First things first: what is this place? Think of this site as an ongoing journal about the ways adventure sports performed in natural settings activate various neurochemical reward pathways in our brains. We will focus on the outdoor activities nearest and dearest to me – surfing and mountain biking – with occasional forays into snow skiing, windsurfing, and yet-to-be-discovered outdoor adventures that look interesting enough – but not too hazardous – to try.
But if we consider just the activities themselves, we miss out on ancillary rewards from our participation in these sports, whether it’s the eye-opening experience of traveling to new locales to discover new breaks and trails and slopes, try new foods, and experience new cultures, or it’s the camaraderie felt from hanging out with members of our tribe before, during and after these activities. So we will also talk about the positive aspects of these related experiences, and the pleasant neural pathways they activate along the way.
Mostly, it’s a way to better understand and appreciate how freaking incredible it is to be alive at this moment in time, living a life outdoors, and experiencing it with others who share our passion for adventure.
