on London (and other) landmarks - maybe we should be calling it 'free erging'.

Anyone got an old erg to donate for dropping off a tall building? Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to go for burial at sea - picture a C2 sliding out from under a white sheet and off the side of a boat.

[ptruz]

STONEHENGE! Did I spell it right.....

come on....it's perfect!

A small group 50-10 erg-ers.

MAYBE YOU COULD DRESS LIKE DRUIDS.

I, of course, mean no ill will to those of you who are actually Druids.

[MaxDev]

Hmm... Stonehenge.

Unfortunately it's a World Heritage site - chances are if we tried to pull a stunt like that without warning, we'd all end up getting arrested

But other well-known landmarks may be possible...

[Mike Channin]

OK, how's this for a super-extreme idea.

Get two (insane) distance monkeys, transport for 3 people and 2 ergs, and do a Lands End to John O' Groats row.

Start at Lands End. The distance monkeys do 100k each, then get in the transport, sit on soft cushions and drive to the next venue.

Over 7 days, the venues actually move from Lands End to John O' Groats, where the distance monkeys finish off their 7th 100k of the week, and then do an extra 3k each, for a total of 1406k - which is the distance from Lands End to John O' Groats.

Now this is pretty seriously extreme, but without doubt, would be a first...

(Help, the men in the white coats have just arrived.... they say they've already got Ironar$e and Max in the van, and Shrek only escaped because he made them laugh so much he got away...)

[MaxDev]

I'm not (yet) insane enough to even attempt to do 100k/day for 7 days running... but give me time.

It's crazy... I like it... sounds like we need to raid club funds and get more donations to fly Ironar$e over for it though.

Also, even if we do find people nutty enough to try this... when do we get 7 days of continuously fine weather in the UK, without it being too hot to even consider erging 100k?

[Stan]

Interesting idea Mike but I think you should stop listening to "the voices".
Maybe if more people were involved, rowing fewer meters each, you might actually find some people crazy enough to do this.

[Thomas W-P]

Extreme erging has to happen.

I want a fair crack at the ergo on offer in the Concept 2 video competition and when I win I promise that my model C will become the dismantleable ergo of choice for the extreme team.

I like the Lands End to John O'Groats idea, but I think it should be a relay with people turning up for each day - but the first two days are going to involve being a VERY long way away from anywhere.

[Mike Channin]

OK - how's this then.

We do the 7 days, 7 locations thing. We have 2 insane people as before, who do 50k each per day, and the other 50k x 2 is done by local Spirits who turn up to help, rowing in relay. This way, we get the distance done, plus get more Spirits involved. Van driver needs to be camera man too.

Oh, and for the video thing, I think we try to row as many London landmarks as possible before the closing date, and collate the footage. And we need to do it for charity, and get C2 officially involved (and any other people who are appropriate - Sir Steve?). I volunteer to row a FM on each landmark we can get for 7 days.