In 2004, Michael Fineman (Invest-Banker-turned-Venture-Capitalist) returned from Europe with a story tale of wonder, a tale of intrigue, a tale of adventure … a tale, of Canyoning.  I had never heard of this extreme sport before then, but I never forgot it after (probably because our scrolling marquee in the living room said “1, 2, 3 .. canyoning!” for the next 4 months).

Now that I am finally headed to Europe myself, a trip to the Swiss Alps was necessary.  Interlaken, Switzerland is known as the extreme sports capital of Europe, so why choose Canyoning over hang-gliding, base-jumping, or sky-diving?  Well, mainly because of the hype from Fineman all those years ago, but also because it just looks incredibly stupid!  And if you know me, you know I love stupid.  As their website claims, canyoning lets you “rappel, slide, and jump down rocks and waterfalls into the white water filled Saxeten canyon”. 

So let me get this straight?  1/2 rappelling, 1/2 water-slides, 1/2 white-water rafting swimming … and I get a free drink before I start?  Umm, yeah, I’m doing that.  We have a few days to blow our Swiss Francs, and this kid knows what’s first on the list.  Check out the video above and get ready to yell … 1, 2, 3, CANYONING!!

(if I die, Ben can have my DVD collection, but Henry gets “The Beach”)