Extreme hobbies

When these people perform stunning and extremely difficult stunts on tightrope it looks like it's as natural for them as walking on the ground. But while learning these skills, they had to learn how to fall.

Travel to the sea of Okhotsk to visit the islands where a human population of just seven live cheek by jowl with 200 bears. Meet the killer whales and brave a climate so severe that icebergs linger through the summer and September sees the first snows. 

They are not afraid to follow their dreams and live to the max. Instead of putting up with the fact their life is inevitably coming to an end, they seem to convince the laws of biology to freeze the time for them. 

In this edition Nick Levy is embracing the snowy season to bring you some of the latest innovations from the world of winter sports.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heartrate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

When Valery Malkov fell off a train in -40 wearing nothing but slippers and joggers, he could only survive if he ran for miles, as fast as he could, to the nearest station. A minute's delay and he could freeze to death. In this documentary we follow his story and look into how our body adapts to extreme temperatures.

For one month a year, the Arctic becomes home to a floating research camp. Located on an ice floe, the “Barneo” station assists with various projects. RTD travelled to Earth’s northernmost part, in order to see to what extremes some researchers – as well as tourists – are willing to go.

After the Gaza strip was heavily bombed in 2014, all that remained in many areas were ruins, which became a training ground for young free runners. The sport, also known as parkour, is particularly dangerous in debris strewn Gaza, but the young men say that, as Palestinians, they’ve become accustomed to danger. 

In 2014, 18 people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on 18th-century tall ship, The Shtandart. In this film, those on board tell their stories of how they joined the crew, reveal what fascinates them about life at sea, and explain why it takes an ocean to quench their thirst for adventure.

Freediving champion Natalya Avseenko is seeking inner peace in the depths of the Orda Cave in Russia's Perm Region. Join us as we travel with her as she attempts to become the underwater legend known as the Mistress of the Orda Cave.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heart rate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

See James Brown have super cool adventures in the snow. Meet adrenaline junkies practicing ice speedway and the tech heads designing radical mega-slippers for a thrill-seeking ride of their own. Ice hockey minus the blades and kite-flying in a winter wonderland.