Wingsuiting: adrenaline highs and dangerous lows

Wingsuit diving is one of the world’s most dangerous extreme sports. Ahead of this month’s World Wingsuit League Grand Prix, defending champion Jhonathan Florez explains the rush behind jumping off a cliff in an inflatable suit

Top 10 national and state parks in Washington state

Washington is known as the Evergreen State, but its stunning national and state parks offer an abundance of colours, ranging from white-capped mountains to islands in the deep blue ocean

Trekking to Everest base camp: readers’ travel writing competition

Alexei Vink, winner in the adventure category, tested himself on a trek through the Nepalese Himalayas to Everest base camp in Nepal

Sailing by the stars in the Cook Islands

A trip onboard a Polynesian canoe is no ordinary sailing adventure. With only the stars and moon to navigate by, you sail using the traditional skills of Pacific islanders

Kayaking in Arctic Norway: readers’ travel writing competition

Chris Lowery, who won the wildlife category, is struck by the fragile beauty of Svalbard, in the Norwegian Arctic

The magic of Machu Picchu: readers’ travel writing competition

Edward Tew, winner of the history category, savours the epic views and Inca ingenuity at Machu Picchu

Top rocks: bouldering in Fontainebleau, France

If costly gear or dizzying heights put you off rock climbing, bouldering could be for you. Will Coldwell gives it a go at the best place in the world for the sport, a region of rocky gorges just outside Paris

Rock of ages: Chile’s Quezala canyon

The ancient petroglyphs in Chile’s mountainous Atacama desert see few visitors. That is a shame for several reasons, says Kevin Rushby

Norway’s amazing hiking cabins

As the Norwegian Trekking Association opens a dramatic, contemporary mountain hideaway, we look at some of the other stunning walkers’ cabins operated by the organisation

Looking for the perfect log cabin? Try Montana

Their quest for the quintessential American log cabin leads Kevin Rushby and family to the Crazy Mountains in nowheresville, Montana, miles from anything … apart from the bears

Nostalgia trip: an emotional return to the Isle of Jura, Scotland

Though he hadn’t travelled to Jura for a quarter of a century, the wild Scottish island always held a special place in Neil Ansell’s heart. Here he describes his ‘homecoming’

Top 10 national and state parks in Hawaii

Every magical thing you’ve ever heard about Hawaii is true: these eight volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean are a tropical paradise, a geological marvel and an ecological treasure. Mary Caperton Morton explores them

Working holidays: a steep undertaking in Morocco’s Rif mountains

In her second column on volunteering, Cat Rainsford heads to Morocco’s Rif mountains to build an adobe house … or so she thinks

Arctic aloha: the world’s most northerly surf school

Lying north of the Arctic Circle, Unstad Arctic Surf school on the Lofoten islands in Norway used to be an extreme surf destination. Now families come to catch the waves

Top 10 national and state parks in Oregon

Oregon has only one national park but is by no means lacking in scenery. With 360 miles of public beach, gorges, forested peaks and fossil-rich desert, the state is packed with natural wonders, writes Mary Caperton Morton