Action Sports

Kelly Slater does it all.

Eleven-time world surfing champion? Check.

An occasional appearance on Baywatch? No problem.

Help a mother and son who were swept away by a wave? You got it.

Slater rushed to the aid of Sarah White and her 22-month-old son Van after the two were pummeled by a rogue wave while walking along a beachside footpath in Hawaii.

Slater downplayed his actions, saying, "For some random reason I stopped there when I normally don’t. Lifeguards were on it either way and had it handled."

According to a report from 7 News Perth, White had Van in a stroller when the wave struck. After attempting to hold on to the stroller under the force of the wave, she was eventually separated from it.

"When the wave hit, there was like 10 foot of whitewash in the air," Van's father, Chris White, told 7 News Perth. "They said there was 20 to 30 seconds where no one could see where either of them were."

It was at that point that Slater leaped into action, pulling Van and his stroller out of the water and then helping Sarah. The surf champion then drove the pair home.

Chris White was so appreciative that he took to Instagram to dedicate a few words to Slater's noble effort:

So thankful the surf gods denied @kellyslater today cos for whatever reason he was right there to save my wife and kid who were swept across a road by a freak wave today. Forever grateful to the great man and so thankful my family is alive and safe 👊🏼 ❤️💙 Thanks to all the lifeguards too who saved many lives today.

Despite his casual demeanor, it's evident Slater was concerned for the mother and son he rescued, even going to visit them the following day.

[7 News Perth, h/t For The Win]

While some may be intimidated by the size of the famous "Jaws" wave in Peahi, Hawaii, no wave scares surfer Tom Dosland.

But that doesn't mean his rides always go smoothly.

On Thursday, an absolutely incredible video of Dosland taking on Jaws hit the Internet. The surfer attempted to ride the monster wave, but after a few seconds his board gave out and sent him crashing into the water below.

Ouch.

Hopefully Dosland didn't suffer any injuries in the fall.

[Davin Phelps]

Seeing Winter Storm Jonas as an opportunity rather than a problem, a New York snowboarder grabbed his board and had some fun with a few buddies.

The crew hit the snow-covered streets of New York City to put together an amazing video. With the use of cameras, selfie sticks and drones, they were able to get some incredible shots of their fun.

The wild ride wasn't limited to just the snowboarder, however. There was a skier who jumped in on the action, as well as a second snowboarder who also joined in for a bit.

Just wait until you see the end of the video. It was the perfect finale for something like this.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the adventure. (Warning: The video contains NSFW language):

[YouTube]

Shawn Dollar, who is among the top names and biggest risk takers in big-wave surfing, is in stable condition after suffering a broken neck and a concussion during a surfing accident Monday.  

According to Kale Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 34-year-old Dollar broke his neck in four places while battling massive waves off of the coast of Central California. Even after suffering serious injuries, he was able to make it to shore.

Per Julie Jag of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Dollar released a statement after the ordeal:

I'm so thankful I'm alive and present today. Being surrounded by my loved ones through this time has been paramount for me. I'm so grateful for those who were there in my scariest and darkest hour and who acted on my behalf to get me to safety and reach the hospital in time. I'm thankful to learn that even with these severe injuries I will make a full recovery. They will be met with challenges, but with my family's support and community encouragement I will be back in no time.

Dollar is no stranger to dangerous situations, as he has competed in the Titans of Mavericks competition and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever paddled into, according to Jag.

Dollar's comments suggest he is still very much committed to continuing his career provided he makes a full recovery, which speaks to not only how brave he is but also how much he loves the discipline that has put him on the map.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Ascot traded finishing posts for a high-flying fanfare on Saturday as the second half of the 2015 Red Bull Air Race got up and running at one of England's most famed racing venues.

Saturday's qualifying action set the stage for Sunday's crescendo, and it was Great Britain's Paul Bonhomme who finished fastest in the Master Class to claim the top spot heading into race day.

Bonhomme's chances of topping qualification looked slim after Australian Matt Hall broke the record earlier in the day, but the standings leader replicated that feat with a time of one minute and 6.023 seconds to wow the Ascot audience.

In the Challenger Class, Daniel Ryfa of Sweden was more than three seconds ahead of the competition in qualifying, but he surrendered the Challenger Cup to Petr Kopfstein after he completed a superb comeback.

Read on for a look at Saturday's qualifying results and recap, and a glimpse at Sunday's head-to-head schedule for the round of 14, provided by the official Red Bull Air Race website.

A host of contenders impressed in training earlier this weekend, but it was clear there was energy left in the reserves as the field failed to crack the barrier of 1:07.

Having claimed back-to-back Air Race victories in Rovinj and Budapest, Hannes Arch was on a mission to complete his hat-trick streak as he sought to leapfrog Bonhomme in the overall standings.

The Austrian had a qualifying session to forget, though, opting for security over speed on his first run and performing a Safety Climb Out before technical problems meant there was no second attempt to be had.

Ironically, because Arch did not show, he finished Saturday as the worst performer and will go head-to-head against Bonhomme in Sunday's round of 14, pitting the standings' top two competitors against one another.

The official Red Bull UK Twitter account tipped the pair to duel this weekend in what's become a fierce rivalry, with that bet turning out to be right on the money:

Ascot makes for a wonderful Air Race venue, and the racecourse's official Twitter account illustrated the contrasting nature of the setting against its action as reigning Red Bull Air Race champion Nigel Lamb took to the skies:

A fastest time of 1:08.220 seconds meant the home pilot didn't impact the leaders too heavily, sitting in mid-table after finishing almost two seconds slower than compatriot Bonhomme.

The high-octane entertainment may put its combatants on the edge of sanity, but Bonhomme's preparation technique was shown to be surprisingly playful:

In the Challenger Cup, Kopfstein recovered from a slow qualifying session to top the times at Ascot and close the gap on Challenger Class leader Ryfa.

The Czech finished in 1:20.776 seconds to beat Cristian Bolton and Ryfa to first place, and he now sits just two points off the latter in the overall standings.

Australian apparel company Afends wanted to do something edgy, so it brought out some skateboarders and action sports enthusiasts to do tricks in the middle of what looks like Field of Dreams: Bill Walton Edition.

The company took over the middle of Australia's largest hemp field, built a ramp and shot some video. 

Afends positions the video as part of its hemp initiative—a dedication to the durable, eco-friendly plant used in making clothing, rope, oils and the bad necklaces you once bought on a family vacation to Hilton Head Island. 

From the description of the video (sic):

Here at Afends we've jumped on the hemp bandwagon and are riding this proverbial train to more sustainable pastures. To celebrate our self proclaimed sustainable legends status, we headed out to the largest hemp field in Australia, threw together a half pipe (literally, we built it on the day - DIY till we die!), and skated the crap out of our mini ramp right in the centre of a damn hemp field.

Along with us we bought Australian skaters Boyd Young and Bibi Bradbury, videographers from Flamingo Amigo, photographer Sam Nolan and we threw in surfer Josh Sleep for good measure. Oh, and a few cartons of VB. Classic.

So we're clear, hemp is not recreational marijuana. It's a tall, workmanlike variety of cannabis with a low THC content better suited for holding puka shells than smoking.

But it looks pretty cool, so let's just pretend it's the real thing.

Dan is on Twitter. Follow him? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.

The future has arrived—sort of.

Lexus’ hoverboard, the “Slide,” is the real deal, and pro skater Ross McGouran took it for a ride at the company’s custom-built park in Barcelona, Spain.

Here's the thing: The Slide only works there.

CNET’s Tim Stevens explained why and also broke down how it functions:

Called "Slide," it is a skateboard-like device that floats a few inches above the ground, promising the ultimate in futuristic, personal travel. To pull off this seemingly impossible feat, the thing contains a series of magnets and superconductors cooled by liquid nitrogen. The board is real, and it exists exclusively for the purpose of elevating the Lexus brand image.

…

The levitation effect of supercooled superconductors has been known for ages now, but deploying it on such a scale requires some serious effort. Namely: lots and lots and lots of magnets built into the ground. The company has built a custom skate park in Barcelona, Spain, upon which its prototype hoverboard can be used.

According to Jeremy Korzeniewski of AutoBlog, “Lexus has said it does not intend to sell a production version of its hoverboard.”

Sigh.

At least we can still watch in awe, dreaming of the day when we can cast wheels aside in favor of hovercraft technology.

[CNET, YouTube]

Surfer Mick Fanning fended off a shark attack while competing at the J-Bay Open in South Africa on July 19. Fanning recently returned to the water—only to encounter yet another shark.

ABC News' Katie Kindelan and Sabina Ghebremedhin reported what Fanning had to say Monday in an interview on Good Morning America.

"I was lucky that I was just on the back of the Jet Ski and I was actually looking at another wave to catch," Fanning said. "I was OK. I went in and regrouped."     

Fanning was shooting a special for 60 Minutes in Australia when he ventured back into the water at Hastings Point on the Tweed Coast. The CBS program showed the footage of Fanning's latest run-in with a shark, but as was the case in the live-TV competition attack, he was physically unharmed.

The 34-year-old surfer also spoke of his decision to make a rather swift and courageous return to the water.

"I just didn't want to leave it too long," Fanning said. "I felt like if I left it too long I would start playing tricks with myself and having too many mind games go on, so I just really wanted to get it done pretty quickly."

Fanning was paid $75,000 for the 60 Minutes segment. He donated the entire fee to Matt Lee, a bodyboarder who was attacked by a shark last month, according to SurfingLife.com.

Spinning his life-threatening situation into a positive has helped Fanning move forward from an episode that could well have been his last time on a surfboard.   

Next up for Fanning is an event called the Billabong Pro Tahiti beginning on Aug. 14. The three-time World Surf League champion certainly doesn't seem discouraged by his recent experiences and is set to continue his successful career.

If you've never set your body on fire and gone surfing over a razor-sharp reef, have you ever really lived?

I haven't lived because I refuse to do what Jamie O'Brien recently did at the reef off Teahupo'o on Tahiti's southwestern coast.

Seemingly part of the same expedition that saw Niccolo Porcella get crushed by a monster wave this week, O'Brien—a stuntman/surfer (peak crazy person)—tried something a little different.

Getting out early in the morning (got to have optimal lighting), O'Brien put on a wetsuit and lit himself on fire. He then caught a wave because sometimes you have to do it for the Vine/YouTube.

Red Bull's Nate Hoppes (h/t For The Win's Nate Scott) brings us O'Brien's comments on the stunt. He makes surfing while burning sound exactly as fun as it looks:

The craziest thing was getting on the boat in the dark. The light where you'd normally start paddling out is the light that you need to get lit on fire. And then you're surfing over a razor-sharp reef in a perfect environment and trying to time everything with the whole set. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And the build-up, the nerves … it still feels like every time I get lit on fire is the first time, because there's a new challenge every time, from the trial runs on land, to taking it to the water, then surfing a wave and eventually weaving through a barrel.

O'Brien's stunt leaves us with an important question: Does surfing while on fire repel or lure sharks?

One school of thought would suggest the fire would deter any sharks in the area from eating you because ah! This porridge is too hot!

The other theory here is that surfing while on fire is basically sounding a dinner bell for marine predators.

By setting yourself aflame, you are essentially preheating yourself like a human taquito. Sharks rely mostly on smell, and if even a little bit of burnt hair or epidermis smell hits the water, they'll know.

I'm a subscriber to the latter philosophy. I believe setting yourself on fire is just asking for it, as sharks love responding to fiery boat wrecks and just need to wait for you to fall in and extinguish the flames.

In any case, don't set yourself on fire and surf.

Go do literally anything else and leave stuff like that to the paid crazy people.

Dan is on Twitter. He is firmly—oh so firmly—on #TeamDryLand.

After months of dry runs on the airbag, pro rider and Nitro Circus affiliate Jed Mildon landed the world's first quadruple BMX backflip at Travis Pastrana's home compound in Davidsonville, Maryland.

Four years in the planning, the jump ended a race between Mildon and fellow rider James Foster to see who could land the trick first. 

Mildon completed the four flips after months of ramp tweaking and failed attempts.

Foster wasn't as lucky in his pursuit of the quad, falling prey to injury after some nasty failed jumps. The two had worked together to solve the mysteries of the trick, but Foster was ultimately forced to sit on the sideline as Mildon achieved their goal.

Just how dangerous is the quad flip? Foster spoke to Transworld.net's Jeff Zielinski about the painful process of trying to beat his friend to the punch on the quad.

"My first try I drifted to the side a little and missed the landing because the first landing was not what it needed to be," Foster said. "...I broke two ribs on the second try, and went back six weeks later to try it again, and ended up breaking two more ribs on my first attempt back."

In all, Foster said he broke just about all his ribs trying to land the trick: 

Ten broken ribs and a separated shoulder. I broke five ribs on tour with Nitro in Australia right before we were supposed to go back out to Travis’, and re-broke another when I came up short on the airbag landing when I was only 70-80% healed from that injury.

So in case you were thinking about doing anything resembling a BMX backflip, just know that your ribcage quickly becomes forfeit. 

Leave the quad flip to the professional crazy people. It's their job.

Dan is on Twitter. Nope.