Watch a news anchor struggle to find something to talk about while Jeb Corliss flies through a cave in China. I suppose it’s more of an ‘arch’ than a cave but I’m not going to argue with the guy who was close enough to high-five a member of his ground crew on his last YouTube video. The anchor keeps saying it was his “second attempt.” Since he survived to make that second attempt we can assume that his first attempt did not include him coming into contact with the ground without deploying a parachute first.

Crash landing in the middle of the Alps would have indeed been a bad place to end up, it’s about the same as flying over an active volcano in terms of hopes for rescue. Fortunately everything went smoothly for Jonathan Trappe, and it should, considering he took a test run flying across the English Channel on his lawn chair. The 54-year-old spent 12 hours in the air during his crossing of the Alps. I wonder if he brought a handful of pennies to throw at some point. I know I would have.

via Adventure Blog

Ever wonder why the Northern Lights light up? It has something to do with ions and the earth’s magnetic field. If you want the long version, watch this 5-minute video by animator and sound artist Per Byhring. One thing I learned from the video? There’s such a job as ‘sound artist.’

Tomorrow the tour of Teton Gravity Research’s One for the Road kicks off in, you guessed it, Teton Village, Wyoming. If you’re interested in seeing it in person on the big screen and possibly even heckling some of the riders in person instead of in the comment section on blogs, check out the tour schedule. Hopefully they bring the Sam-Elliot-sounding-guy who narrates the trailer.

The fantastic production work of the government-produced Yosemite Nature Notes has done more to restore my faith in the federal government than anything else in recent years. Their latest is Sky Islands, a look at the rare plant colonies that live in isolation atop high, flat plateaus of the Sierra Nevada.