The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast is where you will find fascinating and educational interviews with the best free-flight pilots in the world. If you fly a hanglider or paraglider, if you fly acro or cross country, the Cloudbase Mayhem podcast is where we glean how the great pilots of the world get there. Hosted by Red Bull X-Alps pilot, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and current holder of the North American foot launch record, Gavin McClurg. Follow me on Instagram @gavinmcclurg or on Facebook @ facebook.com/gavinnmcclurg or Twitter on @cloudbasemayhem.
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Episode 17- Will Gadd and the Mastery of the Sky through Mastery of Self
Will Gadd began his flying career in the early 90’s and quickly became one of the most prominent pilots in the world. A Red Bull original gangster, Will is considered one of the best mixed climbers on Earth. He’s a world class whitewater kayaker, mountain guide, speaker, author, journalist, expedition leader and is highly regarded for his views on risk management; maintaining a safety margin; his model of the “positive power of negative thinking”; his studied ability to appropriately assess weather and terrain; and his amazing knack to keep pushing the limits in a unique and pure style. In this information and story-packed episode Will covers a huge array of important topics. Whether you are a weekend warrior or at the top of the World Cup game, this podcast is a must-listen. Just a few of the areas we hit: how to properly assess the day; the most common mistakes people make; creating useful tools to break things down which leads to justified confidence instead of ungrounded optimism; the importance of maintaining a safety margin; flying in wave; how to get rid of fears; dedication vs talent; why having an answer to why the risk is worth it is so important and a LOT more.
If you listen to one podcast this year, put this one at the top of your list. You won’t be disappointed.
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Show Notes:
* Will recounts what went wrong in his 2003 X-Alps campaign
* Will talks about his model of the “positive power of negative thinking”
* How to assess and be realistic with your abilities
* How most people get into trouble and why they make mistakes
* Why it’s so important to maintain a margin of safety
* Recognizing the dark side of extreme sports
* The bullshit behind being overly optimistic
* What’s incredible about paragliding and why having an answer for why the risk is worth it is so important
* How to remain content in a world where the “hardest, longest, most extreme” yardstick keeps moving
* If you’re not digging your life, then change it!
* The unknown “unknowns”- things you didn’t know you didn’t know
* Will discusses sponsorship and living in a the public sphere
* The value and importance of learning from the best and getting good instruction
* Mentioned in this episode: Steve Mayer, Dave Bridges, John Yates, Cody Mittanck, Josh Cohn, Robbie Whittall, Chrigel Maurer, Gary Osoba, Willi and Chris Mueller, Chris Santacroce, Mads Syndergaard, Dick Jackson, Paul Guschlbauer, Tom De Dorlodot, Dave Turner