Adventure gifts for the fearless on your list
Me, I'm an armchair adventurer. Sure, I jumped out of an airplane once. But I’m also the girl who screamed “When will it be over?” throughout my one and only rollercoaster ride, and the person who literally keeps the home fires burning in the slopeside condo while my friends are whizzing down the mountain. Were it not captured on video, I might even doubt that my afternoon of skydiving ever took place at all.
Still, I recognize that there are (crazy) people out there who actually enjoy the rush of adrenaline that comes from speed, turbulence, and pushing limits. For them, try these appropriately adventurous gifts on for terror — er, size.
Fight and flight
For Top Gun viewers who were more smitten with the flight scenes than with Tom Cruise, it’s actually possible to be a fighter pilot for a day through Air Combat USA. N simulator, no experience, no license: just show up, get briefed at ground school, and hop into a light-attack-fighter with an instructor. Once airborne, you’ll have an opponent to out-maneuver and out-gun. “We’re talking about six Gs of pure rock and roll in the sky,” boasts Air Combat’s press materials. Shoreline Aviation (Marshfield Airport, 93 Old Colony Lane, Marshfield) hosts two local Air Combat weekends in 2009: June 13 through 15 and September 26 through 28. The cost is $1395 for Phase I Basic Flight Maneuvers, which includes multiple dogfights and a digital video of your experience. Call 800.522.7590 or visit www.aircombat.com for more information and to book.
Tunnel vision
Why wait for the perfect weather conditions to go skydiving? At SkyVenture (3 Poisson Avenue, Nashua, New Hampshire, 603.897.0002), thrill-seekers can experience the same freedom of flight and freefall in an indoor vertical wind tunnel. After a 20-minute training class, suit up and head into the flight chamber with an instructor; when it’s your turn, you’ll fly in the same tunnel where many skydiving teams do their training. Prices start at $48 for a two-minute flight; call 888.SKYVENTURE or visit www.skyventurenh.com for information.
Ice, ice, baby
If you like your ice in more than just cocktails, bundle up and head north to Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing School (1498 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, New Hampshire, 800.310.4504) for an ice-climbing course. For $140, you’ll learn about the equipment, including boots and crampons; how to tie in and belay; and, perhaps most important, how to stay warm. Then you’ll get a day of ice-climbing on a frozen waterfall. A maximum of three people are scheduled for groups; if you want even more personalized attention, opt for a private class for $250. Call 800.310.4504 or visit www.emsclimb.com for reservations and information.
Kites of fancy
Know someone who isn’t content — as I am — to simply watch the swooping kitesurfers in Pleasure Bay? Boston Kite School (8 Winthrop Avenue, Quincy, 617.331.3786) is the answer. From mid-May through the end of October, the school offers private and group kitesurfing lessons featuring instruction in piloting a trainer kite on land ($125; classes are held in Revere) and instruction in water skills ($200; held in Falmouth). The Ride the Wind Package ($299) includes five hours of lessons both on land and in the water; you’ll be harnessing the power of the ocean and the wind in no time. After May 15, ccall 617.331.3786 or visit www.bostonkiteschool.com for information and to book.
Need for speed
Just because one doesn’t live in the Deep South doesn’t mean one doesn’t have a NASCAR jones. For those who’d love nothing more than to buckle up and hit the gas without the — yawn — restriction of a pace car, there’s the Racing School (877.CAN.RACE), which allows drivers to get behind the wheel of a Nextel Cup racecar for anywhere from eight to 240 laps — depending on how much cash you want to shell out, of course. On April 21 and 22, the Racing School sets up shop at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106 North, Loudon, New Hampshire); on June 14, you’ll find them at the Seekonk Speedway (1710 Fall River Avenue, Seekonk). Either way, expect classroom instruction followed by burning rubber. Call 877.CAN.RACE or visit www.theracingschool.com for info.
