La Ronge Off-Road Enthusiasts Compete at Prestigious Mountain Havoc Racing Event
Two men from La Ronge have returned after attending Mountain Havoc, a premier off-road racing event in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Jeff Ede and Derek Wrightson brought a 2013 Jimmy Smith tube chassis with a six-liter V8 engine, automatic transmission, one-ton 14-bolt rear axles, and 47-inch tires to the three-day competition, known as the Superbowl of havoc-style racing. Ede drove the vehicle while Wrightson provided support. Both are members of the La Ronge Off-Road group. “It’s a qualifier race, so you have to place well in another race to qualify for this race,” Ede explained of the event held June 14-16.
“This was a four-race series throughout the weekend. We tackled four different courses: one race on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday. It was a point system, so based on your performance in each race, you earned points. The highest point earners placed first, second, or third.”
To qualify for Mountain Havoc, Ede performed well at Mountain Top Madness over the May long weekend in Kelowna, B.C. At Mountain Havoc, Ede placed 12th out of 21 teams with 284 points, while the top driver scored 487 points.
“It’s pretty nerve-racking, showing up and racing against the best drivers from Canada and the United States,” Ede noted. “There were really well-put-together rigs, the best drivers, and the tracks were absolutely insane and very difficult race courses.”
The race courses featured a mix of natural and manmade obstacles through mountains, sand, and forest terrain. Ede had to navigate big fan jumps, rock piles, mudholes, and pits.
Ede purchased the buggy in the fall of 2023, and he and Wrightson worked on it over the winter, as it was in rough shape when Ede bought it. The races in Kelowna and Bonners Ferry were the first where they used the buggy, marking their first competition south of the border.
Ede has been off-roading since he got his license at 16, making this experience in the United States particularly exhilarating. “We have a few trails local to us in La Ronge,” he added. “I’ve had a lot of practice trail riding, but racing these kinds of tracks against these kinds of competitors is a totally different story.”
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104-Year-Old Aims to Break Record as World’s Oldest Skydiver
A 104-year-old Chicago woman Skydiver is aiming to be recognized as the oldest person to ever skydive after leaving her walker behind and making a tandem jump in northern Illinois. Dorothy Hoffner made the jump at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, about 85 miles southwest of Chicago, and was greeted by a cheering crowd upon landing. “Age is just a number,” Hoffner declared after her jump, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The current Guinness World Record for the oldest skydiver is held by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden, set in May 2022. Skydive Chicago is now working to have Hoffner’s jump certified as a new record by Guinness World Records, according to WLS-TV.
In related news, Erin Honeycutt from Michigan recently achieved the Guinness World Record for the longest beard on a living woman.
Dorothy Hoffner first skydived at the age of 100. On Sunday, she left her walker behind just before boarding the Skyvan plane and was assisted up the steps to join the other skydivers.
“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner exclaimed after taking her seat.
During her first skydive, Hoffner needed a push out of the aircraft. However, this time, tethered to a US Parachute Association-certified instructor, she was determined to lead the jump from 13,500 feet (4,100 meters).
Displaying calm and confidence, Hoffner moved toward the plane’s open aft door, revealing tan crop fields far below. She shuffled to the edge and leaped into the air, tumbling headfirst out of the plane. Hoffner completed a perfect forward roll in the sky before stabilizing in freefall, with her belly facing the ground.
“Wonderful,” Hoffner said. “It was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”
After her jump, Hoffner’s thoughts quickly shifted to future adventures. The lifelong Chicago resident, who will turn 105 in December, mentioned she might take a ride in a hot air balloon next.
“I’ve never been in one of those,” she remarked.
Source
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/02/guinness-world-record-oldest-skydiver-dorothy-hoffner
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Jules Marchaland Completes Three Degrees of Separation (9a+)
Jules Marchaland, who climbed three 9a+ routes last year, has successfully repeated Chris Sharma’s classic Three Degrees of Separation (9a+) in Céüse. “An incredible route, possibly the best I’ve ever climbed. It took me six days and I fell twice at the final dyno… insane endurance 😅” (c) Marc Daviet
How challenging is the start of the route and the dynos?
I think the initial part feels like a soft 8c+, but it depends on your climbing style. For me, the first dyno, along with the preceding moves, is around a 7C+ boulder problem. The next two dynos, also with the preceding moves, are about 7B boulder problems.
I felt confident on the dynos. I flashed the second and third ones and did the first, harder one on my second attempt. This route is just crazy and so much fun to attempt.
Source
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