Here's a guy with a passion for surfing the biggest, heaviest, narliest waves  he can find. It's not for the money or the sponsorship or the fame - just the rush that comes with having 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water dumped over his head while traveling at 60 mph on his surfboard. Sounds crazy, but he explains the why and the how. This episode dovetails nicely with episode #79 from June 2026 that interviewed Tim Bonython, the king of big wave surfing videography who describes the experience from behind the lens rather than in front of it.

A non-sailer had an inexplicable desire to sail around the world, so what did he do? He convinced his wife and three young children to join in. Then he purchased my sailboat (your host) and launched a 2+ year odyssey to live out his dream. That left my wife and me boatless, but happily living vicariously through their experience. This episode catches up with them to hear their story 14 months into their journey and halfway around the world. The perspectives on why take an adventure like this are fantastic, and so different between the original dreamer, the (initially) reluctant spouse, and the teenagers.

This guy is crazy - in an impressive way! Ty Andrews went from Mt. Everest base camp to the summit in <10 hours this year, smashing the previous record that had stood for over two decades. For reference, most climbers require 4-5 days or more for that climb. Hear from Ty about his favorite part of the climb, what got him through 6 previous failed attempts, and how one goes about skipping the mountain's notorious traffic jams.

Tracy Edwards was a high school dropout in her early 20's who set her mind on the seemingly impossible dream to sail in the Whitbread Round the World race. The male-dominated sport at the time provided no opportunity, so she raised the funds and fielded the first all-female team herself. The resulting documentary, “Maiden” is my favorite example of grit and determination. And she didn’t stop there. A lifetime of remarkable achievements makes this woman an inspiration to anyone. After listening to the podcast, watch "Maiden" !!

An epic 3 month, 2,500 mile kite-skiing expedition across the Antarctic continent by two scientists. They pulled a ground-penetrating radar on sleds to map the Antarctic ice sheet and study climate change. Here is an extraordinary adventurer / glaciologist who is as good at exploration and science as she is at communicating it all. And you've got to hear about their experience at the South Pole of Inaccessibility!