Thrill Seeker: 15 Remarkable Women in Extreme Sports
Introduction assess their uncertainty If there’s a real and legitimate dan ger they will make a rational decision to stop However being frightened of the what-ifs doesn’t count Instead Bethany Hamilton will take on a killer wave using its crushing force to surf a ride that is as exhilarating as it is life changing Angela Hawse will trek to the top of the world’s highest and most treacherous mountains to earn a breath of the most pristine air on earth And Lizzie Armanto will attempt a mind-boggling kickflip pushing aside the possibility of failure and going at it until she gets it right How do they do it And why Maybe their motivation comes from achieving something that makes them feel ultra-alive perhaps it’s because not doing it would be like living life from behind a curtain Each of these action adventurers comes from humble roots None had it easy and none had lives without struggle and personal sacrifice Yet each is an inspiration a bull’s-eye of audacity and bold resolve To every reader of this book Buckle up for a wild and thrilling ride May you feel inspiration and awe as you pedal vault carve run fly steer and plunge your way through these real-life adventures What do you long to do Three two one Go for it viii
Part I Maximum Sky
11 Roberta Mancino Fly Like a Superhero Roberta Mancino zipped the arms of her wingsuit closed the thrill of what she was about to do causing her heart to beat faster In just a few moments she would be jumping from the helicopter in the specially designed suit that would allow her to glide horizontally the closest a human being could get to flying like a bird With fabric wings stretched between her arms and legs the increased surface area would allow her to soar for miles before having to deploy the parachute strapped to her back She adjusted her goggles next necessary to pro tect her eyes from the force of the wind along with the sul fur-laced smoke infusing the air below her Roberta was about to fly directly over an active volcano Villarrica is a classic cone-shaped mountain towering 9,341 feet 2,847 m above sea level in Chile When Roberta gazed at 2
Roberta Mancino it from the open door of the helicopter she noted that it was dotted with snow though the top opened to a pit of glowing orange lava If she could have measured its temperature she would have found that this molten rock was over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit 540 C Not only that since it was active the col orful magma could spew upward at any time When Roberta first arrived in the country the locals told her that Villarrica had another name They called the volcano Rucapillán a Mapuche word for devil’s house Today’s flight would be historic Never before had anyone attempted to fly a wingsuit over Villarrica Never before had a woman flown over any active volcano Roberta’s bright red wingsuit was equipped with cameras She had one on her helmet along with another attached to the torso of her suit Her team had cameras too they didn’t want to miss recording a second The stunt was dangerous but Roberta and her team had planned meticulously like they always did first securing per mission from their host country and then calculating the many logistical issues that could affect the flight such as wind speed and altitude It would be a long glide too Roberta needed to get off the mountain and its lava fields and fly to a secure land ing area in the rocky plain below She had no reserve parachute with her there was no point By the time it was safe to land it would be too late to deploy a second chute Don’t fly too close one of the locals had advised her ear lier Hold your breath for a few seconds when you go over the top It was a reminder that the volcano was active and that the 3
