Dare Bigger: Tackle the Fear of Death by Living

I got to write a piece for The Inertia - my favorite surf blog - for their newly formed mountain division. It was centered around Cam Zink and his backflip into the record books. The film profiles Cam Zink as he attempts the aforementioned 100-foot dirt-to-dirt backflip, through which he speaks candidly about family, fear, and failing. We then meet the famous Troy Lee from Troy Lee Designs who is responsible for Cam’s safety gear. He’s stepping it up a notch for the flip and brought Kevlar into the process to create lightweight and extraordinarily strong protective gear that doesn’t slow Cam down or restrict him.

The film ends as it begins — Mammoth, California on a gorgeous summer day— all the locals have turned out in force for the jump. The tension is mounting; he’d be lucky if he walked away from a crash here. But that is the life of action sports. The jumps get bigger and the gaps get wider. It’s what keeps the athletes hungry and us as viewers coming back for more.

Author’s Note: Kevlar (the bullet-proof vest guys) partnered with XGames to create a series of “Dare Bigger Profiles” on extreme athletes who had used Kevlar in their gear, including big wave surfer Gary Linden.  Read the post here.