Going Vertical

Tao Berman holds three world records, including one of the two world-record waterfall-descent records of 98.4 feet. He has also completed more than fifty first descents of rivers and was a Pre-Worlds champion for freestyle kayaking competition. He has starred in many extreme-sports videos and on TV programs, including Dateline NBC, CNN's World Sports "Play of the Day," and two episodes of Discovery Channel's Stunt Junkies. He's also been featured in Sports Illustrated, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, and Maxim magazines. Counting print, TV, and video exposure, millions of people view Tao every year. One recent program alone-the Teva Mountain Games coverage on Fox Television-was broadcast to 150 million households. He's a public speaker sought by business audiences seeking lessons on risk taking and goal setting, and by schoolchildren keen to meet an extreme-sports celebrity. Sports Illustrated writes, "Berman is the best-known kayaker on the planet," and Rolling Stone calls Tao the "world's most extreme paddler."

Pam Withers is a longtime whitewater kayaker and author of thirteen teen adventure novels, most of them best-sellers and three of them award nominees. A former editor at River World and Adventure Travel magazines and a popular public speaker, she has written for publications ranging from the New York Times to McCall's.