Home > News > 2007 > 7 > 27 > Archive >

The White Air Extreme Sports Festival Welcomes First-Timers

You don't have to go all the way to California for some decent surf. The Isle of Wight is the ideal location for novices to try a whole range of water and land-based adventure sports and the White Air Extreme Sports Festival held at Yaverland beach over the August Bank Holiday (27 August to 3 September) is the ideal time to visit.

In August international athletes will head to the Island to compete in a clutch of international championships, this year including the World Windsurfing Grand Prix Formula Racing Championships. There will be around 100 competitors from 30 to 40 different countries, but you don't have to be an expert to take part.

White Air offers spectators the opportunity to 'have a go' themselves and novices will be able to try a whole raft of extreme sports, such as the new craze Parkour - see below for full details below.

Here are just some of the highlights this year:
- More 'have a go' taster sessions, including:
Speedminton.......is the best of Tennis, Squash and Badminton, and takes racquet to another level with Speeders flying up to 200m/ph! Already a great success in Europe with 13 European countries playing it, Speedminton is now conquering the British Isles. During the week there will be 6 easy courts for participant to 'have a go' at this fantastic new Racquet sport. Speedminton will provide all necessary equipment and the hire of the equipment is for free!

Paddle Boarding.........in association with Escape boards you will have the chance to try the latest sport on the water. Great exercise and fun in the surf. Paddle Boards will be supplied for 'free' so just sign up and book yourself in!
Mountain Boarding.....a cross between skateboarding and snowboarding. The board resembles a big skateboard with pressurised all terrain tyres and the ideal is to roll down the hill on it, turning smoothly and stopping when you choose. Easier said than done!

Parkour...is it a sport? Practitioners of parkour, developed in France in the early 90s, are as likely to call it a philosophy or an art-form. This new urban adventure was conceived in an attempt to conquer the city landscape - scaling walls and leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Also known as obstacle-coursing, it combines 'speed, fluidity, aesthetics and originality', and consists of acrobatic and gymnastic movements designed to progress the parkouriste from point A to point B. It can be highly dangerous if practised recklessly, and there are no short cuts to becoming proficient: learning the basics - cat leaps, tic tacs, vaults - and repeating them constantly until they are second nature is advised. There are workshops to give would-be parkouristes an introduction, but, as they say, don't try this at home... One to watch, only, perhaps!

The Bees...who've recently released their third album 'Octopus', will appear on the White Air Platform One Live Stage on the evening of Wednesday 29th August.

More highlights:
- The Red Arrows and RAF Falcons Extreme Display across Sandown Bay on Saturday 1 September - simply spectacular!
- The Thundercats race on 1&2 September - designed to plane quickly across the water, they can outmanoeuvre any boat of a similar size reaching extreme speeds. Racing is highly competitive and hugely exciting.
- Some 50 groups will be playing on the White Air stage from Mon 27 August to Sunday 2 September, including The Bees on 29 August! The setting is awesome based on a beach against the backdrop of one of Europe's leading extreme sports festivals.

Ticket Prices:

Adult 3-day Weekend pass £17.50
Youth 3-day Weekend pass £10.00
Family Weekend pass (2+2) £49.50

Adult 7-day Week pass £29.50
Youth 7-day Week pass £19.50
Family Week pass (2+2) £79.00

Save when you go on-line!
Under 7's go free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult

Note: Weekend pass is valid from Friday to Sunday inclusive, Week pass is valid from Monday to Sunday inclusive. Have a go' taster sessions are available to ticket holders only on a first come, first serve basis. Pre-book at www.whiteair.co.uk

For more information about White Air, including discounted ferry travel, competitions and to pre-book a 'have a go' session, visit www.whiteair.co.uk

And if you can't make it.....

There are several adventure sports operators on the Island:

Wight Water Adventure Sports (01983 404987,www.wightwaters.com) offers beginners courses in sailing, windsurfing, surfing and sea-kayaking. They will also run one-hour taster sessions in sailing and windsurfing and surfing and kayaking.

X-isle Sports (01983 873111, www.x-is.co.uk)
Founded in 2003, X-Isle Sports is now firmly established as one of the Island's premier watersports companies teaching kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, sailing, powerboating, wakeboarding and water-skiing. X-isle prides itself on having an excellent team of fully qualified instructors who teach students of all ages and welcomes individuals, school groups and corporate clients. Tel. 01983 873111, e-mail info@x-is.co.uk,

First Contact (01983 753839, www.islandactivities.co.uk)
Specialists in corporate entertainment, corporate activities and hospitality. So if you're organising a corporate event or team building exercise, give First Contact a try. They know just about every outdoor activity available on the Island and can arrange the whole package, including transport and accommodation.

High Adventure ( 01983 758500, www.high-adventure.uk.com)
Being in the 'deep south', the Island often escapes the worst effect of low-pressure systems so providing a large number of flyable days for paragliding tuition. High Adventure is a fully recognised and registered British paragliding and hang gliding Association school and offers a wide range of activities for both groups and individuals

Note: Book in advance, weather dependent