Rating: 
Summary: Interesting insights from first-time adventurer
Review: My husband and I read this book. We felt that Bane had some interesting insights into the mental and psychological problems/solutions of "adventurers". However, this IS NOT the book one needs to find out the best way to enter into any of the 13 sports Bane tried. As wilderness skills instructors (rock climbing, caving, whitewater/flatwater canoeing, mountain biking), we realize that "adventure" sports really are about mitigating risk and still having a thrill. Not everyone can push the same envelopes Bane did and live to write about it. (We would have liked to have read in the book the amount of money Bane spent per sport.)
Rating:
Summary: Interesting insights from first-time adventurer
Review: My husband and I read this book. We felt that Bane had some interesting insights into the mental and psychological problems/solutions of "adventurers". However, this IS NOT the book one needs to find out the best way to enter into any of the 13 sports Bane tried. As wilderness skills instructors (rock climbing, caving, whitewater/flatwater canoeing, mountain biking), we realize that "adventure" sports really are about mitigating risk and still having a thrill. Not everyone can push the same envelopes Bane did and live to write about it. (We would have liked to have read in the book the amount of money Bane spent per sport.)
Rating:
Summary: Readable, inspiring, and NOT a good role model!
Review: The book is fairly short, extremely readable, and a good example of how NOT to do this sort of thing. The author wrote up a list of extreme sports events he wanted to experience, despite being a self-described "couch potato". Bane did several items on his "list" without anything like the proper training or preparation.The short length of the book means that a disappointingly brief chapter covers each item on the list. There's not a lot of technical or "how to do it" information in here, though I doubt many will read this book for that. I admit I'd hoped for some discussion of the boring old administrative stuff involved in setting up adventures like these. There is some discussion of his internal mental experience, and a sort of rough-and-ready sports psychology. I enjoyed the book, but it scared the bejeezus out of me that anyone would do these things this hastily! An entertaining read for armchair extreme sporters, but not much more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Readable, inspiring, and NOT a good role model!
Review: The book is fairly short, extremely readable, and a good example of how NOT to do this sort of thing. The author wrote up a list of extreme sports events he wanted to experience, despite being a self-described "couch potato". Bane did several items on his "list" without anything like the proper training or preparation. The short length of the book means that a disappointingly brief chapter covers each item on the list. There's not a lot of technical or "how to do it" information in here, though I doubt many will read this book for that. I admit I'd hoped for some discussion of the boring old administrative stuff involved in setting up adventures like these. There is some discussion of his internal mental experience, and a sort of rough-and-ready sports psychology. I enjoyed the book, but it scared the bejeezus out of me that anyone would do these things this hastily! An entertaining read for armchair extreme sporters, but not much more than that.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it!
Review: This book is an exciting and enjoyable account of how Bane challenged himself and overcame (or in some cases, didn't overcome) the challenges. Contrary to the one unfavorable review here, this isn't supposed to be a how-to book, so if the terminology about crampons is a little simplistic, it's not a fatal flaw. One of the things Bane clearly shows, especially in the later chapters on deep wreck diving, mountain climbing, and the "Iditabike" race, is that you have to be trained and prepared to do some of these things -- and not coincidentally, the ones he completes successfully are the ones for which he is best trained and in proper condition. (Even in the early chapters, he doesn't actually attempt to run the entire Death Valley ultra-marathon.) A major theme of the book is that learning process and interaction with instructors. This book may not inspire you to climb Mt. Denali, but it may make you want to get off your duff and learn the skills to take on some challenges in your life!
Rating:
Summary: The most encouragement to get out there and do it ever!
Review: This is a really excellent book about extreme sports. Being 38 myself and rushing towards the mystical 40 years and middle age I really found this book to be capable of giving me a new focus on life. Last year in a fit of "I can't stand this work any more" I went up to Nottingham for a week (and a number of extra days to make up for the weather) to the British Parachute School at Langar where I took the accelerated freefall training course. I completed the course and am now a qualified skydiver. The last qualifying jump required a solo exit from the aircraft at 13500 ft, a backloop, swoop, right and left 360° turns and after 50 seconds and 9000 feet of freefall, a four minute canopy ride to the ground. As a result I have to admit I am totally hooked on this adrenaline stuff. There is no way without the encouragement of this book that I would have done this. Even if, like Michael, you are a couch potato reading this book will put you right up there with him!
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