Deep Water Soloing - Adding to THE LIST

Imagine climbing a steep cliff, tens of stories high, using only your hands and feet. No ropes, no picks, not even climbing shoes. Just you and the rock, one-on-one. Uh-oh, you’re arms are shaking and your legs are burning, what will you do? Fall to your death? Nah dude, just jump! You’re deep-water soloing – climbing without ropes – and jumping (preferably away from the rocks) when you get to the top (or in the example above, when you’re too tired to do anything else) into the water below.

Black Rock, Maui, Hawaii

Check out this video (kudos to my friend Rob again) of a few of his friends DWS-ing out at Lake Champlain, in New York. If I have ever experienced love at first sight, then this is it:

I realized that I’ve technically tried DWS-ing a few years ago in Maui, Hawaii, but I am declaring it null because it was nowhere tall enough and not nearly cool enough. If you are in the area though, go to the beaches at Ka’anapali and look for the big black rock.

Black Rock, Maui, Hawaii

You’ll see a bunch of people climbing – a few locals showing off their backflips and many more tourists belly-flopping onto their already sunburned chests. Watching the dives and hearing the screams from the beach can be almost as entertaining, though personally I'd just want to climb up and show 'em how it's done.