Over the Edge

Michael Bane was just a "average guy": overweight, over forty, afraid of heights and unable to swim. Then one morning a 55mph wind hit his windsurfing board, and his taste for adventure was born. Later that day he made a list of 13 impossible things that he would like to try: windsurfing big air; the Kamikaze Downhill bike race; Escape from Alcatraz (a triathlon); whitewater off a waterfall; rock climb; cave dive; ice climb; skydive; a skate marathon; dive really deep; Badwater Death Valley run; Iditarod Bike Race (Alaska); and climb the mountain, Denali. How he achieved these feats provides an insight into the world of extreme sports.